Welcome to this week’s Discuss HR. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our readers for being so interactive with this feature. We wanted Discuss HR to do exactly that and it is really pleasing to see all editions of Discuss HR still generating comments. So thank you for reading!
So to the point at hand, this week Dawn Clarke returns and looks at the fear of giving and receiving constructive feedback. The article is particularly relevant for me as I have to give constructive comments on a daily basis, but I know I am also not very good at receiving them! (Ed Scrivener)
Why performance review doesn’t always work
The HR department has designed a structured and supposedly objective framework for reviewing employee performance. Managers have been trained and employees have also been briefed as to how to get the best out of the process. All the paperwork has been explained to everyone who will be involved and as the Head of HR I am looking forward to a successful outcome. Managers can look forward to improved performance as a result of the performance review and employees will have the opportunity to discuss their work and career aspirations.
Heaven!
Well, not exactly. I have yet to implement a framework where it all goes to plan and almost always find that the HR team will be ‘chasing’ managers for their completed paperwork. Maybe it’s the formality of the whole process that turns people, managers and employees, against it.
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| Frank was slightly over-zealous with his feedback |
The fact is that most managers are not comfortable giving objective feedback and they fear provoking a defensive response from the other person. This is perfectly normal because the natural response to an attack, whether it is real or perceived, is to run away or attack back. An innocuous comment made by the manager is perceived as a ‘threat’ by the employee and so the manager reviewing the performance finds him/herself being ‘attacked’ in return. Alternatively, not engaging in the process is akin to the ‘running away’ response.
I believe it is this fear of conflict that is the key reason that many decent managers will often avoid giving honest feedback and of course this defeats the whole purpose of the process. Whenever the employee’s performance is rated as less than the best, or less than the level at which they personally perceive their contribution, the manager is viewed as unfair or even punitive. Disagreement about contribution and performance ratings can create a conflict ridden situation that festers for months and many managers will prefer to avoid conflict that will undermine work place harmony.
However, if we don't know how to give constructive feedback we reduce our effectiveness as communicators. Many people do not like to give negative feedback because they are afraid of a scene. They are afraid of conflict and of what the other person might say back to them or might say about them at some future date. The key to success is not to avoid such communications, but to become more effective in these communications by developing skills which can facilitate this process.
So what’s the answer to this perennial problem?
Many companies do train their managers in giving feedback however what does not happen so often is the training of employees in ‘receiving’ feedback. Receiving feedback is an important part of the whole interaction and so training the ‘receiver’ is as important as training the manager if we are to ensure that the process adds value.
Whenever I have had to work on a performance management project, I always make sure that individuals are trained in how to receive feedback without becoming defensive. These are normally awareness sessions lasting about an hour so they don’t take up too much time away from the workplace. I don’t go into lots of detail, rather I focus on a few key principles:-
• I encourage employees to see feedback as an opportunity to grow and improve.
• We discuss the natural response to a perceived attack is to counter-attack or opt out – just making them aware of this significantly improves the interaction
• If they don’t agree with the feedback, ask in a non aggressive way for more details
• Replay the scenario to the manager using your own thought processes – explain why you are doing it that way
The most important one I pass onto managers is that before you are able to confidently give feedback, you must learn how to take it and I take them through the points above. If you can handle receiving feedback, you will be far more effective in giving it. Being able to take feedback and learn from it is a vital part of self-development and in so doing the manager may learn from those he works with how to make things within the team better.
Of course the big issue for me is around managing expectations. A performance review cannot solve all problems or make everything better as there are limitations as to what can and cannot be achieved.
One thing is certain in terms of performance review. It will never be effective until it is embraced by all parties and seen as a value add activity in that both parties feel that they get something out of it. The challenge for HR therefore is not chasing the paperwork but working to facilitate the process so that it really does add value and this can be a time consuming activity.
I would be extremely interested to hear from anyone on this blog who has been involved in a truly successful process. Is there a quicker way of achieving success?
About the author
Dawn is an experienced HR professional with strong development & internal consultancy experience. She takes a practical approach to HR turning strategic plans into operational reality. Dawn has experience in a variety of industries with a track record of commercial success by engaging people and making work a fun place to be. On a personal note she is a huge Liverpool fan, well someone has to be!
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Discuss HR is the blog for Human Resources UK, the leading LinkedIn group for those involved with HR in the UK. Next week’s Discuss HR will be published on Thursday 16th June.
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