How to give positive feedback to your employees: Examples

According to a Harvard Business Review study, 72% of employees believe that their productivity could improve if the manager provided regular feedback. This is not only a moment of gratification for the employee, but above all an opportunity to recognize their efforts within the company. Aware of this impact on employees, most managers don’t seem to care. Is it their fault? Probably not! We notice a lack of feedback because they do not often know how to do it. Here is an article that explains in detail how to give positive feedback to your employees.

The structure of good positive feedback (1000 words)

Feedback is nothing more than feedback to a person on a specific situation. It is therefore important to willingly give your opinion on your employees’ work within your structure. However, to know what to do is one thing, to know how to go about it is another.

According to a study by Officevibe, companies that implement this response have a 14.9% lower turnover rate. Also, 65% of employees would like to receive this feedback according to the same study. Here is the structure to follow for an example of positive employee feedback.

Set a goal

It is clear that for feedback to be both good and positive, it must be objective. It is therefore imperative to determine why you want to give this feedback. Just because a study confirms that you have to do it regularly, doesn’t mean you should do it without any purpose. You can ask yourself a few questions like:

• What information do you want to convey?
• What is the purpose of this feedback?

By answering these questions, you can better structure your feedback. Remember that your employees can give their opinions on an employee review platform.

Case study (example 1)

An example of employee feedback would be to communicate with a sales representative on the number of sales over a week. In this case, the goal is to analyze what worked and leave them an opinion. We will eventually have to encourage them and promise them a bonus or a promotion if they continue on this path. Employee retention is very important.

Case study (example 2)

Another example of improvement feedback for your employee would be that after an intense week in the company, you can decide to congratulate your employees. The purpose of this feedback is therefore to reward your employees and let them know that they have been of great help to the company.

Whatever the situation, you should never forget to set a clear and precise objective. You can launch a satisfaction survey for your employees

Define the intent

Feedback can be both positive and negative. For this reason, it is advisable to clearly list the reason for your feedback. It’s completely understandable to stress when you have a session with your manager. To avoid this, you must provide the object of your meeting. If you want to give positive feedback, highlight it in the subject of the meeting.

In addition, in order to allow your employees to prepare properly, it is recommended to communicate around the object of the feedback as well. All this contributes to the right corporate culture and allows your employees to prepare themselves and prepare questions or comments to make. There is no point in catching them off guard. Do not forget that feedback without an object can impact the image of the company.

Find the right time

Positive feedback is a moment of gratification. It is therefore imperative to choose the right time to do so. It is probably not in front of a cafe that you want to do it, let alone in an elevator.

On the other hand, in your office, the frame allows you to give feedback. All this makes it possible to have an optimal communication. It is not recommended to make hot returns. Take the time to analyze and take a step back. Ideally, agree on a time slot with your collaborators to discuss it. The best time to do this is during a meeting on the topic. Before making a decision, submit your approach to your human resource management department.

Be regular

Giving feedback is not just a method to boost your employees. It is above all a philosophy and a culture of knowing the good manners to adopt in business. No question of giving feedback whenever you want. Although the individual assessment interview should always be carried out, do not wait for it before giving feedback to your team.

It’s best to define a time when you can give positive feedback to your employees. This will boost them. If they are on the right track, congratulations and thanks are in order. By setting up a schedule that you follow, you allow everyone to receive a dose of motivation.

Give employees time

Sometimes it’s a good idea to let time decide. In the case of feedback, it is more than necessary to rely on time. It is almost impossible to guess how an employee will react to feedback. Even if the latter is positive, the employee may not agree. Give your feedback quickly and give your employee time to process this information.

Be objective, concise and precise

This is probably the most complicated thing to do. You need to give feedback as concise as possible. Few words, but heavy with meaning. No question of procrastinating on your intentions.

In the case of positive feedback, for example, you must let your interlocutor know that you are grateful. Remember that most relationships between employees and managers deteriorate after feedback. Practice again and again. However, it is important never to let old conflicts take over. Give feedback only on the work and not on the person.

