We’re all familiar with the term and concept of feedback. Now, we are beginning to hear a new term applied to performance reviews: feedforward. From what I’ve read, this new term stems from younger employees challenging the status quo regarding feedback practices at their companies. This, in itself, is a good thing! Any business or organizational practice that has been around for a long time and, in many cases, gone unquestioned should be regularly put under the microscope to ensure it’s still fit for purpose in today’s world of work for today’s workers. So, I find it reassuring that the newest generation to join the workforce is calling for a review of this term and practice.
We should regularly review these initiatives and the terms we use to describe them and adapt them when needed better to meet the needs of the latest generation of workers. But I don’t agree with throwing the term “feedback” out the door, nor with the black-and-white lens used to examine this.
Feedback, when done well, is kind, specific and productive. It should never be overtly negative or hurtful. But we shouldn’t shy away from it being constructive; eight in 10 employees say receiving constructive feedback makes them more productive.
Good feedback should be a mixture of looking back and looking forward. It involves observing and contextualizing something that happened, sharing how it made the reviewer or another team member feel, highlighting its impact, and suggesting a way to improve, avoid or enhance things in the future for a better outcome. This is the situation we should all aim for — and the term used to describe this process is less relevant than the result.
Delivering the Performance Review
I see performance reviews and a company’s feedback culture as two separate things that, ideally, feed into and complement each other. Deliberate, intentional and regular thought and effort must ensure both are up to par.
A performance review is an official conversation between every employee and their manager, scheduled to occur at regular intervals throughout the year. Most employees have a performance review at least twice a year. However, according to a recent survey by Leapsome, only two-thirds are satisfied with the review process in their company, and half say reviews should happen more often. So, performance reviews should be regularly reviewed to ensure they’re achieving what a company wants them to achieve.
But feedback definitely should not be limited to a performance review, especially when three in four employees call for more regular feedback (both constructive and recognition) from their managers. There should be no limit on when feedback can be shared or requested.
And rather than there be simply an assumption that everything is as it needs to be, a robust feedback (or feedforward; the term is not as important as what stands behind it) culture creates an open channel of communication between employees, their colleagues and their managers.
Receiving regular, actionable feedback is crucial for employees’ growth and development. But it doesn’t benefit just the employee. Delivered in the right way, it can positively impact a company through improved performance, increased employee engagement and greater levels of trust.
The secret to giving effective and empathetic feedback or feedforward is to realize that the whole point is to start an open conversation and help the person grow. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but here are five things the reviewer should do:
- Make sure the recipient is prepared for the feedback session,
- Clearly describe the situation,
- Present his or her take on the situation,
- Give actionable recommendations for improvement and
- Turn the session into a conversation.
‘Feedback’ or ‘Feedforward’?
Before zooming in on the specific term a company uses to describe feedback, it’s important its leadership consider whether the feedback culture generally is up to scratch.
If yes, is there an argument for changing the term used to describe it? Are employees asking for a new term?
If no, is it a matter of changing the wording used to describe feedback, or is it a matter of reviewing the practices, rituals and habits that stand in the way of improving that culture?
I have read that the reason for this change in many companies is that the word “feedback” provokes anxiety for many employees. This may, unfortunately, be the case in some companies. But rather than changing the term, I encourage business and HR leaders to look under the hood and examine why that is the case at their company. It’s likely the anxiety is coming not from the word but from the culture. So, how much of a long-term impact will changing just the word really have?
Jenny von Podewils is CEO of Leapsome, which she co-founded in 2022 with Kajetan von Armansperg with a mission of making work more fulfilling for everyone. The platform combines tools for goal and Objectives and Key Results management, performance and 360-degree reviews, learning, onboarding, engagement surveys, feedback and praise, and both one-to-one and team meetings.
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