Managing employees doesn't just mean making sure they submit their work on time and adhere to company policies. It also means helping them grow professionally and improve in areas where they may be struggling.
But new data from job site Joblist reveals that employees may not be getting enough feedback on the job. In fact, 33.4% of full-time employees say they'd like to receive more feedback from their managers than what they're currently getting.
The problem is even more prevalent among seasoned employees. The average worker gets feedback 2.9 times a month, reports Joblist, but seasoned workers who have been in their positions for over 10 years only receive feedback 2.3 times a month. By contrast, newer employees -- those who have been at their jobs for one year or less -- get feedback 3.8 times a month.
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If you've been lacking in the feedback department, it pays to carve out time in your schedule to sit down with your employees and keep them apprised of how they're doing. Otherwise, you may find that your workers not only grow disgruntled, but fail to meet the expectations you've set for them.
Providing ongoing feedback
Some managers reserve employee feedback for annual performance reviews, or semiannual reviews, but that's a mistake that could hurt you and your team. If you don't provide regular feedback, your employees won't know where they're succeeding and where they need to step up their game. The result? They'll continue making the same mistakes, and you'll continue getting frustrated.
A better bet, therefore, is to work ongoing feedback into your schedule, and a good way to do so is via recurring one-on-one meetings with your employees. You can conduct these meetings on a weekly or biweekly basis, depending on the size of your team and what your schedule allows for. But this way, you'll have a dedicated time slot to sit down with each person who reports to you and provide constructive criticism.
Keep in mind that those one-on-one meetings don't need to be an hour long. Even a 15-minute time slot every other week could prove invaluable to employees who still have a lot to learn.
In addition to weekly or biweekly one-on-ones, aim to offer feedback on a teamwide basis when you gather for group meetings. Sometimes, feedback is better received when employees don't feel singled out, so there's a benefit to offering up constructive criticism in a group forum.
Finally, make it clear to your employees that if they have specific concerns, they're always welcome to schedule a meeting with you to discuss them. If your workers initiate those conversations, they're likely to be receptive to whatever it is you have to say, even if it's not overwhelmingly positive in nature.
Helping your team succeed
If your team members aren't made aware of their shortcomings or lack advice on how to improve, they can't achieve their full potential. Offering feedback on a regular basis is a great way to help your employees develop professionally, and the time you spend having those discussions will likely be made up for via fewer errors and increased productivity on a whole.
