Admit it: Offering feedback is really tough!
When delivered in a thoughtful & empathetic manner, employee feedback has the power to change & enhance the relationship between you & your employees. In layman’s terms, positive feedback in the workplace is a process via which one person recognizes & appreciates the other person’s contributions & accomplishments.
The positive feedback mechanism is perhaps one of the most influential & powerful ways to make employees feel motivated, valued, & acknowledged. In addition, it is also a sure-shot way to connect, strengthen the relationship, & build rapport with your employees/ team members.
However, for a leader/ manager, it can often be hard to frame positive feedback in the workplace which is meaningful & seems appreciative.
So, if you are someone facing the same issue, don’t worry! We’ve got you covered!
Today, we will discuss positive feedback in the workplace & tell you how to give positive feedback to create a winning & highly productive team!
What Is Positive Feedback?
Well, positive feedback is an easy concept. Offering positive feedback in the workplace means telling someone that they did a good job & helped the company yield profits. In addition, positive feedback also showed that the employee exceeded the manager’s expectations & produced excellent results.
But there’s so much more to positive feedback than mere words of praise.
Feedback is a form of positive reinforcement. Thus, letting the employees/ team members know they performed well encourages them to put in more effort and achieve better outcomes than expected.
The Power Of Positive Feedback In The Workplace
Positive feedback in the workplace makes employees feel good & this is a worthwhile goal in itself.
But if approached with a bit of caution, positive feedback can do so much more than just make someone’s day!
Many studies show that positive feedback helps boost performance, improve relationships, & help create amazing business results.
However, here are a few notable findings showing positive feedback’s power.
- In a survey called the ‘Study Of Students’, people who got positive & negative feedback scored a grade higher than those who obtained just negative feedback.
- Another study shows that offering positive feedback to employees can lead to enhanced innovation, independence, & willingness to improve already established processes.
- Finally, a report reveals that positive feedback offered every now and then has been demonstrated to improve how employees see their superiors.
How To Offer Positive Feedback To Have a Winning Team
Telling someone they have done an excellent job is quite powerful & motivating. However, offering a compliment is easy, but if you wish to give positive feedback in the workplace, it can be surprisingly hard to get it right!
Here are a few tips on giving strategic, targeted, & effective feedback that results in positive & impactful results!
1. Offer Feedback In Public/ Private
Unlike constructive/ negative feedback, positive feedback doesn’t need to be offered one-on-one.
Some people might love the recognition of obtaining positive feedback in front of their peers.
However, some employees might find it quite stressful or embarrassing to get any feedback publicly.
Therefore, leaders must make use of their discretion & keep individuals in mind when deciding on their approach.
2. Delivery Matters
Everyone knows to note their body language & watch their tone while offering negative feedback. But non-verbal cues matter while providing positive feedback too! In fact, they are just as important as the feedback itself.
Interestingly, when positive feedback is offered, checking how you deliver it is vital. Delivery is a bit trickier than you might think. For instance, delivering positive feedback with negative non-verbal cues, like frowning expressions, can lead to employees feeling upset more than grateful.
Thus, being mindful of non-verbal cues, like facial expressions, tone, pitch, body language, etc., is vital. Remember that even if you are tired, distracted, or irritated by something else while giving feedback, the employees might interpret it as a condescending attitude or insincerity!
3. Be Actionable & Specific
Vague feedback doesn’t help employees improve their work performance.
So, to offer effective feedback, it’s crucial to be as specific as possible. Ask yourself:
- What behaviors are you praising & why?
- What tangible outcomes did the employees create?
After you describe their praiseworthy behavior, end the feedback by focusing on the future. See how & why a person can replicate & build on the action next time!
4. Keep It Appropriate
Don’t exaggerate & gush over the minor achievements of employees. Basically, don’t overuse positive feedback!
This will make the positive feedback less powerful & can seem insincere, thus making people feel embarrassed or uncomfortable.
However, it is specifically vital to ensure that you must offer feedback on behaviors & actions, not who the person is. Try saying something like: ‘You explained your point quite clearly. That’s good!’ instead of ‘You are such a great communicator’.
5. Pair Positive & Negative Feedback
The ‘compliment sandwich’ is a sure-shot way to give constructive feedback, which is easier to handle.
Every time you offer feedback, carefully assess the situation first. Ask yourself if your priority is to soften the experience for employees or to ensure they take feedback to heart.
Thus, delivering positive feedback on its own had a more substantial impact on employees’ performance. However, pairing both negative & positive makes it less emotionally stressful for the employee to hear it out.
Positive Feedback Examples In The Workplace
Try using the following positive feedback examples in the workplace in your next conversation with a teammate or an employee.
Remember that feedback is powerful when it is timely. So, be on the lookout for the opportunities mentioned below to give positive feedback at the moment!
Situations – Offer positive feedback when an employee:
- Is being a good team player
- Is working overtime
- Is offering high-quality work
- Recently took on new responsibilities
- Achieved their goals
- Resolved a conflict
- Being new to the company is making an impact already
- Helped figure out a complex issue
- Requires a morale boost
- Went beyond to deliver quality work
- Contributed to the company culture positively
- Acquired a new skill
Wrapping Up!
Employee feedback is a vital component of employee experience. When you amplify the good work of your team members, you’ll see better employee performance. In addition, employee recognition can help you take your team’s employee engagement to the next level!
Thus, try practicing the tips mentioned above & implementing positive feedback examples in the workplace. Also, make sure that you regularly offer feedback & ask for the same from your employees.
Well, you already might have a great team. But if you wish to take your team’s performance to the next level & bring out joy and satisfaction daily, offering positive feedback is key!
So, are you ready to unlock your team’s potential? Implement the tips mentioned above & witness your team soar high!
Also, if you seek more information on the same, kindly visit RILC Academy. Our experts will take up your queries & concerns & guide you how you can function well in the workplace.
