Conduct feedback discussions

Regular feedback discussions between supervisors and their employees have a positive effect on their performance. This has been proven by studies. They are also important for personnel development. Moreover, when conducted correctly, they increase employee satisfaction and motivation. Nevertheless, in many companies, feedback meetings are held rather sporadically - especially when everyone in the organization is stressed, at least in their perception, for example because so many things are changing. But that's precisely when they would be extremely important.

Avoid a possible escalation

A practical example: A division manager notices that some of his employees or work teams have again failed to achieve the agreed (project) goals. However, he does not express his displeasure about this. This is because he fears: The mood in his department will deteriorate if he once again articulates his expectations emphatically. So everyone continues to muddle along as before. Because the manager does not address the employees about the unachieved goals, they are convinced: Our supervisor is satisfied with our performance. And the unmet goals? They are not that important to him. So over time, the manager's anger potentiates to the point where she eventually "explodes." And because of her pent-up anger, she loses her temper. This in turn hurts the employees emotionally, creating a conflict that is almost impossible to resolve.

Such escalation can be avoided through regular feedback and employee discussions. In them, many possible sources of anger, frustration and thus demotivation are often eliminated - among other things, because in them the participants formulate their mutual expectations for future (joint) work. That is why regular feedback meetings are part of the standard management repertoire in many companies.

Communicate about the goals and expectations

Generally speaking, most managers talk too little with their employees about their work and the expectations and goals associated with it - regardless of whether they work in the company or at home. Yet this is precisely the main function of feedback meetings: to give employees the orientation they need.

Among the topics that can be discussed in them are:

• the quality of the (collaborative) work,
• satisfaction with the work situation,
• the corporate and divisional goals,
• the strategies and plans,
• The employee's duties and responsibilities,
• its strengths and weaknesses,
• possible qualification and support measures,
• possible improvements,
• health promotion,
• the target and bonus agreement.

Feedback and target agreement meetings do not have the primary goal of discussing current problems in everyday (cooperation) work. Rather, the behavior of the employee (and his or her manager) over a period of time is to be considered in summary in order to clarify how the (collaborative) work can be improved. Individual situations and incidents in the past serve at most as explanations.

Because the past is to be reflected upon, feedback discussions make little sense without preparation. In addition, feedback is only effective if it is concrete. For this, you need examples from your everyday professional and work life.

Conduct feedback conversations with conviction

In many (large) companies, it is obligatory to conduct regular employee or feedback interviews. This is good in itself! However, this sometimes leads to managers only conducting these discussions in order to report "completion" to the HR department, for example. In other words, they do not consider these discussions to be a necessary management tool. Their quality is correspondingly low.

In day-to-day operations, it is often the managers who conduct the highest-quality appraisal interviews who would least "need" to do so because they also communicate frequently and openly with their employees in the course of their daily work. To ensure a minimum level of discussion, it makes sense for managers and employees to independently fill out a questionnaire after each performance review and send it to the HR department, for example. The questionnaire may contain questions such as:

• How satisfied are you with the interview process?
• How satisfied were you with the atmosphere?
• How long did the conversation last?
• Were development issues and goals also addressed/agreed upon?
• What should change so that you and your conversation partner benefit even more from the next conversation?

This feedback to the HR department is not a guarantee for high-quality feedback discussions; however, it ensures a minimum quality that can be increased step by step. This is particularly true if the interview is linked to a commitment to agree on concrete (development) goals.

Take enough time

One indicator of the quality of an employee or feedback meeting is its duration. Managers should plan at least one hour per employee for this. This is because a relaxed atmosphere is necessary so that sensitive (personal) topics can also be addressed. The first step is to create this atmosphere.

Feedback discussions are all the more important the more independently and responsibly employees should or must work - for example, because they work largely in a home office. After all, independent work requires adjustment from time to time. This means that managers and employees must agree on tasks, procedures, quality standards and mutual expectations, among other things.

A well-structured feedback and performance review consists of phases:

• Reflection of the past time unit (for example, the past quarter),
• Assessment of the current situation and
• Looking ahead.

It is particularly important that the employee also receives feedback on his "strengths" and "weaknesses". What does he do/can he do well or less well? Because without feedback and an exchange about this, learning areas are often not recognized.

One prerequisite for open appraisal interviews, in which it is also possible to address sensitive issues and identify learning areas, is trust. If a manager does not succeed in establishing a trusting relationship with his or her employees in everyday life, they will not open up in the appraisal interview either. This means that the manager cannot give them effective feedback. In addition, they do not receive any useful feedback from them for their own development.

The time invested pays off

Conducting regular feedback and appraisal interviews with all employees requires a lot of time on the part of managers - also because of the necessary preparation. However, this investment is worthwhile. Because it ensures that there are fewer ambiguities in everyday work, which reduces the management effort.

Studies show that regular employee and feedback discussions (or target agreement discussions) have a positive influence on the following factors, among others:

• the relationship between employees and supervisors,
• the transparency and clarity of objectives,
• the communication and leadership culture,
• transparency and the flow of information,
• the cooperation and performance,
• employees' self-confidence,
• their competence development,
• their identification with the work and the goals,
• their independence and responsibility,
• their quality awareness.

That's why, as a manager, you should conduct feedback and target-setting meetings with your employees out of deep inner conviction. Because the effort is worth it - for you, your employees and the company.

To the author:
Joachim Simon, Braunschweig, is a leadership trainer and speaker specializing in (self-)leadership (www.joachimsimon.info). He is the author of the book "Self-Responsibility in Business" and co-founder of the (self-)leadership coaching app Mindshine (www.mindshine.app).