Successful Tips to Give Negative Feedback and Drive Productivity in The Workplace

Delivering negative feedback as a manager is the key to developing strong employees.

However, many leaders are intimidated to do so and often avoid it, or they feel it is unnecessary for their time. This results in them either leaving feedback until the annual performance review or firing an employee when they don’t meet their expectations. In turn, employees feel attacked for something they didn’t even know was a problem. However, when coworkers know what’s expected of them from the start and throughout their employment, they’re more likely to do their best work.  

Here are some ways managers can improve the way they deliver negative feedback: 

Know The Desired Outcome 

The purpose of delivering feedback is to help employees understand what success looks like for their role. Each employee should know what the desired outcome of their job duties and tasks are. Managers who are giving feedback without a laid out strategy risk the discussion going haywire.  

Create A Safe Environment 

While public praise is often easily accepted, negative feedback is quite opposite. Negative feedback should be delivered in private and in an environment where employees feel safe.  Yelling at or belittling workers for their poor performance should be avoided at all costs, no matter how bad they might mess up. How you approach a situation not only reflects on you and the company, but a rash approach can create future resentment, increase anxiety, and reduce future performance for an employee.  

Ditch The Assumptions 

In most difficult conversations, the individuals have different perceptions of an event. It’s common for managers to assume others interpret the information the same way they do. However, this assumption is what often leads to conflict. It’s crucial for managers to stick with the facts and focus on the situation rather than criticizing a person based on an assumption. Managers should give feedback on an employee’s behavior rather than their personality. They should also limit addressing issues to one or two at a time rather than bombarding an employee with too many at once. 

Seek To Understand Their Perspective 

Managers should start off any negative feedback conversation by first giving employees the opportunity to share how they thought they handled a situation or why they completed a task or project the way they did. Giving employees the space to share their perspectives gives managers insight into where a potential misunderstanding occurred. Managers should also do plenty of research and have prior knowledge of their employee’s roles so their feedback is deemed credible. 

Establish A Culture Of Feedback 

Negative feedback isn’t the only feedback managers should be delivering. In fact, Americans feel their managers don’t recognize them enough for their efforts.  The best feedback comes from someone who regularly lets you know what the expectations are, when you’re doing something right, and where you can improve. Always establish eye contact with your employee so you can read their emotions, body language, and also establish a connection.  

Drive Accountability And Change 

Setting milestones, shared goals, offering support, and following up with employees will help keep them motivated.