Employee Feedback is Uncomfortable — That's a Good Thing

Let’s talk about employee feedback. It’s important for growth and learning, but it’s a touchy subject. Receiving performance feedback can be challenging for employees because it can trigger natural instincts of self-preservation and fear. 

Why is feedback such a touchy subject? Most employees have had negative experiences with receiving feedback, which can create ongoing stress around feedback conversations. This internal struggle makes it difficult for employees to embrace feedback, even when it’s necessary for development. 

Employees have misgivings about providing feedback, as well. Only 34% of employees believe their organizations will act on their feedback, even if it’s collected, according to HR Executive. Clearly, when it comes to feedback, organizations also have room for improvement.

When discussing employee feedback, we should explore the following:

• Why embracing the discomfort of receiving feedback can lead to growth
• 4 strategies to deliver effective employee feedback 
• How to nurture a healthy feedback culture in your organization
• The role of technology in facilitating continuous feedback

Why embracing the discomfort of feedback can lead to growth

What’s going on that makes feedback so hard to receive? When feedback addresses areas for improvement, individuals can experience a defensive reaction, leading to fear and anxiety about job security or competence. Ego also plays a significant role in shaping how we perceive ourselves and respond to criticism.

However, the discomfort of receiving negative feedback can be a powerful catalyst for personal and professional growth. When you support your employees in confronting the unease of criticism, you give them an opportunity to improve their skills and performance and reap the rewards. 

Improving how you navigate feedback with your employees can foster significant benefits. According to McKinsey, 71% of workers who feel their organizations have effective performance-management systems credited managers trained to coach and provide feedback.

Development often involves challenging ourselves, absorbing new information, and putting in extra effort — all of which can be uncomfortable but are essential for growth. By leaning into this discomfort and using it as motivation, people can push beyond their current limitations, ultimately transforming feedback into a tool for continuous development and success.

4 strategies to deliver effective employee feedback 

To deliver feedback in a healthy and constructive way, organizations should first recognize that employees process feedback differently. Performance feedback is most effective when you deliver it in ways that acknowledge the individual needs of each team member.

1. Listen to employees
Listening to and learning from employees is a first and critical step. This allows leaders to tailor the feedback delivery process to meet individual needs, whether that involves giving employees time to prepare or providing feedback in a format that allows for thoughtful reflection. 
2. Use feedback as a helpful tool
Managers should aim to create a collaborative environment by framing feedback as a joint effort to overcome challenges rather than as an adversarial situation. This approach fosters trust and ensures that employees see feedback as a tool for growth rather than a threat. 
3. Make feedback conversations safe
Leaders must ensure it is safe for managers and employees to discuss challenges openly, without fear of blame or scapegoating, allowing for honest conversations and genuine development.
4. Use specific, real-time feedback
When managers deliver feedback infrequently, employees can feel targeted or nervous about any feedback conversation. As you bring feedback into a consistent, ongoing performance improvement structure, your employees will realize that feedback conversations can be valuable to helping them succeed. 

Let’s look at a good example of positive feedback delivered in a timely manner. Your team just finished a meeting with a client, and you have a quick check-in with an employee afterward to acknowledge their thorough preparation and the resulting client satisfaction is. This feedback works well because it’s specific and constructive, and helps the employee connect their actions to successful outcomes.

How to nurture a healthy feedback culture in your organization

To nurture a healthy feedback culture, leaders must model the behavior they want to see. This means engaging in feedback conversations regularly, modeling examples of positive feedback conversations, and inviting feedback from employees.

You should also collect feedback from the people in your organization. Tools such as employee feedback surveys can be helpful in gathering information on specific issues or overall job satisfaction. One-on-one meetings, feedback channels, and 360-degree feedback reviews can all help empower your employees to engage in feedback conversations.

Leaders should openly discuss their own development goals, challenges, and areas for improvement, demonstrating that growth and learning are ongoing processes at every level. Transparency helps normalize the idea of professional development, making it a shared standard rather than something only expected of employees. 

When leaders actively engage in and communicate their development journeys, they can eliminate the fear associated with feedback and cultivate a culture where everyone pursues and values continuous improvement. 

Organizations should also integrate personal development goals into performance management, ensuring that employees have the time and support to work on these goals as part of their regular job responsibilities. 

Connecting development to performance helps employees to see a clear path for growth within the company. This enhances their connection to the organization and motivates them to participate actively in the feedback process.

The role of technology in facilitating continuous performance feedback

Technology plays a significant role in facilitating continuous feedback within organizations. The right platform can analyze performance data, such as employee feedback survey results, metrics from job activities, and other relevant inputs, and synthesize this information into constructive feedback. 

Streamlined platforms can help you handle and deliver feedback more effectively than before, enabling better outcomes for people and organizations. AI also plays a role in building engagement, retention, and performance. AI-driven feedback systems can continuously monitor and analyze work activities, integrating real-time data into performance management. 

A more integrated approach to feedback and development can give you big wins in company performance. Ongoing, relevant feedback helps employees reflect on their performance and identify growth opportunities as they arise, rather than waiting for infrequent reviews. 

Performance feedback is most effective when it’s part of a healthy organizational culture and integrated into a continuous feedback cycle. To learn more about performance feedback that supports employee growth and learning, schedule a demo today.