Performance management has been evolving since the past few years. We are moving away from traditional practices such as annual performance reviews and closer towards agile performance management. The latter is a more collaborative, continuous feedback and development practice suitable for today’s fast paced environment.
Employee reviews are now more holistic owing to 360 degree feedback. It allows companies to collect key performance data points from all stakeholders such as the employee’s teammates, coworkers, direct managers, and customers.
Encouraging and allowing employees to give each other feedback is a progressive step. It ensures that information collected covers all the different perspectives, apart from the manager’s own. While managers are supposed to be on top of most things, they may not always keep track of the smaller yet equally important aspect of everyone’s performance. Attributes that only a person’s teammates may have often witnessed. .
As with most things, there are two sides to this coin as well. Employees were already hesitant about getting feedback from their managers. Now that many companies are adopting 360 degree feedback, these individuals are liable to get feedback from their teammates as well. People may deliberately sabotage each other’s chances of being promoted.
For example, an anonymous review on Glassdoor from a Google employee states that, people looking for promotions need to have good performance review ratings from not just their managers but also their peers. Only then do they have any chance of getting a promotion.
If an employee has received a good rating from her manager but her peers have rated her poorly, then there are slim chances of her getting promoted. We aren’t sure about this supposed practice but it could become a part of the work culture nonetheless.
Let’s assume that this will be the case with most company that has ever adopted 360 degrees feedback. Getting ahead in the workplace would not only become a challenge but a complete nightmare. It would be more tempting to simply look for a different job!
Now, most employees may not intentionally try to sabotage their teammates’ careers. But the way they frame their feedback would be the reason the latter misses an opportunity. Even with the best of intentions, a few wrong or inappropriate words is all it takes to spoil a good feedback.
Are you committing the same mistakes? Take this quiz and know if your feedback is actually helpful to your coworkers.
[typeform_embed type=”embed” url=”https://upraiseforjira.typeform.com/to/fCLDer”]
These are some of the basic and common questions that are asked. They may change from company to company, department to department or even among various teams.
At the end of the quiz, you may get one of the following 3 outcomes:
- Not good – You need to really work on how to frame your feedback!
- Below Average – While not rude, you could probably do a lot better!
- Good – Fantastic, you are on the right track. People appreciate your feedback
If you fall in the last category, then you know the right things to say. And if you got either of the first two outcomes, then it is time you analyzed your feedback. It may not be actually helpful to your coworkers. Instead they may either feel attacked or become resentful for the way you say things.
Emotional Quotient (EQ) is highly essential in the workplace. It helps you understand that negative feedback need not be negative. Take that criticism and frame it in a constructive manner so that the recipient does not feel attacked. But instead has suggestions on what needs to be improved.
So the next time you give feedback to your teammates, make sure your feedback will be helpful to them. Any other suggestions that we may have missed?
