Feedback and evaluation: the key to higher performance and better workplace relations

Your people are not like eggs to eggs. Even if they do the same job in the same place for the same amount of time, one will never be like the other. They are concerned about their children, families, health or finances. This often leads to fluctuations in work performance, results and team relationships. That’s why we focus on feedback that mitigates the impact of personal difficulties, strengthens workplace relationships, increases performance and maintains satisfaction. We’ll show you why feedback is important, what it leads to and how best to deliver it

What employee feedback and appraisals are for

Did you know that 30% of people feel unappreciated at work? That’s a full third of your team! Lack of appreciation, gratitude or satisfaction creates negative emotions where the first conflicts easily arise

In contrast, regular evaluation and feedback makes your people feel..

• they belong on the team,

• you’re glad to have them,

• you’re appropriately proud of them,

• they’re professionals in their own right,

• you care about them,

• they can trust you,

• they know where to go,

• what needs to be improved or changed.

When your people know their value, their authority, their strengths, their weaknesses and their purpose, they are more confident and satisfied. They don’t worry about what will happen if they do this or that, they stop questioning you on every little thing, they don’t worry about not being good enough and they get rid of the competitiveness within the team. Of course, all of this is only true if you deliver the feedback and evaluation correctly.

How to give feedback and evaluation in the best possible way

Feedback is a great helper, but it can also do a lot of damage. All it takes is the wrong wording of a criticism, and your person takes a hit to their self-esteem. That’s why we’ve got some proven tips to help you handle feedback with ease.

In any communication with your people..

• Maintain basic courtesy rules like “Please” and “Thank you”.

• Be interested in your employees’ opinions about the company and their working conditions.

• Stay on top of things. Whatever you learn should not affect your relationships.

TIP: How to share negatives

People like to be appreciated and praised. So tell them something nice before the bad news. What you appreciate them for, why they are great colleagues, etc. When you tell them the negative information afterwards, they’ll feel much better.

9 tips for effective feedback

1. Clearly define your expectations. This will give people a better understanding of where to do what and how to improve. They can accommodate you or discuss possible obstacles to achieving your goal. Otherwise, you will never be satisfied, and people will never know why.

2. Give space for questions. People may not understand their roles and responsibilities in the company the first time. It’s better if they get everything straight right away than make unnecessary mistakes later.

3. Be positive and practical. Exaggerate, over

   exaggeration, betting or blurring of platitudes has never done anyone any good. If the mistake didn’t ruin the company, it’s basically no big deal. There is no unsolvable problem.

4. Be specific. It’s the only way to please others. The common phrase “You did it.” doesn’t do anyone any good. In contrast, the phrase “I like your attention to detail.” …inspires pride and joy.

5. Describe your feelings and impressions accurately. Both negative and positive. For example, “I was pleased with the way you took notes when I outlined the problem. I got the feeling that you were interested.” or, conversely, “I feel that you were not very impressed with the problem. I didn’t notice your usual enthusiasm for the subject.”

6. Suggest improvements that your colleague could easily apply. For example, “It would save time if you first got all the background information and then just started processing it.”

7. Speak in the first person. For example, “I think…” or “In my opinion…”

8. Ask for feedback in return. Don’t conclude your review after you’ve finished, but let your people have their say as well. A good way is “What do you think?”, “How do you see it?”, “Do you agree with me?”.

9. Encourage. Even if workers need to be reprimanded or directed, always find room for encouragement. A simple, “I like the way you’re doing…, keep it up!” is enough.

TIP: Send feedback online

Face to face is always better. But if you don’t have that option due to long hours or different work locations, the online method is the way to go. Evaluating and appreciating your people poison

simply send your employees through your JOBka app. This way, people get their ratings and have the opportunity to respond back. 😍

4x NO or Avoid this one

Feedback can easily turn into a scary nightmare that your people will dream about for the next two months. If that’s not your style, and you want to lead people down the path of encouragement and constructive criticism, let’s take a look at the things that don’t belong in healthy feedback.

1. passive aggression attacking self-esteem

   • “What are you doing?”

   • “Is it going to be today?”

   • “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

2. judging, assessing and blaming

   • “That was awful! You ruined the whole thing!”

   • “You’re…”

   • “What were you thinking when you didn’t deliver the papers on time? You don’t care!”

3. definitive conclusions with no opportunity to respond

   • “That’s all from me. Goodbye.”

   • “That’s all I have to say. See you tomorrow at the meeting.”

4. discrimination on the basis of an intractable problem

   • “Your stammering totally ruined the whole presentation.”

   • “Don’t come into my office with your glasses!”

   • “You’ll be going on maternity leave soon anyway, Karel gets the job.”

TIP: Feedback is not a competition

The downside of feedback can be the feeling that people have to earn your approval. And preferably by being better than everyone else at all costs. However, that’s not the primary purpose of feedbacks and, instead, can turn its pluses into a stressful event. Mass appraisals create competition, secrecy, manipulation and hostility in the workplace 57% of the time. That’s why you’d better deliver feedback between four eyes.

Now you know how to give quality feedback and evaluations that benefit you, your company and your people. Fingers crossed you build a successful team that runs like a Swiss watch 😊

💡 Soon you can look forward to a great interview with Jiří Zít about how not to lose hope even in a difficult life situation.