Feedback at work

Feedback is a very powerful tool for your personal and professional development. Effective feedback from your peers and co-workers is a great learning tool. You should welcome feedback with open arms rather than let it offend you. To achieve success as part of a team, focus on mastering the art of receiving feedback. Giving and receiving feedback are both really important to succeed as part of a team. One of the best ways to get better at both is through anonymous feedback.

Adding the element of anonymity makes it easier to get honest, constructive and helpful feedback and it can make feedback easier to give and take. In today’s fast paced world of emails, texts, and Instant Messages, it seems impossible to be anonymous anywhere on the web. This is one of the main reasons we built anonymous feedback right into Rypple.

We found that people resist giving truly honest feedback when they don’t feel like they have control over the environment. They’ve learned the hard way that it often means their opinion gets judged by their colleagues, which can make even the most secure people feel nervous.

Here are a few tips and tricks I’ve learned when it comes to feedback.

How to give it

• People want to improve. If someone has taken the time to ask you for feedback on their work, they truly want to improve and get better at what they do. So take the time to give them constructive, realistic comments on which they can personally improve and grow.
• Help! Don’t just provide areas for improvement, but give suggestions on ways to improve as well. If you had a similar weakness, share with the person your story and how you improved.

How to receive it

• Don’t ask if you don’t wanna hear it. Like I said above, the person asking for feedback should truly and honestly want to improve. So don’t ask for feedback if you aren’t going to take into consideration what your fellow peers have to say.

How to ask for it

• Email. If you feel comfortable asking for feedback from your peers via email then go right ahead. Blast out that question to your colleagues! However, it’s not yourself that you have to think about when it comes to asking for feedback. If you want honest answers email isn’t going to cut it.
  
• Anonymous feedback is better. Anonymous feedback is the only way to assure that you get real, constructive, and helpful suggestions. This allows the people you ask to feel that thy can share all of their opinions with you, without being scrutinized. (This is especially key if you are a manager or boss, asking your team for feedback.)

Why is anonymous SO MUCH BETTER??

This is what we found with Rypple’s anonymous feedback tool:

• Direct and honest. Anonymity allows colleagues and managers to provide constructive, direct and honest feedback.
• It’s easy and fast. Ask a quick, focused question. Get direct, anonymous, honest responses from people you know.
• It’s safe. Ask personal and team questions. You’ll feel safe asking and your advisers will feel safe providing the honest truth knowing that they’re anonymity is protected.
• Reveals blind spots. Everyone has areas they can improve but we’re not always aware of them. Anonymous feedback helps your coworkers reveal your blind spots in a safe and supportive environment.
• Learn and develop. Take control of your personal development by unlocking the hidden feedback around you. Anonymous feedback helps your performance improve immediately.

Not getting enough feedback can be a serious downside of a company. Feedback does take some effort, but attempting at a feedback culture for your workplace is way better than no feedback.

So try asking for feedback today. Start a new trend at your workplace. Don’t let your company or team have employees who are part of the 51% that don’t get enough constructive criticism at work.