5 Ways to Give Constructive Feedback to Your Employees | CPS, Inc

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Employee feedback is important for creating a welcoming, engaging company culture. When you do it right, employee feedback can help them be more productive. The data shows:

  • 65% of employees want constructive feedback.
  • Companies that provide regular feedback have a 14.8% lower turnover rate.
  • 69% of employees say they would work harder with more feedback.

Yet for every article that shows the benefits of positive feedback, two more show how you’re doing it wrong. This blog will give you five ways to provide constructive criticism that benefits your team.

How Can You Give Constructive Feedback to Employees?

5 Constructive Feedback Tips

When done well, constructive feedback can help you build stronger relationships with your employees. Yet nine out of 10 managers say they struggle to provide constructive feedback. Here are five tips to help you take advantage of constructive feedback without the struggle:

Establish trust with your team.

You can do this by:

    1. Leading by example.
    2. Communicating effectively.
    3. Empowering your team to make their own decisions.
    4. Show empathy and understanding.
    5. Recognize and reward.
    6. Be consistent and transparent.
    7. Encourage open and honest feedback.
    8. Develop a positive work culture.

It’s hard to hear feedback from someone you don’t trust. Managers must build a better relationship with their team so that their feedback is heard, owned, and appreciated.

Balance the positive with the negative.

Start by praising more than you criticize. Build up your teams before tearing them down. You can do this by always leading with a positive response before sharing anything that needs improvement. This effort will help motivate your team and ensure your constructive criticism, when you finally share it, is heard, and appreciated. The idea is that you lead more by the carrot and less by the stick.

Conduct any feedback sessions face-to-face.

We live in a remote, virtual world now, but some crucial conversations should never be shared by email and certainly not by text. The tone of anything written can be misconstrued, so save any feedback sessions for a Zoom chat or an in-person meeting.

Don’t make the feedback personal.

Always separate the person from their actions. Don’t judge the person from their actions. Try to understand why this is happening and approach the feedback session from the perspective of trying to help performance. Consider phrases like, “How can we help you improve this?” Anything less will cause the team member to shut down.

Work feedback into your regular management style.

If you constantly praise and support your team, any less-than-positive feedback will just be part of the daily work. Don’t wait until an annual review to let employees know where they stand. Constant feedback, support, and praise is the new normal, particularly if your employees are remote. According to studies, there is an 89% increase in employees who say they want feedback at least monthly.

Need to Hire New Employees?

Sometimes the work environment doesn’t allow you to reach your full potential. If you are a manager or leader looking to make a change, consider a conversation with CPS. We help top employees find better careers. Find out more about our recruitment services and contact us today.

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