I’m hearing from people lucky enough to have been hired during the pandemic that getting performance feedback is a challenge. Outside of annual performance reviews, getting feedback at the best of times can be tough. And of course the best way around that is to ask for it directly, so if that’s you, what are you waiting for….? But I digress…
I’m thinking that the world of Teams and Zoom is making this challenge even worse, especially for those who have never had the benefit of building trust and strong relationships in a normal, “on-site” workplace. New employees, who are staring at their screens all day in isolation like the rest of us, may not yet feel comfortable to ask for feedback from their leaders. So leaders need to step up, because failing to give feedback – including recognition on what’s going well – can unintentionally damage employee engagement and negatively impact discretionary effort in an already tenuous time. It’s so easy to forget to do it (or, let’s be honest, avoid it entirely) – but the omission of feedback can lead employees to fill in the blanks with assumptions about how they’re doing that may be completely incorrect.
If you’ve been forgetting to share feedback with your team, both positive and constructive – especially with new employees – don’t leave ‘em hanging! Make it a regular part of your 1-on-1 meetings. Just a little forethought can help you make it meaningful, and help your employees stay engaged.
And because I like to practice what I preach, if you have feedback for me on this article, I’d love to hear from you!