Listen to your employees

The skill of listening is even more vital here. For feedback to be objective, it is very important to know how to listen to your employee. This is also the time for some to comment on the evolution of the company. Be careful, these remarks are not to be taken lightly.

Feedback is not a monologue, much less a one-way communication. You have to express yourself, but you have to know how to listen to the other too. Create an environment of trust with your employee during these exchanges.

During your exchange, this is the time to decode the non-verbal language of your collaborator. Take notes and ask questions to better understand.

Have a paper trail

Keeping a paper trail is very important. This allows you to note all the remarks and comments of your collaborator. This is seen as an opportunity to show your esteem for this conversation. Your employee will feel safer. All these notes can help you afterwards to take stock after your meeting.

In addition, you can send a summary email of the meeting after it’s over. This will allow you to keep written proof. At the same time you allow your collaborator to have this note demonstrating a strong determination and great consideration.

Steps to give positive feedback

Here are the steps to give positive feedback.

Give the positives

You must start by giving your positive opinion of the employee’s work. It is very important to start with the positive. The idea is simple! At this stage, it is about being encouraging and grateful. Using simple words, show your employee that they are doing a good job.

Here is an example of positive employee feedback “I am grateful for the work you do for our company. My team and I are aware of the efforts made and would like to know how we can improve working conditions.” In this case, for example, you reward them, but you take this opportunity to know what they think. You can also decide to respond to employee reviews on your company’s website. Moreover, it would be a very good feedback strategy for a company.

List areas for improvement

Coming back to these points is very important. It is not a question of making a negative feedback on the work of the employee. In which case, they will feel offended. You can make remarks to them and just give your opinion without judging them. Present this step as an axis of optimization and show them that they can always change their habits.

In order to succeed in this step, it is imperative to avoid using words and phrases such as:

• nobody;
• not rigorous;
• not serious.

At the end of this step, you must show your employee that they has evolved, but they still have a long way to go.

Help your employees find solutions

This is the most important and most neglected step. More than half of managers don’t talk about this. However, you need to help your employee find an objective solution. You can propose actions to implement or provide advice. The most important thing is to help the employee find solutions to their problem. So now is the time to get closer to them and build a stronger relationship.

Here is an example of positive employee feedback: “Your presentation was clear and the important messages were well presented so that they were well received by the customer. On the other hand, you could have had more impact by using statistics, knowing that your customer is analytical. In your opinion, what figures could you have added? »

By following the example of positive employee feedback given above, you must therefore intelligently get your employee to find the solution.

Tools to give good feedback

Theorized by Gandhi, it is necessary to resort to NVC (non-violent communication). It is based on the principle of cooperation.

Observe

You only give feedback to an employee based on what you have seen. No question of trusting what is said or the rumors circulating. For this, it is more than important to know how to observe a person. Good feedback should always take into account what you see.

All this requires a good command of non-verbal language. You must be able to analyze a person based solely on their actions.

Expressing your feelings

To give positive feedback, you need to put effort in. Appeal to your feelings and use them to your advantage. However, do not let your feelings or your anger have an impact on the feedback. Remember that you should be succinct, but as natural as possible. Your face, your body and all your senses must be there. In this way, you can communicate as many emotions as possible to your interlocutor. These are issues for the employer brand.

Make these needs known

You have to know how to express your ideas without the slightest ambiguity. During a feedback session, it’s also a time to communicate your new goals. Your collaborator may help you come up with a better idea. Do not hesitate to listen carefully. At this time, you can ask your collaborators to take note. List your goals for the month clearly.

Some examples of positive feedback

Here are some examples of feedback you can use

“I am very honoured to have you on our team. Your work and commitment to our company is flawless and has been for many, many years. I hope these few words will touch your heart. Thank you and I want to have a discussion with you about the new perspectives of the company”

“Your work and devotion do not go unnoticed within our structure. Thank you for the work you do every day. What do you think of a meeting with me so that we can take stock together. »

Positive feedback during the holidays is a great initiative. Talk to your HR manager!