How to: Deliver Negative Feedback to an Employee
Katie Spadoro, PHR
Fractional CHRO | Non-Equity People Partner | Small Business HR Expert | Ensuring HR Compliance, Buildout & Formalization of HR Infrastructure, Cultivating Positive Culture
Delivering Employee Negative Feedback is never easy!
Recently, we have worked with many clients who have questions about how to deliver negative feedback to employees.
Well, that is something that we all deal with!???
It is important to note that if your employee is not a good fit for your company overall, we never recommend moving a problem around the company! If they are unable to complete basic tasks and follow instructions, and they are not coachable, you may need to reevaluate the benefit of having this employee onboard in the first place.
The purpose of having a conversation with an employee should be to help your employee learn and grow. If you have already been down this path with the same employee more than once and it has not resulted in positive changes, it may be time to cut ties and move on.
?However, if you are planning to have a conversation with an underperforming employee, here are some of our favorite tips:
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1. Start with something positive!?? ?
When giving feedback, start with the positive.
This starts the conversation off on the right foot and in turn, your employee may be more open and feel more comfortable discussing the issues at hand!
Attending to what is going well can support someone’s growth and steer their development in the right direction.
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2. On the other hand, don’t only focus on strengths.
f you only address the positives, the listener will return to what they were doing, believing they have nothing to improve. Nevertheless, they will be delighted as they appear to be doing almost everything right. The balance between these first two tips is essential.
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3. Deliver feedback carefully and respectfully.
If negative feedback is given too frequently and without regard to feeling, the person on the other end will revert to defense mode – possibly losing confidence, self-esteem, and motivation.
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4. Ask questions that encourage reflection.
Such open support can lead the person to understand what they did well, or poorly while stimulating exploration and reflection.
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5. Establish a positive relationship that is open, sincere, and trusting.
Feedback is more readily accepted from someone we know, respect, trust, and who has our best interests at heart. Delivering negative feedback to employees is a lot easier when you have a trusting relationship. Also, having positive relationships in the workplace help avoid issues with the?DOL ?down the line!
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6. Talk face to face ??
Constructive criticism should, when possible, take place in person. A phone call does not convey body language and may mask the nuances of the conversation.
In the virtual world, we live in today, a video meeting will suffice!
It is important to be able to see the employee’s reactions through their facial expressions and body language.
?Some research has shown that the breakdown of communication is 55% nonverbal, 38% vocal, and 7% words only! An email may have no apparent context, lack clarity, and land in the person’s inbox like a cartoon bomb waiting to explode when clicked.
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7. Don’t pre-judge!
Have an open mind!
Until you have had a chance to talk to the person involved, avoid assigning meaning or intent to what has happened.
Let the person have the opportunity to explain why they behaved as they did. Allow your employee space to learn and grow from their mistakes.
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8. Keep feedback fresh!
Avoid a long gap between the incident (or behavior) and providing feedback. The discussion should be current so that no one is trying to remember who or what was involved.
Remember the goal is to resolve the issue!
Keep the focus of delivering negative feedback in mind- job performance, and company values. Feedback is a gift, as the employer, your goal should be to guide your team and allow them space to improve. You are allowing your employee to learn and grow, which is priceless.
If you are scaling your business and looking for HR support and guidance without having to hire in-house,?schedule a complimentary call with us today . We look forward to learning more about you and your growing business!