Giving Feedback at Work

Giving feedback at work is one of the most important interpersonal skills, but at the same time one of the most difficult. In many organizations feedback goes ungiven because of fear of the other person’s reaction or one’s own incompetence. Or feedback is given but in a way that hurts rather than builds. This article goes through how feedback can be given and received in a way that strengthens trust and supports everyone’s workplace well-being.

Why is feedback so important for workplace well-being?

Feedback is one of the central means by which people learn and develop in their work. Without feedback we operate in the dark: we don’t know what’s going well and where there’s room for improvement. This creates uncertainty, which when prolonged burdens the mind and can increase stress.

Research shows that workers who receive regular and constructive feedback are more satisfied with their work, more committed to their organization, and experience less psychological load. Feedback isn’t just a management tool. It’s a basic human need: we want to know that our actions matter and that we are seen.

Correspondingly, lack of feedback is, according to research, one of the most significant reasons for work dissatisfaction and staff turnover. When a person experiences that their work isn’t noticed or valued, motivation fades and the experience of meaningfulness decreases.

Psychological safety as the foundation of feedback

Before feedback can work, a psychologically safe atmosphere is needed. This means an environment where everyone dares to say their opinion, admit their mistakes, and receive feedback without fear of punishment or humiliation.

Google’s well-known Project Aristotle research showed that psychological safety is the most important single factor distinguishing well-functioning teams from poorly functioning ones. It doesn’t mean that everyone agrees on everything or that criticism is avoided. It means that things can be talked about directly and respectfully.

How to recognize a psychologically safe environment?

In a psychologically safe work community:

• Mistakes are talked about openly as learning opportunities
• Questions are asked freely, including “stupid” questions
• Different opinions are welcome
• Feedback flows in both directions: supervisors also receive feedback
• People dare to ask for help

If psychological safety is weak at your workplace, giving feedback feels like a risk. Then the first step is building safety, not forcing feedback. You can read more about handling difficult things in our article Raising difficult issues at work.

Giving constructive feedback: practical techniques

Constructive feedback is precise, timely, and respectful. It targets action, not the person. Below are four principles that help give feedback that really works.

1. Be concrete and specific

Vague feedback such as “good work” or “should improve” doesn’t help anyone develop. Instead, tell precisely what was good or what should change.

Instead of vague: “Your presentation was good.”
Concrete: “The customer example you used at the start of your presentation made the matter really understandable. It helped the whole team grasp what it’s about.”

Concreteness shows that you’ve really paid attention to the other’s work. It makes the feedback credible and useful.

2. Direct feedback to action, not personality

This is perhaps the most important rule. “You’re careless” is a person-directed assessment that triggers defensiveness. “There were a few mistakes in the figures in the last report, and I wanted to bring it up so we can check the process” is directed at action and opens a conversation.

When feedback is directed at action, the recipient finds it easier to hear without their identity feeling threatened. This is especially important with corrective feedback.

3. Choose the right time and place

Praise can be given publicly, but corrective feedback belongs to a one-on-one setting. When tired, busy, or in an emotionally charged situation, giving feedback should be postponed. On the other hand, feedback shouldn’t be held back too long, because feedback detached from the situation loses its meaning.

A good rule of thumb: give feedback as soon as possible, but only when both are ready for it.

4. Open a conversation, don’t give a monologue

Effective feedback is a dialogue, not a one-way message. Tell your observation and then ask for the other’s view: “How do you see the situation?” or “What thoughts does this raise?” This shows respect and helps understand the situation more comprehensively.

Receiving feedback: an underrated skill

Giving feedback is talked about a lot, but receiving is at least as important a skill. Few of us take feedback naturally, especially when it includes development suggestions. The body’s first reaction is often defense.

The defensive reaction is natural

When you receive critical feedback, your brain reacts the same way it does to a physical threat. This is completely normal. Important is recognizing this reaction and giving yourself a moment before responding. Breathe, listen to the end, and thank for the feedback before responding.

Practical tips for receiving feedback

• Listen all the way through. Don’t interrupt, even if you feel like explaining or defending.
• Ask clarifying questions. “Can you give an example?” helps understand the feedback better.
• Separate feedback from your reaction. You can feel disappointment or frustration and still acknowledge that there’s something to the feedback.
• Thank for the feedback. This doesn’t mean you accept everything, but that you value the other’s effort.
• Give yourself time to process. You don’t have to react immediately. “Thank you, I’ll let this sit and we’ll come back to it tomorrow” is a fully acceptable answer.

The supervisor as builder of feedback culture

The supervisor has a special role in creating feedback culture. They set an example: if the supervisor doesn’t ask for feedback themselves or reacts defensively to feedback they receive, the whole team’s feedback culture suffers.

A good supervisor:

• Actively asks for feedback from their team
• Gives feedback regularly, not only in development discussions
• Reacts to feedback visibly: thanks, says what they’ll do differently
• Intervenes in situations where feedback becomes inappropriate
• Recognizes when feedback isn’t the right tool and the situation requires raising the issue

Occupational safety authorities emphasize the supervisor’s role in identifying and managing psychosocial load factors. Feedback culture is one of the central means of managing psychosocial load.

Special situations in feedback

Feedback in a team with conflicts

If there are tensions in a team, feedback is easily interpreted as an attack. Then it’s especially important to be concrete, avoid generalizations (“always” and “never”), and emphasize the shared goal. In the middle of conflicts, outside support such as a workplace coach can help in feedback situations.

Feedback in remote work

In remote work, spontaneous feedback opportunities decrease. Feedback therefore requires more conscious effort. Written feedback is sensitive to misunderstandings, so important feedback is worth giving by video call or face to face. Also remember that a remote worker can experience invisibility, in which case the importance of positive feedback is emphasized even more.

Feedback upward

Giving feedback to your own supervisor requires courage. Prepare your message carefully, focus on observations and their effects, and choose a calm moment. For example: “I’d like to raise one thing that would help us function in the team even better.” A good supervisor values such feedback, even if it isn’t always easy to hear.

Developing feedback culture in the organization

Feedback culture isn’t created from one training. It’s built in everyday actions, consistently and over the long term. The organization can support the development of feedback culture by, for example:

• Training the whole staff in feedback skills
• Including giving feedback as part of teams’ daily routines
• Creating structures for feedback, such as regular retrospectives
• Rewarding good feedback giving
• Tracking the development of feedback culture in staff surveys

Read more about sustainable working practices and their impact on well-being: Improving well-being through working practices.