Studies show that employees want even more feedback in their new and remote work environments.
Giving and receiving feedback can be uncomfortable and awkward at times, but necessary for the growth of employees and optimized performance of companies.
When leaders overcome personal discomfort in initiating performance discussions with employees, it is proven to lead to higher satisfaction, increased transparency, and higher productivity.
Reflektive, a performance management firm, released a recent benchmark report with the following trends:
- There is an increase of 89% in employees since 2018 that want feedback with higher frequency, i.e. weekly, monthly
- 85% of managers assume employees have a clear understanding of their company’s feedback request process
- 25% of employees do not know how to ask for feedback
Today’s technologically driven workplace demands increased communication to maintain successful work relationships. This shift in employee expectations must be met with change such as:
- Employees must feel comfortable asking their managers for feedback.
- Feedback request process must be clear and actively encouraged to promote greater transparency throughout the organization.
If you’re looking for methods to create a culture that promotes feedback, start by offering sincere comments to your employees in response to their effort, production, or overall performance followed by an open-ended question.
An example of this is: “John, I really like the way your presentation conveyed our company’s message. It looks like you worked really hard. What part of the project did you enjoy the most?”
These types of comments can transition into meaningful conversations and discussion sessions where employees will feel valued and motivated. These conversations also allow leaders and managers the opportunity to provide guidance and communicate on-going expectations and quality standards as it relates to the employee’s job.
COVID-19 has separated employees and managers geographically. Working remotely and away from teams has the potential danger of isolating employees emotionally. Employees already have a difficult time initiating conversations in which they request feedback, and the virtual work environment may not make this easier. The time has come for managers to be proactive in leading performance discussions and structured feedback sessions.
