Have you ever wondered why certain workers perform better and are more engaged at work than others? The answer might lie in the feedback they receive from their managers and colleagues.
When delivered effectively and constructively, feedback can help employees understand their strengths and weaknesses, set goals for improvement, and drive performance. Now let’s look at some methods for giving constructive feedback that can enhance worker performance and engagement.
Employee Engagement And Organisational Success
The percentage of engaged employees around the world is low, and this is a challenge for businesses as engagement is essential to the success of any organisation.
Engaged employees are more likely to achieve better business results because they are motivated, dedicated, and enthusiastic about their work. They tend to provide exceptional customer service because they understand that this leads to increased customer loyalty and increased sales.
Consequently, companies that want to succeed in the long run need to give employee engagement strategies top priority and allocate resources accordingly.
Challenges in Maintaining High Levels of Engagement
As we’ve already discovered, maintaining high levels of employee engagement is key in creating a motivated and dedicated workforce. However, achieving and maintaining this level of engagement is quite difficult for a number of reasons. Below, you will find three main points that warrant attention:
- Without a clear purpose and understanding of their role in achieving the organisation’s goals, employees may feel disconnected and unengaged
- Lack of recognition and growth opportunities can hinder employee engagement as we each strive for meaningful work and career development
- A toxic or unsupportive environment reduces employees’ ability to be fully engaged
Beyond these challenges, increasing employee engagement requires investing in their professional development and growth. Companies can further support this by offering resources and training programs that empower team members to take ownership of their career path. Encourage them to explore opportunities for personal and professional growth, such as financial planning or the process of investment, for example, or learning about social media management tools if you work in marketing. Expanding their knowledge and skills beyond their current responsibilities will enable them to develop and achieve success faster than others.
Types of feedback
There are numerous different types of feedback with different meanings in different contexts. Each type serves a specific purpose, providing people with the opportunity to succeed and reach their full potential. To harness the power of feedback to improve our skills, knowledge, and attitudes, we should understand the different types of feedback and their role in providing guidance and motivation.
Constructive
Providing constructive feedback creates a culture of continuous growth and improvement within the organisation, especially during the performance appraisal period. It aims to look at areas in need of development and provide suggestions for growth. As such, constructive feedback helps with:
- Identifying Key areas for improvement
- Solving performance problems
- Sharpening skills
- Improving interpersonal communication
- Enhancing team collaboration
Examples of constructive employee feedback include:
- Providing specific suggestions for improving communication skills
- Offering recommendations for time management techniques to address performance issues
- Suggesting collaborative problem-solving strategies to improve team dynamics
Positive
Positive feedback is incredibly important in fostering a positive and productive environment, as it not only bolsters our morale but also motivates us to continue to perform at our best. The key benefits of positive feedback include:
- Recognition and acknowledgment of outstanding achievements, which increases confidence and motivation
- Demonstrating improvement in skills, raising self-esteem and awareness of progress among team members
- Celebration of achievements that creates a feeling of joy and accomplishment in the team, thereby strengthening team spirit and stimulating new goals
- Promoting healthy relationships, respect, and trust within the team, which contributes to a positive work environment
You can find some great examples of positive employee feedback in the following guide.
Corrective
Corrective feedback can be valuable tool for encouraging the growth and development of employees as it draws attention to areas for improvement and mistakes. When presented correctly, it provides revelatory insight into where adjustments are needed and suggests specific steps for improvement.
The key aspects of corrective feedback are:
- Focus on specific actions or behaviors
- Timeliness and consistency of feedback for effectiveness
- Sensitivity and empathy in its delivery to maintain self-esteem and morale
- Supporting a positive educational environment to stimulate growth and development
- Providing concrete steps for improvement and development
Some useful strategies for corrective feedback could be found here, but you should remember that it’s always very individual, and what works for one person may not work at well for another.
Psychological Impact of Feedback on Employees
Since feedback is a powerful tool that can have a psychological impact on employees, it can serve as a motivator and engage staff, but only if used effectively.
A balanced feedback culture requires both positive and constructive feedback. Positive feedback is needed to lift employees’ spirits, boost their morale, and enhance job satisfaction, while constructive feedback, in turn, helps them identify areas for improvement and sets clear expectations.
Benefits of Regular Feedback for Employee Development and Growth
By providing employees with frequent and effective feedback, we can enhance their level of motivation and engagement, allowing them to continually improve their skills and performance. Feedback gives us specific areas for improvement and serves as a guide for our professional growth. In this way, when we identify our strengths and weaknesses, we can focus on areas that need more work.
Regular feedback can also make us feel valued. When someone asks you for input and actively seeks feedback on their work, it shows that your opinion and contribution are important to them. This sense of value motivates them to invest even more in their work and strive for excellence.
Have an open dialogue and clarify expectations and goals. This helps employees feel supported and encouraged, creating a positive work environment. This is what leads to growth and development!
Feedback as a Tool for Identifying Strengths and Areas for Improvement
If you want to foster a culture of continuous improvement and growth in your company, you need to provide and receive feedback regularly. It’s necessary for:
- Identifying employee strengths;
- Identifying areas for improvement;
- Escalating motivation and engagement.
For example, let’s analyse how Real FiG Advertising + Marketing uses feedback to achieve success. Recently, our marketing team launched a new digital campaign for one of our clients. After its launch, we asked the client if they could provide us with feedback on the work done. They did this by praising the team’s creativity and the effectiveness of our strategy. This positive feedback greatly lifted the spirits of the entire team and also strengthened our ability to achieve top-notch results. That same day, we had a brainstorming session and sketched out a bunch of new ideas that would be implemented for this client. This is a good example of how feedback motivates us to strive for better and encourages us to continually raise the bar.
Creating a Feedback Culture Within the Organisation
For a successful feedback culture, it’s necessary to use various methods and approaches. One of them is the active involvement of the organisation’s leadership, which must demonstrate a willingness to discuss and improve work processes, as well as actively seek feedback.
Another method could be to introduce a system of rewards for active participation in the exchange of opinions and ideas among employees to encourage them to interact more actively and express their views. Here, it’s important to create a safe environment where employees feel comfortable and free to discuss any issues.
A good approach could be to conduct training sessions and workshops to develop feedback skills among employees. Additionally, for a feedback strategy to remain effective and relevant, it must be regularly updated based on the changing needs and expectations of employees. Incorporating staff augmentation strategies can also be beneficial, as it allows companies to bring in external expertise to support the feedback process and address specific skill gaps within the team.
Conclusion
Feedback is an impactful tool for helping employees feel heard, valued, and motivated in the workplace. Remember, feedback is a two-way street, so make sure to encourage open communication and dialogue to foster a positive and productive work environment.
Author: Nellia Melnyk – Researcher and content creator
Photo credit: StockCake
If you want to get the best out of the power of feedback, you can try feedback loops. Here's how to do that: https://kanbantool.com/blog/harnessing-kanban-feedback-loops