Dive Brief:
- A Gallop survey on how feedback affects employees found that 67% of those polled were happier and more productive at work when mangers focused on the positive aspects of their performance rather than the negative. Only 31% of workers in the survey, State of the American Manager: Analytics and Advice for Leaders, reported feeling engaged in their work following a mostly negative evaluation.
- IBM’s WorkTrends survey showed that recognition for work done well scored high among employees. Of the 19,000 workers in the global study, those who were cited for exceptional performance were three times as engaged as those aren’t. Recognition also increased job satisfaction and retention.
- Marshall Goldsmith, PhD, author, educator and executive coach, developed a system to help managers assess and improve their feedback skills. His FeedForward Tool is a 10-minute questionnaire designed to encourage employee engagement and exceptional performance through positive feedback.
Dive Insight:
Employees want and need feedback on their performance in real time. Dr. Goldsmith says that most feedback focuses on past behavior rather than the possibility of performance improvement in the future. Once-a-year assessments tend to pinpoint bad behavior while overlooking gradual improvements in performance.
How managers give feedback can encourage or discourage employee engagement. Employees might misinterpret even the highest praise for their work if given in a condescending voice, with dismissive body language or with unpleasant facial expressions.
Facebook recently made an argument for more traditional performance reviews, however, revealing ongoing debate on the matter.
