Feedback Throughout PRD Cycle

Constructive Feedback

Use constructive feedback, which focuses on the issue and is not judgmental or critical of the person’s character.

For example, constructive feedback could include, “Several clients expressed concern about meetings not starting on time. Let’s talk about what happened and how we can address this going forward.” In contrast, character-based/judgmental feedback might sound like this: “You don’t respect people’s time.”

Feedback sessions often involve heightened emotions, as both the manager and employee may feel defensive or unsure how to move forward. Remember these strategies to keep feedback constructive:
 

• Keep Perspective. Take a moment to breathe before starting a discussion. Performance management is like a game in which one person is learning how to play, and the other person is teaching them. Focus on skill development, not character judgment.
• Use “I” Statements versus “You” Statements. 
  • “I” Statements - “I” statements describe your own feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. “I sense some uneasiness about this new job expectation.” This allows the other person to share their perspective without making assumptions or causing misunderstandings.
  • “You” Statements - “You” statements often feel like blame and can cause defensiveness. “You seem really angry about the ratings I gave you.” This makes assumptions about the employee’s feelings and may cause them to defend themselves.
• Avoid Judgmental Language. Judgmental language prevents the participants from understanding each other’s perspective and achieving growth. Instead, explain how particular behaviors did not match Expectations. Examples of judgmental language could include:
  • Personal labels or character judgments - “Lazy,” “difficult,” “careless,” “unprofessional," “not a team player,” “bad boss” 
  • Assumptions about intent or motivation - “Doesn’t want to improve,” “doesn’t take work seriously,” “is unwilling to help others,” “doesn’t want to teach me”
  • Subjective comparisons - “One of the worst employees I’ve supervised,” “not as good as others in the department”
  • Vague conclusions without data - “Shows poor judgment,” “lacks commitment,” “doesn’t care about how I do at work”
  • Loaded questions - “Why are you always late?” “Did you really think that approach would work?”
• Clarify before Reacting. When appropriate, clarify what you heard to prevent misunderstandings. “Am I understanding correctly that you feel project supervision was not adequate?” 
• Actively Listen. Use active listening skills such as eye contact and consistent attention. This encourages employees to speak openly, and gives managers an opportunity to better explain the Expectations to the employee.
  • Appropriate follow-up phrases include, “That’s interesting, tell me more,” or “Give me more detail on that idea.”
• Solicit Input. By soliciting employee input, a manager can build trust and communication into the review process.
  • Consider open-ended questions such as “How do you think we can improve things?” “How can I help you develop professionally?” and “What do you think about that idea?”
  • Employees can similarly ask for manager feedback on tasks they completed.

Empathize. Strive to empathize with the employee by acknowledging their feelings in difficult situations. This builds trust and understanding but does not excuse unacceptable behavior.

Feedback Effectiveness

In addition to being constructive, the most effective feedback has the following characteristics:

• Timely: Feedback is more helpful when given close in time to the behavior occurring (or as soon as the manager learns about the behavior).
• Specific: Communicate details about the specific behavior and its outcomes to help the employee understand why the behavior should/should not change.
• Well-Documented: Feedback at the Midway and End of Cycle reviews will be documented in the manager evaluation. Feedback outside of those periods can be shared informally or recorded to address at the next evaluation. Save all relevant details, such as who, what, when, where, why, as well as how (i.e., how did the behavior affect the unit, and any consequences).
• Private: Give feedback in a private location/format. (There may be occasions when public praise is appropriate.)
• Solutions-Focused: Discuss how the employee will resolve the problem, including specific actions, timeframes, and manager follow-ups. Consider an informal or formal Action Plan, if appropriate. 
• Impact-Focused: If applicable, identify how the behavior impacted the unit positively or negatively and why it should/should not continue. 
• Reasoning-Focused: If performance expectations change as a result of the behavior, clearly explain why the change is necessary. 
  • “When the PowerPoint slides are given to the team 2 hours before the slideshow, they don’t have enough time to review, edit, and practice. I’m going to add an Expectation that you submit slides 2 work days before each presentation.” 
• Motivational: Motivate the employee by highlighting their positive contributions, strengths, and growth potential, even if you are meeting for corrective reasons.