7 Actions for Giving Negative Feedback to Employees

Giving negative feedback to employees is one of the most feared tasks of managers. 43% of 2,700 leaders surveyed found giving corrective feedback is a “stressful and difficult experience” and hence the majority of managers don’t give negative feedback.  In an Officevibe survey from thousands of companies, 83% of employees really appreciate feedback, regardless of whether its positive or negative. And a Gallup Poll found that employees receiving negative feedback were 20 times more likely to be engaged that those receiving no feedback at all.  Employees need and want feedback so they can learn and improve. I am sharing 7 actions for giving negative feedback to employees. These will help drive corrective actions while keeping the employee happy. Take these actions and it is must less likely the employee will be upset or cause problems. When thinking about how to give negative feedback to employees, the first action is to always give negative feedback in private. You wouldn’t want other broadcasting your negative points. How to give feedback at work definitely includes giving feedback quickly. The value of feedback decreases with time – we forget, other things come up etc. When giving negative feedback, give it quickly.  The next action for negative feedback is super important – tailor your feedback style to each person. A direct style will be appreciated by one person might be offence for another. Know your team and adapt your style of communication.  When thinking about how to give negative feedback to employees, it is really useful to explain the impact of what they are doing or not doing. This puts their actions or choices into context and will add weight to your feedback. When giving negative feedback, you are essentially asking the other person to change. Explaining the impact helps the other person put in the effort to change.  When giving negative feedback to employees it is vital that it teaches and improves them. You must not give negative feedback to express your anger, annoyance, or other emotions. Give negative feedback to help the other person learn and improve. This action alone will help you avoid most of the negative consequences associated with giving negative feedback.   When giving negative feedback at work, take the time to listen to what your team member tells you. You can learn a lot by actively listening. For example, many negative behaviours at work are symptoms of other problems. If you don’t listen, you would never know what these are. Finally, to give negative feedback to employees and make sure it has a useful outcome, plan actions together after giving the negative feedback. It is really important that the other person comes up with the actions – this will mean they are a lot more likely to own them and put them into action.  Good luck giving negative feedback to employees. 

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