I”™m concerned that employees don”™t get enough feedback. And I fear that doing reviews could open an ugly door. Some people might not like what we have to say, others might want a raise ”“ which I”™m not willing to give.
Thoughts of the day: Feedback should be given continuously. Reviews are recaps of feedback and do not have to be tied to compensation. But compensation should be tied to performance. Use feedback to help employees grow and improve.
Teach managers how to give feedback. Read a book. Discuss feedback at weekly meetings. Ask for examples such as who met with whom, what worked, what didn”™t, what did/didn”™t get said. Be careful not to shoot the messenger if anyone brings up problems they encountered. Identify “success examples” to emulate.
Encourage managers to speak with employees honestly and empathetically. According to BusinessPerform.com, employees need to get from internal communication “a sense of belonging and self-worth ”“ being listened to, respected, trusted, valued.” PattyInglishms.hubpages.com says that “Lack of ”¦ Respect and Lack of Recognition are 2 of the 10 reasons employees quit their jobs.”
Review with your managers the concept that success is celebrated in public, while negatives are discussed in private. Make sure managers take time to recognize employees who do well. And when things go wrong verify that managers pull aside the person involved to discuss what happened. Remind everyone that performance can only be sustained and improved if people are given accurate feedback.
Many of us are uncomfortable delivering bad news. We don”™t like looking someone in the eye and telling the person they just screwed up. Sometimes we get busy or just plain overlook opportunities to recognize good performance, saying things like, “Well, they should know they did a good job.” Unfortunately, lack of feedback only leads to repeat mistakes and lack of respect as employees assume that no one cares. And who needs that?
Talk with managers about the dangers of not giving feedback, such as decreases in customer satisfaction as problems go uncorrected, declining profits as errors mount up and higher turnover as good employees get frustrated and quit.
Now let”™s talk about reviews. They don”™t have to be complicated or time consuming. Ask managers to keep a file folder in their desk for each employee. Each month, have managers put performance notes in each file. If you”™re concerned that managers won”™t take time to complete this assignment, set aside a monthly meeting for managers to get together, bring their files and write up their notes.
At review time, have managers meet with each employee for an hour. Encourage a two-way discussion: How are things going from the employee”™s point of view? From the manager”™s? Conclude the discussion with a written list of development activities for the employee to pursue, initialed by both manager and employee. Drop the development list into the employee”™s folder. Check on progress regularly.
One final note: Reviews should not be a surprise to the employee. If feedback has been honest all along, the review will simply be a restatement of what”™s already been discussed.
Tie compensation to performance by linking measurable outcomes to how a person is rewarded. Want to boost output? Pay a bonus if output exceeds a set minimum. This approach doesn”™t require a review to measure and reward performance. But it does reinforce the importance of performing to a standard in order to earn a higher level of compensation.
Finally, remind managers that a written record is essential to good management. Our memories can be faulty and subject to “squeaky wheels” or “recent impacts.” Setting aside time to reflect on performance over time with monthly notes and agreement on where to focus next, is an opportunity for the company, manager and employee to develop skills and build rapport.
Looking for a good book? Try “Where”™s the Gift? Using Feedback to Work Smarter, Learn Faster and Avoid Disaster” by Nigel J. A. Bristow and Michael-John Bristow.
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Andi Gray is president of Strategy Leaders Inc., strategyleaders.com, a business-consulting firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurial firms grow. She can be reached by phone at (877) 238-3535. Do you have a question for Andi? Please send it to her via email at AskAndi@StrategyLeaders.com or by mail to Andi Gray, Strategy Leaders Inc., 5 Crossways, Chappaqua, NY 10514. Visit AskAndi.com for an entire library of Ask Andi articles.