Receiving feedback on a regular basis can help businesses improve the growth and efficiency of their teams. Feedback is necessary for an organization to succeed. Your employees need to believe that their workplace is willing to accept and implement feedback. Feedback can help build a loyal and trustworthy relationship between manager and employee. Organizations want feedback for them to improve their brand and business. The feedback should be genuine and constructive. This blog will allow you, as a business, to figure out how to gather and respond to employee feedback.
Ask the Right Questions
When employees give feedback, it’s important to ask the right questions, more importantly about specific events and situations at the workplace. For example, if an employee faces a situation of conflict with the organization, it’s your job to ask specific questions that could help resolve the situation. Such situations can include delays on their full and final payment, working overtime, and conflicts with coworkers. As a leader, you need to break down the scenarios with the right questions, such as the ones listed below:
- Who was involved in the situation?
- Has the employee spoken to the right person from the right department?
- How is the employee feeling about that situation?
- What brought them to give their manager feedback?
Questions like the above will allow you to figure out the next steps for the employees’ situation.
Don’t Rush to Conclusions
Receiving feedback doesn’t mean that you should rush to conclusions. Impulsivity gets you nowhere. Rushing to conclusions could potentially increase the probability of conflict and only make it worse. According to Indeed.com, “instead of diving right into a conversation about feedback and how you can implement it, you should take a few minutes to thank your colleague for their comments.” Take a moment to truly analyze what the employee said and reassure them that they are valued and appreciated in the workplace. Emotions interfere with logic. It’s wiser to not let your immediate emotions get the better of you.
Create an Action Plan
Now that you’ve gotten the feedback, it’s time to take the right action to improve the organization. For example, if an employee is feeling mentally and physically exhausted from working long hours, a potential solution could be encouraging them to say “no” and prioritize their workload. Are they able to take time off? Are they constantly saying “yes” to every project and ending up being overloaded? If so, encourage quick breaks during the workday and taking advantage of vacation time. Organizations should make it a point to create positive work environments so that their employees feel motivated to come to work every day.
Request Time
Not all feedback can be implemented on the spot. Requesting time can allow you to reflect upon your own actions and figure out how to improve in the long term. According to Indeed.com, “not only does this tactic help defuse a potentially uncomfortable situation, but it gives you more time to form a proper response to the feedback you’ve received.” Asking for time will show your colleague that you are willing to take their feedback seriously and are giving the affirmation of reassurance that you will act on it. An example of such reassurance is included below:
Thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate you coming to me with an honest and open mind. It means a lot to me that you chose to trust me with your perspective. Please allow me a week’s time to consider and act upon your feedback as I take it very seriously. We can then talk about how to implement it and improve my performance in the long term. Does that sound okay to you?
Follow Up in the Long Term
Gathering and responding to feedback can be a long and tedious process. We are all aware that change does not happen overnight. You need to give yourself time to think over the feedback given to you and follow up in the due process. This means following up with your colleague on a semi-regular basis. Following up on feedback will keep you accountable for your actions and will allow you to develop a better relationship with your colleague in the future.
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