There are a number of tools you can use to record and track feedback. I am Eric Robinson, Support Engineer at Hotjar, and I’d like to share my strategies for giving and receiving feedback in the healthiest, most productive way possible. At times like these, it’s best to pause and reflect, without responding right away. This can then encourage and create a positive work environment where everyone gives and receives feedback openly. As I mentioned above, it’s usually best to reserve more serious criticism for video conferencing, since chat and email can distort the message. Don’t worry—our people still get the raises and promotions they deserve, we just don’t have it down to a science just yet. Finally, keep in mind that we all thrive on positive reinforcement, so don’t assume that employees will always know when they’re performing well – come out and tell them. Your brain senses a threat, and your adrenal glands release cortisol (the stress hormone). I value accuracy in data, so could we talk through some options together for how, in the future, we might ensure our data is accurate without interrupting the flow of these client calls? Since we’re a 100% remote company, we communicate frequently through chat and video conferencing, and we do our best to incorporate those principles of radical candor whenever we communicate. Honestly? Whether it's job ad writing, attracting candidates or interviewing, Hiring Advice is your new destination for expert advice, tools and resources to guide you through your recruitment journey. Tip for managers and executives: it can be really hard for people to give feedback to a manager or someone who has more social power than them, so remember that if you're on the receiving side, it’s especially important to affirm their gift of feedback when it comes from someone less powerful. The vague feedback may sound familiar to you because, let’s face it, it’s the way most of us argue. Negative and constructive feedback At Hotjar, the Marketing department has their own take on this theme—something they call ‘personal retrospectives’. Give me some feedback! Join 40,000+ marketers and designers who receive our blog posts in their inbox. This is what it looks like: 15Five asks the employee to rate their experience for that one- or two-week period on a scale of 1-5, and it asks them to describe what went well and where they need extra support. You’re always trying to one-up me, and you treat me like I’m stupid.”, “Earlier today on the client call you interrupted to question some of the data. And why is it important? What do you do then? They’ve only done this once so far, but they found it to be a valuable exercise, and they plan to do more in the future. After filling out the 15Five form, team leads hold one-on-one check-in meetings with their direct reports to discuss the challenges they’re facing, the status of their projects, and anything mentioned in the 15Five. In either case, nothing good will come from a snappy comeback. Thank them for taking the time to offer you feedback. Both supervisors and peers may deliver feedback, and when done tactfully, the process can create a stronger, more harmonious workplace. Usually, our first thoughts aren’t our best thoughts when we feel threatened, so try to explore their point of view with an open mind. There’s a popular technique for giving constructive criticism called ‘sandwiching’, but it’s one we discourage here at Hotjar. We asked David Jones, Senior Managing Director at Robert Half for his insights – here are seven principles for giving valuable constructive feedback. We should also be aware that there are unconscious biases and unwritten power structures at play in the world. Plus, the person giving you the feedback will feel the benefits of actually being heard. There are two ways you could approach employee feedback: You vs. them: you could sit them down with a stern look on your face and treat the interaction like a zero-sum game, where only one of you will walk away as the winner. Companies are built on professional relationships, and the strongest relationships are built on effective communication. It encourages employees to directly challenge one another, but it asks that you do it with personal care. Let your co-workers know that you’re not criticizing them as a human being, and if you’re their supervisor, make sure they know their job isn’t in danger (unless, of course, their job is at stake… but if that’s the case, in most cases it shouldn’t be the first time you’ve addressed the issue). Providing feedback is key to letting your employees know how they’re performing and what’s expected of them, and it’s part of supporting your team’s learning and development. Understanding and measuring your Customer Effort Score (CES), 28 of our favorite customer feedback questions. We do it with friends, family, and romantic partners—but it’s rarely productive. The incidence of feedback can be encouraged by the recipient receiving it in a professional manner. You wouldn’t be the first person to do that, but it’s never the best way to go (trust me, I speak from experience). For example, ‘I think you did a great job with this account – sales are up 13% since last quarter. 