What you should and shouldn't do when giving feedback

Everyone has heard a horror story about Human Resources and that their practices are somewhat shady and questionable. You are probably aware that employees respond to different styles of feedback, and that generally building up staff is a better way to get the results that you want. Tonight I'll be exploring what you should and shouldn't do when it comes to performance managing your staff.

Don't treat your staff like a naughty little child:

Do you remember when you were in school and there was a teacher who would always put you down? It didn't matter what you did or how you responded. They would always pick holes in whatever you were doing. If you stayed back after school to finish an assignment then they would critique what you were doing negatively. It was never good enough.

When you're adults and you enter the workforce, some managers tend to believe that putting their staff down is the way to encourage them to perform the way they want to. It actually has the opposite effect though. If you put someone down they are likely to shut down and immediately shut you out.

What you should do instead:

The best managers are those who can offer constructive feedback to their staff. Instead of saying what they're not doing and treating them like they're stupid, it's best to build them up. Lead the conversation with, "hi XXXXXXX, thanks for the work you did on XXXXX however it would be even better if you did XXXXX".

When you lead with positivity they'll respond better and you'll get what you want, plus the staff member will feel encouraged because you've told them what they're doing right and the areas where they could improve.

According to the Harvard Business Review, 57% of respondents surveyed would prefer constructive feedback that helps them improve their performance.

Forbes says that the delivery is extremely important when you're giving feedback to staff members. It's essential that you have a two way conversation with them and that you do not talk at them. You need to depersonalise the situation as much as possible and give them areas to work on.

Entrepreneur.com shares that sentiment saying that it's never okay to give feedback that attacks the person and diminishes their value or self esteem.

The key is to be positive and build skills. Empower the person that you are giving feedback to and give them information that they can work with.

What to do after you've given feedback:

Humans are impatient and attention spans are becoming shorter and shorter with the rise of technology. We now expect results immediately. The reality is, if you've given feedback then you need to give the team member time to work on the areas that you've said need improvement.

Just like the Pantene commercial says, "it won't happen overnight but it will happen".

You need to be aware that people work at different speeds and have different ways of responding to criticism.

In conclusion:

Staff expect feedback. It's part of every single job on earth, unless of course you're self employed, in which case you'll be the one giving feedback (and you should be reading this article).

Create an action plan and give staff the time to implement the changes you require. By doing so you'll create a happy, positive working environment where your staff can thrive.

You also need to put yourself in the staff member's shoes. How would you feel if you were in their position? What type of feedback would you want?

As QANDA Australia said last night, there's a fine line between free speech and hate speech. You need to know where to draw the line. That can be applied to employee feedback. You need to draw the line between insults and put downs; and constructive feedback that enables staff to make positive changes moving forward.

It's a fine line, one that is so frequently abused by employers.