There’s no bigger demonstration of culture and trust than how you give feedback in your firm, so be purposeful and attentive to how you do it.

Consistent feedback and encouragement help build a positive company culture that boosts confidence and productivity. With more staff working remotely or in hybrid situations, giving out feedback requires a new approach. 

At Accsurant, we take the business of feedback seriously and have tailor-made our approach to suit our hybrid team. 

Feedback freak-out

Even the best employees can get edgy around review time. Feedback can be a difficult task. Employees get nervous because this process is often linked to their pay. Some leaders feel awkward telling someone their work needs to be better. Progressive companies know that good feedback helps staff grow and succeed.

It may be uncomfortable to discuss people’s mistakes. What’s worse is someone being asked to do their best without clear guidance. 

Building trust

We’ve spoken a lot about trust recently. It’s a crucial ingredient to building a high performance team. Your staff needs to feel safe sharing ideas and concerns. Be genuine, open up about your own mishaps, and try to understand your employees – what makes them tick? Also, make sure you communicate clearly. “Great work” doesn’t cut it. People prefer feedback in clear, actionable terms.

Switch up your feedback game

You may have received feedback in binary terms when you first started your career – ‘good’ and ‘bad’ styled feedback does not offer solutions and guidance. There’s no magic formula to feedback, but often having a clear and direct conversation is the best way. 

You might still try to work with the old ‘feedback sandwich’ during review time, but if you’ve cultivated honest conversations along the way, you won’t need to use this dated method.

Regular and timely feedback

Instead of a massive, high-pressure feedback meeting, go for regular, brief, helpful chats. Sure, it might be a shock to your system to have to change your feedback process from periodic feedback to regular feedback, but it will be worth it in the end. 

Be spontaneous with your feedback. Give it sincerely and readily. Aim to be helpful and timely with your advice. If you can, deliver it face-to-face or over a call, not via text or email.

Build a feedback culture

In a company where feedback is the norm, employees don’t feel like they’re stumbling in the dark. They feel confident and stress-free.

A good feedback culture includes spontaneous chats and scheduled reviews. Your praise should be specific and genuine, and your criticism kind and clear. Also, be open to receiving feedback too. Make this known to your team.

Effective feedback shows that you care about your employee’s future. A strong feedback system evolves, paving the way for productive problem-solving and creative thinking. Companies that adapt and respond have the best shot at keeping their top talent.

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