Managing and evaluating the performance of employees is vital for every business, be it small or large. At the same, no performance appraisal method is complete without giving and getting feedback. Performance feedback is acutely critical to engage employees and improve their productivity, which are the actual necessities of every company. Effective giving and receiving feedback helps employees to understand where they stand concerning the expected performance.
Companies carrying out the performance management process as a tradition or as a method to decide the increment and promotions will never fulfill the core goal of this process, which is performance improvement. Not to forget, we are living in an era where people are prioritizing 360 Degree Feedback Process. So, it is high time for leaders and employers to use performance feedback as the basic fiber to witness continuous performance improvement of their employees.
All that said, let’s dive into the blog and learn the 5 W 1 of performance feedback.
What?
It is the response given to employees by their seniors, leaders, or managers regarding their acquired goals vis a vis expected performance in terms of volume of work, its quality, pace, attitude towards the work. Also, performance feedback should always be true as well as unbiased.
Why?
It helps employees to know the timely expectations of their superiors and allow them to stretch their abilities to acquire their goals efficiently. With an effective performance feedback mechanism in place, both employees as well as companies can easily acquire the desired or expected results. Truth be told, effective performance feedback is the ultimate key to constant improvement of employee productivity that in turn serves the objectives of the company and helps employees to survive, grow and engage along the way.
In simpler words, it is a necessary tool for employee engagement, productivity improvement, and growth.
When?
For several decades, companies have been providing performance feedback to employees once a year as a part of PMS. However, this traditional method of giving feedback reap zero benefits to businesses. This way, only a few employees will connect and reflect the same on their work in the future.
Performance feedback should not be given according to the convenience of the leader. On the contrary, it should be given immediately after the task is completed. This will reinforce the feedback, be it positive or negative, into the minds of employees and motivate them to improve their performance at the earliest possible. In addition to this, when feedback is given immediately, employees will easily connect with the same and take the corrective action at the right time to acquire a higher level of performance. In essence, feedback loses its relevance when it is delivered late.
Where?
The answer to this question may differ from organization to organization. However, it is always suggested that the good work of an employee should be acknowledged in public, while he or she should be reprimanded in private. Most often, leaders find it difficult to distinguish between well-done feedback and requires-improvement feedback. In such cases, managers can deliver performance feedback in private.
Who?
It should always be given by the person who has been supervising or observing the employee throughout the process. That means the senior/manager/leader who assigns and sets the goals of an employee and evaluates his or her progress is responsible for giving feedback at the end.
How?
No employee will take biased and baseless feedback. Now, the whole point of giving performance feedback is to make employees realize where they need a course correction to acquire the desired or expected performance. If managers or leaders end up giving feedback just to demean an employee, it will not just impact their interpersonal relationship but also negatively affect his or her future performance. Thus, performance feedback should always be based on accurate facts and figures.
That’s it.
So, this is everything you need to know about performance feedback. Now that you have a clear understanding, make the best use of it going forward. All the best!