A Talent Management Guide To Providing Constructive Feedback

At the center of an employee’s personal and professional development is feedback from their manager. And in the fast-paced modern workforce, as a manager, you need to be having feedback exchanges with your employees more often than an annual performance review. This rings true, especially now that we are in a remote working era. The coachings you offer in 1-on-1 meetings help everyone grow independently while better leveraging their skills towards their performance and achieving collective and personal growth.

However, providing constructive or negative feedback can be difficult, and employees are often affected negatively by it. As a result, many managers avoid giving feedback altogether. So, how can you provide feedback more effectively without demotivating or demoralising your employees?

In this article, discover tips for providing more effective constructive feedback, as well as examples of constructive feedback, relaying feedback, as well as feedback in a remote context

1. Be specific and cover key information

To make employee feedback more effective, be sure that you are covering these three elements when delivering your feedback.

• The behaviour: what your employee did and how he/she did it.

• The outcome: what resulted from their actions and how it had impacted the team.

• The next steps: how to maintain positive outcomes, improve average outcomes, or work to solve negative ones.

This final point is essential, as feedback must be applicable in the future and help one improve. 

2. Focus on the behaviour, never the person

Constructive feedback should never be a character critique. Instead of focusing on someone’s personality, review based on behaviour, and its outcome. 

3. A feedback is your view, not others

At times when we deliver feedback, one inadvertently gives off the impression that the feedback is coming from everyone. As their manager, your employees want your views. Use “I” narratives to take ownership of your observations.

4. Have a two way conversation

A feedback is a two-way street. Always start a conversation with your employees by asking how they felt their performance was. This encourages self-reflection, and if they respond by stating that it was brilliant, break up their performance into smaller sections until you get to the stage where the performance needs to be corrected. Asking the right questions will help you get there quicker. 

As a manager, you should also be open to receive feedback from your employees too. Develop a culture of feedback on your team by actively asking for it regularly!

5. Do not shy away from constructive criticism

While positive employee feedback is more impactful on performance than criticism, there will be occasions when you have to give your employees constructive feedback. It will be difficult for them to hear, but it is necessary for their progress. Do not avoid those moments, but do think of them as opportunities for learning. 

1. Late delivery on a project

“I wanted to speak with you about your work on this last project as your delay in submission affected the team. I understand that you worked hard to complete your part on time, and looking back now, we can easily spot the roadblocks. In your next project, I would love to see you be more proactive in detecting roadblocks before they can impact your delivery. How can I make it easier for you to raise the flags on these kinds of things?”

2. Low morale or negative attitude

“I have noticed that you are less engaged recently, and it is important to me that you are motivated and feeling a sense of purpose in your work. There has been an overall impact on the team’s morale, and I want to make sure that we are supporting each other. Is there something going on? Do you feel you have enough of a challenge in your work? Is there anything I can do to help?” 

1. From upper management 

“In our bi-weekly manager meetings, we had a roundtable to share what our teams have been working on, and it led to an intriguing discussion. [Name of the person] offered some interesting insights that I had not considered, and I wanted to share them with you. From their perspectives, they were not sure that we made the right call on [name the decision]. What do you make of that?”

2. From someone outside the team

“I had a chat with [name of the person] another day, and he/she shared some feedback that I believed could be valuable to you. Since they are not in our daily stand-ups, they do not find that your messages have enough context for them to grasp everything. They proposed a cross-team communication structure that I think we could try. How does that sound to you?”

Now that the majority of us have shifted to remote work, furnishing feedback has become more challenging. The decrease in face-to-face interaction and nonverbal communication can create additional concerns around words coming across as we mean them. However, one thing can be sure, never email negative feedback. People who avoid confrontation tend to use email as a vehicle for negative feedback, and emails can easily be more misconstrued.

1. About work-life balance concerns

“I noticed that you had messaged the team outside of our regular working hours a few times since we made the switch to work remotely. I want everyone to have the flexibility in their scheduling as much as we can, but still want to ensure that our efficiency is not impacted in the process. What kind of hours have you been working? What can I do to help better maintain your work-life balance?” 

2. About addressing decreased performance

“We have all been adjusting to this new reality differently, and I had noticed some of the team members seem to be grappling to maintain the same pace we had before we went working remotely. I want to figure out what everyone's blockers are so we can work better together as a team. What has been particularly challenging for you? Are there any tools you are missing to be productive?”

Giving feedback is a hurdle you need to address on an ongoing basis as the need for feedback never subsides. The more you practice, the better you will get. Make feedback a part of your team culture to support everyone’s development! 

Have a difficult employee who is disturbing and uprooting the team’s morale? Here 5 tips on how you should handle them. 

Having trouble with your remote employees’ wellbeing? Here are 6 sure ways to boost the mental health of your employees and keep their spirits up. 

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