15Five is a short questionnaire that every Hotjar employee fills out regularly (weekly or bi-weekly), which their team lead reviews. The idea is to layer critiques with compliments so the criticism doesn’t hit so hard. Written communication carries far less nuance than spoken communication, and in my experience, you can convey more context verbally. It’s important that this feedback happens on a regular, ongoing basis – not just when performance reviews come around. Giving Feedback. The form sometimes includes an additional question that changes from week to week, such as, “Rate how likely it is that you’ll be working at Hotjar in 18 months?”. Now, it is your part to collect feedback, give it to your team and use it to optimize your and your employees’ work. If you’ve received feedback from a number of different sources about a specific employee, the rumours may be true and it’s best to confront them in a non-threatening way. They might decide to stay with the company longer as a result, and their experience working with you might improve. The exception to this rule would be when an issue affects the entire group (e.g., someone makes an offensive joke in a group meeting). Whenever someone gives you feedback, flag those notes and follow up at the next meeting. Tips for Giving Feedback . Ultimately, the best kind of constructive feedback focuses on behaviour or situations, not people and personalities. Your feedback should be validated and even if it’s not positive, it should be used to direct and inspire the recipient to improve. At Hotjar, we’re still finalizing our regular review process. We’ve all been there, and yet, it’s easy to forget what that feels like when you’re the one who has more power in an interaction. Copyright © 2014 - 2020 Hotjar Ltd. All rights reserved. In my case, as a white male who is older than the average Hotjar team member, my words might carry more weight than I realize. Saved advice can only be viewed on the same device you saved it on and will be lost if you clear your browser history. Something like that should be addressed in the group because it happened in a group setting and thus affects the psychological safety of the group. Whenever we feel threatened, we snap back and defend ourselves. Blood-flow rushes to the primitive parts of your brain so you’re ready to flee or fight, and your mind closes itself off to new ideas. There are many sources of feedback in healthcare. Be as precise as possible about when and where you’ve noticed the issue and why it’s problematic. Further, it sets the performance standard expected from the teams. That’s what feedback is all about. Employees should receive valuable 360-degree feedback from those above them, below them, and at the same level as them. Here’s an example of vague, non-actionable feedback vs. specific, actionable feedback. Find hundreds of topics to explore, with more added each week. However, delivering constructive feedback is not as smooth as a hot knife through butter. That feels insincere to me, and most people can see through it. It provides the psychological safety required to create an open environment, and it paves the way for real change. I’d also add that constructive feedback is usually best-delivered one-on-one. Challenging without personal care results in ‘obnoxious aggression’, and refusing to challenge can result in ‘ruinous empathy’ or ‘manipulative insincerity’. Eric used to be a Support Engineer at Hotjar and passionate about helping teams create environments where everyone can thrive. Zingers only work for politicians, and that’s not what we’re going for here. You may discover, after sitting with your emotions for a bit, that your colleague has some valid points. You’re not blindly agreeing with their assessment—you’re affirming their effort to give feedback, and feedback is something you need in order to grow. Keeping quiet may feel like the path of least resistance, but it’ll be harder on you and your colleagues in the long run because the problems will just fester. Instead of reflecting on a project, the idea is to have a roundtable meeting where everyone reflects on each others’ strengths and areas for improvement. Don’t be shy – Giving feedback can be tough, but it’s necessary on the path to improvement. Whatever your role in your company, at some point you’re going to have to give feedback. Rather than taking the easy way out, take a deep breath and use the following strategies when it’s time to speak up. Following up will let them know that you value them, you’ve taken their feedback seriously, and it will give you a chance to finetune your efforts to improve yourself. What is employee feedback? Also, if you have a minute or two leave some feedback on this article. Have you ever held something in for weeks or months before you finally let someone know what was on your mind?