When you think of feedback, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it something positive? Or are there negative thoughts associated with receiving some type of constructive criticism?
It’s time to change your mindset on feedback because it is an important aspect of today’s workplace. Feedback plays a crucial role in improving productivity and morale among employees which company leaders need to understand. In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of feedback on the performance of the team and how companies can use different types of feedback to improve their bottom line.
Today’s workplace is more demanding than ever. It’s not uncommon for employees to work 50 or more hours a week and at times those numbers can be higher depending on the industry they’re working in and their role within that company.
One of the biggest challenges employers face today is keeping their employees engaged and motivated.
💡 Feedback can come in many forms, be it positive or negative, verbal or written. The benefits of effective feedback cannot be overstated because, without it, your team will never learn and grow to their full potential. A lack of regular feedback has serious consequences for teams that ultimately lead to a toxic environment where people are afraid to speak up and share what they really think!
Here are some pointers of why Feedback is so important for Team performance:
(1) Improved communication: One of the main reasons why feedback in the workplace is so important to improve productivity, team performance, and morale among staff members is because it’s an excellent way for managers to communicate with their workers when they are not performing up to standards.
As a result, this leads them back on track quickly. It also helps employees learn and grow professionally which is a win-win for both employer and employee.
(2) Improved Engagement and Responsibility: You should encourage your senior team members to provide feedback and coaching to newcomers. Teaching other employees is a great way to promote responsibility and engagement in the workplace. Employees feel more involved with the success of the team when they are teaching others what they know.
It increases a sense of responsibility and engagement among team members. This is why a feedback culture is important in every company – it ensures that everyone knows how to improve their skill set.
(3) Establish Unspoken Rules: One way to measure a company’s success is by looking at productivity levels. If people can work together well, then there should be an increase in production within a team. Communicating expectations for interactions with people and setting limits is a proven approach to enhance this. Sharing feedback allows people to define guidelines for how the team should operate and avoid unnecessary conflict, which leads to increased efficiency as time goes on.
This feedback is particularly important in the early stages of development because it helps shape what will become the unspoken rules of engagement for that particular group or organization.
(4) Early concerns: One of the many benefits of feedback in the workplace includes sharing concerns early on. Encouraging people to share concerns early on avoids them from turning into serious problems later on because other people are allowed to take corrective action. The act of sharing and being listened to is also often enough to diminish a problem, as well as create an environment where everything is out in the open and everyone knows where they stand.
Managers and leaders need to listen carefully when employees give feedback about their work situation or performance review; because this type of communication will help you keep your team motivated and productive.
(5) Recognizing accomplishments: The culture within a team is often what determines how productive and motivated they are. Their success or failure largely depends on the feedback they receive from others, either good or bad.
Positive feedback can boost morale and motivate people to do better in their position. It gives them merit where deserved so that they know their work is important for the company’s goals.
(6) Addressing issues: Negative feedback isn’t always a bad thing. Sure, it can be frustrating to deal with customer complaints and negative reviews, but these are necessary steps in the process of running your business. You need to take your team’s feedback seriously because it could be telling you about something bigger than you realize.
💡 A feedback culture also ensures that you have honest and self-assured team members who feel compelled to tell you what’s wrong and are eager to fix it.
As you can see, feedback is an extremely valuable tool. It benefits employees by giving them the chance to have their voice heard and it benefits companies by providing insights into how they are doing. However, if your company already has a good feedback culture in place, there are still ways to improve!
Here are some tips on how to improve your existing feedback culture:
👉🏻 Make yourself more noticeable: Go out there and strike up a conversation with your coworkers. Make them comfortable around you. It is critical to be noticed by your coworkers. Nobody on your staff will feel comfortable providing and relaying feedback if they only meet you once a month.
👉🏻 Empower your team: The feedback mechanism can’t be a one-way street. Both ends are necessary to provide input. It’s only feasible if you give your team members more authority. Encourage them to take the lead in one-on-one conversations. Discuss with them before setting the next OKR objective. Respect their initiatives.
👉🏻 Reward Employees for Giving Feedback: Employees that give useful feedback should be rewarded. It is not necessary to offer monetary incentives. A large number of employees aspire to be noticed and acknowledged. However, if a member of your team consistently contributes and demonstrates the ability to improve him and the organization as a whole, he should be considered for a promotion.
👉🏻 Stop Ignoring Negative Feedback: Negative feedback is inevitable. It’s not always easy to deal with, but it is necessary to record negative feedback for company growth. The key is to take the feedback seriously and understand why it may have happened so you can make changes accordingly. This is why you should pay attention to your team’s comments in the early stages since they may be revealing something more significant than you think.
👉🏻 Share feedback online: Online group chats provide an efficient and effective way of communicating with your team. It’s so much easier to share feedback online rather than in person because it allows for immediate feedback from the whole team, which can then be viewed on a screen by each individual. Employees can either opt to reply to you on the chat itself or text you personally. The entire method ensures that both parties are always aware of what has been discussed previously, making it easy for employees who might not have time to read and reply immediately.
Conclusion:
Feedback is an opportunity to grow, learn and change. It benefits both the company and the individual by providing valuable insights into what people think of your work. However, feedback can be hard to come by or uncomfortable for some people to give. One-on-one meetings, retrospective, and structured 360 sessions are all effective tools. However, to make sure that you are getting enough feedback in your workplace, you first have to make sure that it’s something everyone expects and appreciates- not just those who report directly to you. If your company has an already established feedback culture, there are still ways to improve it.
About huminos
huminos is a comprehensive performance conversations platform that helps your employees to achieve impactful outcomes, even if they are working remotely. Features like OKRs, 1:1 conversations, feedbacks, reflections, and pulse allow you to plan and measure work that really matters to your company.
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