Morgan Fecto* says giving good news during a review is easy, but managers and talent pros need to know how to take the sting out of constructive feedback.
“You got a promotion! You get a raise!”
It’s almost as fun for managers to say it as it is for employees to hear.
Giving good news during a review is easy, but how can reviewers take the sting out of constructive – or negative – feedback?
Coaching an employee who needs to improve or who isn’t quite ready for more responsibility, higher pay or leadership opportunities is perhaps the most difficult aspect of performance management, so here are four guiding principles from experts for giving better feedback.
#1: Meet more often
Many talent experts recommend retiring the annual performance review and replacing it with frequent feedback instead.
Unlike annual reviews, continuous feedback sessions can lessen anxiety for managers and workers both, making the conversations less formal and more focused.
They can help send the message that the organisation’s culture is one of listening and responding to workers’ needs — and they help talent pros and managers minimise the risk that workers will be dissatisfied with or surprised by the discussion.
“That feedback should be coming constantly,” said Jim Flynn, CHRO at Sitel Group.
“Everyone should know where they stand constantly.”
Flynn believes frequency transforms the feedback session into a chance to reflect on and recalibrate priorities.
It can also ensure that workers are aware of their progress.
For Jodi Chavez, group president professional staffing group at Randstad Professionals, Randstad Life Sciences, focusing frequently keeps managers better informed about workers’ desires and expectations.
“Constant communication, so they know what you’re looking for and you can keep coaching them, is important,” she said.
#2: Give a heads up and an open ear
There’s still stress for talent pros and managers even when preparing to deliver feedback in a more casual session: Will they feel insulted?
Will they disengage afterwards?
The way reviewers deliver feedback matters as much as the frequency.
Chavez and Flynn agree that managers should begin conversations with what they’re going to cover in the session.
They can continue to be transparent with workers by providing the reasoning behind the feedback and their expectations for the future, Flynn said.
Honest feedback should never come with bias or malice attached.
Jeannie Donovan, VP of HR at Velocity Global, says “clear is kind” when it comes to constructive feedback.
Whether the manager is discussing goal setting or areas that need improvement, Chavez said the same principle applies: stick to the facts and strive for objectivity.
That’s not to say that a manager should shut down further discussion, Chavez said.
Discussing an employee’s strengths and listening to their desires can help them visualise a realistic and reachable future for themselves within the organisation.
“It’s really important to sit down and talk about the positive things that the employee brings to the table — it’s a non-defensive position to put the employee in,” Chavez said.
“Try to understand what is important to them, and let them tell you.”
#3: Support your managers
Talent pros should focus on workers when they consider their feedback best practices — but managers need their attention and expertise, too.
As Flynn put it, “sometimes you have to carry cold water warmly” when delivering feedback, and managers need encouragement, support and guidance from to pull it off.
“A good HR business partner should understand when those difficult conversations could be occurring,” he said, noting that this partnership goes both ways.
“If a manager is aware that it might be a tough conversation, it’s always a good idea to give your HR business partner a heads up so they can be attuned.”
Providing tools or suggestions for approaching reviews can help managers to execute conversations with employees with clarity and mutual understanding.
Donovan echoed Flynn’s belief that managers and talent pros should partner in the feedback process, and that debriefing afterwards is critical for employee satisfaction.
“Have that second set of eyes to be aware and look for signs of disengagement or other harmful behaviour,” said Flynn.
“Some managers are hands off, so if they’ve had that difficult conversation make sure you’re maintaining that personal connection and increasing your frequency of touch.”
#4. Shift the focus forward
The last thing constructive feedback should sound like is a lecture.
Reviewers should reiterate that the feedback is in service of a plan to get that employee a promotion, conference excursion, a chance to lead an internal workshop or whatever the goal is in the future, Chavez said.
“They should feel positive about what they have contributed and what they can continue to contribute,” she said.
“[It’s about] what you can do to help foster that growth for them.”
Flynn’s approach is similar, keeping the conversation productive and goal-oriented: “I probably spend 25 per cent of the time talking about past performance, and goals reached and past behaviour, but I like to focus more on what are the strengths, what are weaknesses and where the potential is.”
With the future in mind, Chavez points out that a transparent, frequent and collaborative review process can even have ripple effects across an organisation, according to Donovan, who saw that workers had a clearer vision of their goals when she transitioned to more continuous feedback.
“As a result of our laser-focus on more frequent performance conversations, our employees have a roadmap of what needs to be done and when, and this approach lends itself to higher productivity and a general sense of purpose across the board,” Donovan said.
* Morgan Fecto is an Associate Editor at HR Dive.
This article first appeared at www.hrdive.com.
