Not every employee is perfect. This is not a fact lost on most managers, but it is also something that needs to be contended with during those times when they exhibit that they aren’t perfect. Even the best of employees have slip ups and mistakes, sometimes at critical moments. The trick is how should those employees be confronted? One of the best ways to mold an employee into an even better version of themselves is to give them feedback that they can build on. What kind of feedback and how to go about giving it though so it doesn’t do more harm than good? If feedback comes across as too nitpicky, then an employee could become defensive and not want to adjust there performance just to make a point. If feedback comes across as too vague, an employee may not have any idea what behavior of theirs is in need of changing. How feedback comes across to an employee is just as important as whether they are given feedback at all.
Throwing Them A Bone
When giving constructive feedback on an area that an employee can improve upon, it is best to start out non-confrontational. An employer or manager interested in confronting an employee about their job performance can ensure that their words will be received well if they start out with a small compliment on something that the employee is doing right. This makes the employee feel valued and that they are respected by the higher ups in the organization. It also puts the employee at ease somewhat because it is being acknowledged that they don’t do everything wrong.
Identify The Behavior And The Situation
Now, when approaching the subject that needs to be addressed, the manager should spell out not only what the behavior that needs to be changed is, but also give examples as to when the poor performance is being used. Doing this eliminates any chance that through misinterpretation, the employee will not be certain what it is they doing and when it is being done.
Make It Clear What The Impact Is
Now that the employee is aware of both what they are doing wrong as well as when they are doing it wrong, it needs to be pointed out to them why it is wrong. The best way to show an employee why their behavior is counterproductive to what they should be doing is to explain how that behavior affects either the customers or the product that is manufactured. By spelling out exactly what a customer or client’s reaction is to certain behavior, the employee may see that what they are doing is having the exact opposite reaction or response than what they are intending. The same is true for behavior that isn’t received by a customer, when it is explained to the employee how their behavior negatively affects the production or shipment process as well as they co-workers, they can see not only that their behavior should be changed, but why it should be changed.
Enlist Employee In Developing A Fix
Once the poor behavior area has been identified and shown to the employee exactly why it needs to be changed, it is time to develop a fix for the problem. The fix can be as simple as just a plan to not do it anymore, or as complex as the changing of other work situations or schedules so that it is easier to accomplish a true fix. It is best if the employer or manager can enlist the employee in developing the fix because then the employee gets a sense of value in that they are being allowed to contribute to solving a problem that they may be responsible for causing in the first place. An employee is also more apt to stick to a solution if they helped come up with it themselves.
Throw Another Bone On Your Way Out The Door
Now that the employee has been confronted, the problem identified and the solution planned out, it is time to end the confrontation. If all has gone well and the employee is on board with realizing what their shortcoming was and how it should now be corrected, it is best to end by throwing another bone to the employee regarding their value to the company. This works best if the employer can pick out another area of the employee’s job that they excel at or have shown improvement in. Pointing this out at the end of the feedback session leaves a good taste in everyone’s mouth and makes the employee fill valued and respected, as well as giving them a feeling that they are not only called out about poor performance, but good performance too.
While few employees are perfect, one of the stepping stones that must be put in place in building a perfect or near-perfect employee is feedback. Without constructive feedback, an employee will never get a sense of whether they are performing the duties of their employment correctly or not. The trick though is to give this feedback in a way that builds up the employee instead of in a way that tears them down. An employee who has received the correct amount of constructive feedback done the correct way, ends up being a well trained and well developed employee.
If you enjoy this blog please take a moment to support us and submit your link to the Authority Web Directory.
