One of the toughest things you have to do as a manager is to give employee feedback, especially the negative kind. In fact, so many managers avoid giving feedback altogether because it is such a stressful and emotionally fraught experience. When feedback is tied to someone’s livelihood, emotions are bound to run high. Giving negative feedback, implies that you’re wading into an extremely sensitive territory. You don’t want to demotivate an employee or make them think you are out to get them. You don’t want the feedback to backfire. Really, can criticism ever be constructive? Let’s admit it, no one likes to be told they are doing a less-than-perfect job. It’s not easy to hear about our shortcomings. Even the best of us have suffered the self-doubt, defensiveness and insecurity that often follows feedback. Yet, feedback is the backbone of management. Honest, thoughtful feedback is an important and valuable tool for building not only a good team, but a good business. Operating without feedback is like driving a car with no front/rear view or cooking without ever tasting your food. In fact, employees who don’t receive any feedback at all can feel neglected, unimportant and unnoticed. Here's how to give constructive feedback without the unwanted and unpleasant repercussions.

1. How To Give
Negative Feedback
To Employees
By GreenThumbs

2. Plan what you’re
going to say
Have a plan, practice what you’re going
to say and how you’re going to say it.
The words you use will matter a great
deal. So choose them wisely.
Your attitude, your tone and the care
with which you deliver the feedback
may matter as much as, if not more
than, the specific facts.

3. Self-Review
Have them review their own
performance and ask questions
that drive self-evaluation.
Letting someone explain themselves
gives them an opportunity to save
face. And who knows you may uncover
facts or information you were missing.

4. Be direct, be specific
Explain exactly what you’re criticising.
There’s no point in telling someone
they’re not punctual”. Give specific
examples and specific suggestions for
improvement.
Letting someone explain themselves
gives them an opportunity to save
face. And who knows you may uncover
facts or information you were missing.

5. Get your emotions
in control
Regardless of how upset you are, never
use feedback to vent out on a person.
If tempers are hot, take the time to let
things cool down before having a
feedback discussion. It helps to remind
yourself that the intent of feedback is
to promote improvement and not
make yourself feel better.

6. Praise in public,
criticise in private
While public praise is optional, keeping
criticism private is a cardinal rule of
management.
On the other hand, when negative
feedback is kept between two people,
it is much less likely to trigger a
defensive reaction. Even after the
session is over, never ever share that
conversation with a third party.

7. And never in writing
Given its impersonal nature, it is often
tempting to use email as a feedback
delivery tool.
If you absolutely must use email for
the task, remember to choose your
words even more wisely than in a
face-to-face feedback session because
whatever you put down there will be
recorded for posterity and may be
quoted any time.

8. 57%
OF EMPLOYEES
APPRECIATE NEGATIVE
FEEDBACK.

9. Don’t make it
an annual event
Make it monthly, if not weekly. Like
they say, strike the iron while it is hot.
It is important that negative feedback
is not made a part of pay or promotion
discussions – as is typical in annual
performance reviews.

10. 90%OF MILLENNIAL
EMPLOYEES WANT
FREQUENT, CANDID
FEEDBACK.

11. Don’t swamp
Feedback is best delivered in small
doses. When you stockpile too much
and then let go in one instance, it may
seem like a lot of negativity to the
recipient.
If you have more than three items for
someone to address, break them into
separate sessions.

12. Be willing to accept
feedback too
Feedback is supposed to be a closed
loop. That will happen only when you
allow the other party to speak and be
open to their feedback.
A 360 degree feedback will allow your
subordinates and peers the
opportunity to express themselves
candidly.

13. Follow Up
Just telling someone that they need to
improve is never enough. If you want
to see real change, you have to give
them specific goals, a plan to achieve
them and a timeline to follow.
Also, be prompt with appreciation. If
you notice the person following the
plan and making efforts to improve,
point this out.

14. Talk to Us
LET'S BRAINSTORM
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Near Sec-16 Metro Station,
Noida, Uttar Pradesh - 201301
PHONE NUMBER
+91 - 8822353535
EMAIL ADDRESS
contact@greenthumbs.in