Empowering your employees to give feedback
It might sound scary but one of the best things you can do as a business is to open up the lines of transparency and feedback and have your employees (anonymously) provide feedback on their direct managers.
I recall doing this back in my days at Seek and I can tell you it was a bit daunting at first and the team I was in were all a little to shy to get the ball rolling, but some of us older crew (who had been there for a few years at this point) weren't so shy haha. The feedback that followed wasn't just constructive, it was really refreshing as there were challenges that I didn't even realise some of the new team members were having that I could help them with, not just our manager.
The process was pretty manual back then, we as a team sat around and wrote up our feedback on butchers paper and had to all agree as a group what we were saying. It made some topics more challenging to agree on but we got there in the end. Our manager then came in and we shared as a group the feedback we had. It wasn't a bashing session by any means, it was very constructive and all coming from a place that meant he understood better what we required as a team to continue to excel.
To his credit he welcomed it all, there were some surprises and some things he thought he was doing quite well on, but we just expected a bit more. It was very interesting to see that his expectations and ours were not always aligned.
So why should you implement 360 Feedback? Here are some of the key benefits:
- Empowerment: Encouraging employees to provide feedback on their managers empowers them to voice their opinions and concerns. This fosters a sense of ownership and engagement in the organisation's culture and decision-making processes.
- Improvement of Managerial Skills: Constructive feedback from employees can help managers identify areas for improvement in their leadership style, communication, decision-making, and interpersonal skills. This feedback loop enables managers to adapt and grow, ultimately enhancing their effectiveness in leading teams.
- Enhanced Trust and Communication: Soliciting feedback from employees demonstrates a commitment to open communication and trust within the organisation. When employees feel heard and valued, it strengthens their relationship with their manager and fosters a more positive work environment.
- Alignment with Employee Expectations: Managers may not always be aware of how their actions and decisions impact their team members. Feedback from employees provides valuable insights into employee expectations, concerns, and preferences, helping managers align their leadership approach with the needs of their team.
- Identification of Blind Spots: Managers, like everyone else, have blind spots—areas of weakness or behaviours they may not be aware of. Feedback from employees can shed light on these blind spots, enabling managers to address them and become more self-aware.
- Employee Development: Giving feedback on managerial performance encourages employees to reflect on their own experiences and articulate their observations. This reflection can contribute to their own professional development by sharpening their observational and communication skills.
- Culture of Continuous Improvement: When feedback is actively sought and acted upon, it creates a culture of continuous improvement within the organisation. Both managers and employees become more accustomed to giving and receiving feedback, which can lead to higher performance and innovation.
- Retention and Engagement: Employees who feel their voices are heard and their feedback is valued are more likely to feel engaged and committed to their work and the organisation. This can positively impact employee retention rates and reduce turnover.
Overall, encouraging employees to give feedback on their managers fosters a culture of openness, transparency, and continuous learning within the organisation, which can lead to improved performance, morale, and employee satisfaction. So why wouldn't you do it?
A key part of our Performance product is 360 feedback as well as colleague to colleague feedback. Two key approaches to helping you improve performance for your business. To find out more book a demo with us here.
