Truth in Feedback
Read the article and post a comment (including things that specifically were important to you). Then post a comment to another student’s post before the discussion closes.
Respond to classmate discussion/comments below
Classmate Discussion
I really enjoyed this article, and found it very important for Human Resources, but also benefits and compensation within a workplace. There are many immeasurable benefits of staying at a particular workplace, and I am of the belief that a healthy feedback loop is one of them. Having working, productive feedback in all directions (from boss to employee, employee to boss and employee to employee) allows for growth, constant improvement, camaraderie and increase quality of work across the board, and can be strategically used as part of any good employee retention strategy. In addition to the immeasurable benefits, having consistent formal and informal feedback can help compensation specialists develop appropriate pay for different employees, particularly in companies that use merit pay systems to determine salary.
I believe that establishing a healthy feedback culture starts best at the top. If executives and are on board with regularly giving and receiving feedback, it will make it easier for rank-and-file members of a company to follow suit. I feel that the Human Resources department could offer feedback training to managers in order to put them in the best position to implement the practice in their various departments and teams. I feel middle managers, in particular, would benefit from a strong feedback system, as they have the opportunity to gain insight from both higher-ups and rank-and-file members within the company, and have the ability to relay information from a variety of perspectives.
Within the article, there were a few points that really jumped out to me. The first was “Truth 4: No news is no news.” I felt this was extremely important. I feel that complacency is easy to come by in any area of life, particularly when things are running smoothly. Reinforcing desirable employee behavior (as well as providing healthy feedback on undesirable behavior) can help lead to personal and professional growth as well as increased productivity for the company. There is always room to grow, so increasing the “news,” so to speak, can be beneficial for both the employee and the business.
The second point that resonated with me was the discussion on “Misconception 7: Receiving or giving negative feedback won’t bother me.” I think a huge part of giving negative feedback requires the emotional intelligence to do so tactfully. While no employee is perfect and should be able to handle critiques, we are all still human and subject to our own emotions and feelings. On the flip side, it is important to differentiate negative feedback from a personal attack. Just because you have an area at work where you need improvement, it does not mean that they are targeting you as an individual. Walking through the SARA acronym is helpful for when you are on the receiving end of negative feedback, or when you are anticipating the reactions of the coworker you are giving feedback to. It is impossible to discuss a healthy feedback system without acknowledging the very real emotions that accompany both giving and receiving it.
Finally, the final point that resonated with me was “Truth 12: If you need feedback, seek it.” We cannot assume that everyone we interact with in the workplace operates on the same communication level that we do, and it is beneficial for us to appropriately advocate for ourselves at work. The author also importantly notes that it is important to exercise patience with a boss who does not regularly give feedback, as it is a skill that may take time for some people to develop. Instantaneous gratification is something we are regularly exposed to in society at large (i.e. automatic wi-fi connection, same-day shipping availability, drive-thru food ordering, etc.) and sometimes we may not get the validation we are wanting right away. We can be an advocate for change in a workplace while also showing patience to others.
