Everyone knows feedback is an essential part of the give-and-take between employer and employee. Feedback helps employees be better in their jobs. Feedback also helps employees feel more engaged at work.  

Yet 65% of employees say they don’t get enough feedback. Four of every 10 employees who say they receive little to no feedback at work are actively disengaged. If employers understand the importance of feedback, why are they giving so little of it? 

Perhaps it’s because feedback makes them uncomfortable; they simply don’t know how to provide positive feedback. This blog will look at your feedback loop and how to make it more productive and beneficial to your organization.

What Does a 2-Way Street Feedback Mean?

Why is Giving Employee Feedback So Important

Feedback is important to your workforce and your company for several reasons:

  • It can help employees identify areas where they need to improve performance. Feedback can help set goals, develop skills, and enhance job performance.
  • This process can also help boost morale. Positive feedback makes an employee feel good. It raises their confidence level. Feedback can also help with retention. Companies that give regular feedback have 14.9% lower turnover.
  • Feedback can help managers identify problems that affect employee performance or team morale. This gives the employee a chance to fix their behaviors or implement solutions to address these issues.
  • It also builds trust between a manager and an employee—but only if you do it right.

Providing feedback is important to your workforce. But you must do a few things to make the feedback a genuine give-and-take between a manager and an employee. Here’s how to give feedback the right way.

How To Give Your Employees Feedback

As a general rule of thumb, offering regular feedback is important; 43% of engaged employees receive feedback at least once weekly. The best way to provide this feedback is to follow these tips:

  • Lead with the positive. Talk about something the worker has done right this week. Be specific about what the employee did well. Avoid generalizations and be as concrete as possible.
  • Be timely in your feedback. Provide it as soon as possible after the behavior or incident occurs. That way, the employee will remember the activity and can immediately work to correct or continue a particular behavior.
  • Be as constructive as possible. Focus on continuous improvement, not on criticism. Stay respectful and professional, and use positive language that motivates your worker.
  • Even more critical, listen as much as you talk. Particularly if the feedback is constructive, listen to the employee’s perspectives and ask for their input. This give-and-take will build trust even if you must share an area that needs improvement with your employee.
  • Provide the employee with opportunities to apply what they’ve learned. Offer additional training to support your worker in their efforts to improve.
  • Finally, follow up. Does the employee have any questions? Can you meet again in a week or two to see how things are going? Leave on a note that you are there to support and help the employee succeed.

Does Your Organization Have Feedback That is a 2-Way Street?

Exelare believes in the spirit of continuous professional improvement. Our state-of-the-art staffing and recruitment software is constantly improved based on feedback from our clients. The platform allows managers to record employee performance, set goals, and track KPIs. If you’re interested in improving your team’s performance, our software can help. Find out more.