Show Your Employees You Understand the Importance of Feedback

An essential element of a successful business is understanding the importance of feedback in employee relations. Feedback is one of the key elements in developing good working relationships between managers and employees.

Feedback is really a type of communication. And the way to build a relationship between managers and employees is to have communication so that both parties have a good understanding of what is expected of them and how they are doing presently.

Common Mistakes Employers Make
There are three common mistakes employers make regarding the importance of feedback:

• Assuming employees already know how they’re doing—Sometimes managers presume that their employees already know how they’re doing at work. The manager adopts the mind-set that if they are not saying anything negative to the employee, then the employee should know that they are doing fine.
  
  Managers sometimes think they’ve indirectly communicated feedback to an employee without having a direct conversation about the problem. For example, when an employee makes a mistake, instead of telling the employee about the mistake, the manager makes a comment by asking a question like, “Didn’t you already get trained on how to do this?” Although the question implies that the employee should already know how to do the task, the manager should not assume that the employee knows that he/she made a mistake.
  
  Even if the question was asked with an irritated tone of voice or body language that shows being annoyed, all it tells the employee is that the manager is irritated. Managers may feel that using these subtle ways to communicate is equivalent to telling the employee that there is a problem. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
  
  It’s important to be direct with your employees and let them know if they’re meeting your expectations, and if not, what they can do to improve.
  
  
• Thinking feedback is unnecessary—If an employee is doing a good job, managers might think they don’t need to give feedback because that’s the way it’s supposed to be. A manager who thinks that nothing else needs to be done as long as the employee is doing their job and getting the work done is another common mistake.
  
  Managers needs to recognize that even if an employee is doing a good job and meeting what’s expected of them, it’s still important to communicate this to the employee. The feedback will avoid guesswork on the employee’s part and also confirm for the employee that they’re doing well. It will also open the lines of communication for the employee to share feedback with their manager.
  
  
• Avoiding giving employees feedback—When an employee is not meeting the performance expectations of their manager, sometimes the manager avoids dealing with the situation because they are not comfortable giving negative feedback. Or, as mentioned above, the manager thinks they’ve already implied—indirectly—that the employee is not meeting their performance expectations.
  
  For example, I’ve worked with managers who say things like, “Well I already told Jane she needs to be here by 8 a.m.” To that I say—“OK, that’s fine. That’s information that needs to be provided, but if Jane is not showing up until 8:30 a.m., that’s a problem.”
  
  Managers often think just because an employee knows what’s expected of them, that should be sufficient feedback, but it’s not. If Jane isn’t showing up when she’s supposed to, her manager needs to step in and say, “You need to be here at 8 a.m., because if you’re not here, you’re not meeting what’s expected of you.” In addition, the manager should also inform the employee that the consequences for not meeting performance requirements that could lead to termination. This is often the part that managers avoid telling an employee or neglect to include.

Show Your Employees You Understand the Importance of Feedback
Employers need to show employees that they understand the importance of feedback. Here are some steps you can take to do so:

• Schedule “feedback meetings” with employees—Some managers call these “status meetings.” Essentially, the meeting’s purpose is to provide feedback to employees. By setting aside time to meet with your employees, you are conveying the message that you know the importance of feedback.
  
  Also, providing genuine feedback shows employees you’re not just doing it because you have to, but because you want to.
  
  
• Seek feedback from your employees—Feedback is a type of communication. Communication with employees needs to be two-way, which means you’re not just giving out feedback, but you’re also getting feedback in return. Two-way feedback gives employees the opportunity to share information with their manager.
  
  
• Design a systematic infrastructure for feedback—Communicating feedback doesn’t always have to be verbal. Feedback can also come in written form—memos, reports, performance evaluations.
  
  By creating a systematic infrastructure, such as having scheduled quarterly meetings, you’ll ensure employees are getting the feedback and information they need to meet their manager’s expectations and be successful in your organization.

An essential element of a successful business is understanding the importance of feedback in employee relations.