Making the feedback process simpler
One of the key themes of the recently concluded IBM Kenexa India Summit 2016was the importance of giving feedback. Several imminent speakers from companies like IBM & ITC Infotech spoke passionately about the various initiatives they have undertaken in their organizations to facilitate the exchange of feedback between their employees and their managers, and vice versa.
While the importance of sharing feedback is known to everyone, what these speakers emphasized was the impact of giving that feedback instantly. On many occasions, managers tend to wait till the annual appraisal to share their detailed feedback with their teammates. Even if not till the appraisal, a large proportion of managers assume feedback needs to be something which is formal and needs at least an ‘appointment’ to share.
However, that should not be the case. Feedback is something that works best if shared regularly. A point to clarify here is that, feedback doesn’t mean simply saying ‘good job’ or ‘this report was not up to my expectations’. Feedback needs to be more detailed, and specific. The yardstick to measure a good feedback can be that, after it has been shared whether or not an individual has some clarity on what he/she should work upon/leverage.
Again, the importance of regular feedback might also be not unknown to most managers. Then why is it that most of them do not practice this? The hindrance here is the method to share feedback. Today’s business world is extremely demanding, and employees are constantly struggling to meet their KRAs. In this situation, giving feedback features low on any employee’s ‘to-do’ list.
So how does one overcome this challenge? By offering employees & managers a platform to share their feedback in a hassle-free manner! For instance, IBM has introduced a mobile friendly performance management system. Managers can share their feedback on the go, using a mobile app. When priorities are constantly piling up, this platform helps managers share key developmental inputs with their team members whenever they get a breather.
As important it is for managers to share their feedback, it is equally important for the organization to take feedback from their employees. Accordingly, an annual employee engagement survey to understand what drives the employees, while what the organization can do better becomes of paramount importance. Moreover, as with downward feedback, it is also a best practice to keep asking for employee feedback more regularly in the form of pulse surveys. Platforms like the one offered by IBM Employee Engagement Survey can also be accessed on the go on mobiles, and tabs, making it very user friendly.
The idea is simple. Both the employees and the management need feedback to grow. Hence the organization should do its best to facilitate this exchange. Business exigencies force employees to focus on their KRAs instead of sharing feedback. In this light, Uber serves as a good example which doesn’t allow its customers to book another ride till the time they share their feedback. This ensures that Uber constantly has data to draw insights from, for it to travel the distance.
InpireOne’s employee engagement survey, in partnership with IBM Smarter Workforce, empowers organizations to drive business performance through in-depth insights on the pulse of the organization.
