HR: 10 staff feedback tips you can swear by

Giving effective feedback about positive aspects of performance and areas for improvement is challenging for many people.  Those of you who manage staff know that it is important, as it is through feedback about a person's work that we encourage them, motivate them, give them confidence, teach them, guide them and develop their talents. 

Imagine a workplace where feedback was absent - where people did not know whether their work was good enough, where mistakes were repeated as they were not known to be mistakes, where a great work effort was greeted with the same mute silence as poor work.  People, particularly those who are on the steep learning curve of the early years of their professional development, want to know how they are tracking.  Giving effective feedback is critical if this is to happen in a productive and constructive manner.

A disappointing approach
When I work with law firms to assist the partners and senior staff to develop their talented staff, I hear myriad reasons why it is difficult to give ‘constructive' feedback to lawyers and support staff.  A common one is: "I do not want to upset our working relationship by saying things that might disappoint them."

When we get down to discussing why people do not give as much feedback as they know they should, the possible detrimental impact to the ongoing working relationship is a major blocker for many people. Often these people managers have themselves been on the end of poorly delivered feedback.  You know the style - giving negative feedback to a subordinate, with an audience, in a loud and aggressive tone, with little fact-based content and providing no opportunity for that staff member to discuss the issue.  Throwing in a swear word or two is often the icing on the cake. I call this abusive feedback.  It is not effective and is likely to be bullying. Having had such experiences in their past, people are loathe to make the same mistakes and so avoid giving feedback.

Yet we all know that we do our staff no favours by not being honest with them about their performance.  Having said that, saving up any negative feedback until the annual review is not a good approach.  This approach is often confidence destroying for the recipient and trust destroying for the working relationship. How could you trust someone who had blithely stored up ‘bad news' for the formal review while making out things were going along okay?

Go with the facts
So, effective feedback is timely.  It is also based on actual information and observations, not hearsay or second-hand information from ‘sources who wish to remain anonymous.  It has some real content and does not revolve around statements like ‘lift your game', ‘improve your attitude' or, my personal favourite, ‘pull your socks up'.

So what are the key components to providing effective ‘negative' feedback without upsetting the ongoing working relationship?

Setting the scene with your employees

1. Establish with the person that it is your role to give them feedback and that everyone has areas where they do well, and areas where they can improve.
2. Explain to him/her why feedback is important for their own development - it is a key part of their learning - and that you take this seriously.
3. Talk with them about how they like to receive feedback and how you like to give feedback.  Talk about how it is sometimes hard as you do not want them to feel upset.
4. For less-experienced staff where there will be more need for constant feedback, set a regular time to catch up to discuss what is going well and areas for improvement.  Make it a standard part of their learning.

Planning and having the discussion

5. Think about what outcome you would like from a feedback conversation before you have it.  Plan your approach to maximise your chances of achieving this outcome and if the conversation might be a difficult one, practice what you are going to say.
6. Do not ambush people with negative feedback - for more complex matters, let the person know that you would like to catch up and what you want to talk about
7. Choose a location that matches the message - a social coffee is a social coffee and rarely does a coffee shop lend itself to a ‘private feedback conversation' (and the same goes for pubs!)
8. Real content - have some examples and ideas for improvement.  Resist the urge to go with the ‘sandwich technique', that is, say something positive, then talk about the topic you really want to address, and then finish on a high with another positive.  Some people walk away from these discussions thinking ‘two out of three is not bad'. 
9. Make sure you use a tone that reflects your emotional intent.  Say what you need to say in a helpful, supportive manner, not an attacking and belittling manner.  The tone you use often indicates to the listener the emotional intent of your conversation - that is why you should not give feedback when you are angry, nor should you use email as the communication tool.
10. Agree on any ‘next steps' and ensure you follow up and provide ongoing feedback in relation to these.

People are not born knowing how to give effective feedback.  They learn to do this, and by following these steps, and rehearsing difficult feedback conversations with a trusted advisor (partner, HR manager, colleague) you will find that your confidence and competence in this important area improves, as will the skills and talents of those staff you manage.

 

Kriss Will is a law firm management consultant through her firm Kriss Will Consulting. She can be contacted at kriss@kwillconsult.com.au