A deep dive into employee feedback with 86+ examples

In the busy world of today, giving regular, constructive feedback can be a challenge. So, when you finally get a chance to give performance reviews, make sure you do them right.

To do it right, we’re going to help with 86+ employee feedback examples.

However, without knowing what to write or say when it comes to giving feedback, you are only going to make things worse.

Because most people don’t receive constructive feedback, and this leads to fear about the entire process.

Even the people who give feedback regularly aren’t confident about the kind of vocabulary that needs to be used in a professional setting.

So, they have second thoughts about giving feedback. Especially, when it comes to feedback for negative actions or results. It gets tricky because most reviewers or even the people doing self-assessment, the majority run away from giving negative feedback. Here is a small guide to help you out with employee feedback examples.

Let’s Start.

Common reservations:

• Fear: The people I review will start hating me if I give honest feedback.
• Indifference: The people I need to review simply don’t need this conversation as, with time, they will learn from their mistakes themselves.
• Denial: Maybe the situation isn’t bad as I am making it out to be. The people can handle their problems on their own, and I don’t need to intervene to sort things out.
• Awkwardness: No one likes giving too much praise or criticism. So, giving feedback is considered to be an awkward process. This is especially true during self-assessment as too much praise looks cheesy.

‘Is there no way to give feedback without sounding judgmental or biased?’- If this is a question haunting you right now, then the answer is-

Yes, there is a way.

It’s called Constructive feedback.

What is Constructive Employee Feedback?

Constructive feedback is basically giving negative feedback in a way that doesn’t kill the other person. It focuses on aligning the process towards a positive outcome. If things go wrong, how can a certain individual change the process to get the desired results?

It is corrective and not critical. This kind of feedback has NO personal agenda, judgment, or bias.

The Problem

Not many people know how to give constructive criticism without diluting the purpose of the performance review. We’re giving you a complete list of example feedback phrases that you can use in different situations.

The Ultimate Steps to Giving Constructive Feedback

For constructive feedback, use the below steps:

• Situation- Start by assessing the situation.
• Impact- Check the impact on all three goals (individual, team, and organizational)
• Evaluate- Create a roadmap that the person you are reviewing can work upon to improve the situation.
• Implement- Work on the plan and repeat the feedback process again to see the results.

For positive feedback, use these steps:

• Situation- Start by assessing the situation.
• Impact- Check the positive impact on all three goals (individual, team, and organizational)
• Gratitude- Thank the person you’re reviewing for their efforts, but don’t stop there. Motivate and create a roadmap to make things better in the coming future.

Situations and Feedback Phrases

Before you dive in, please remember that these are sample phrases and feedback examples. Use what’s best suited to your situation.

Feedback for communication skills (Good or Bad)

Communication is one of the key elements in the success of any workplace. Encourage positive communication by setting up clear expectations and giving clear instructions in your feedback.

Phrases:

• Effectively communicates his/her ideas
• Promotes group initiatives effectively
• Comes with well-set agendas and keeps the meetings short and actionable
• Keeps all the stakeholders in the loop at all times through effective communication
• Never takes note of the important things discussed in the meetings
• Can improve with the work updates on email or in-person

Example (Constructive): I’d love to know your progress on the X project. If there are any roadblocks, then please let me know because I’d do everything to help you out and keep things on track. How about you can send me a quick update every day just so I know where we stand on things.

Feedback for time management

Time-management issues can lead to a burden on everyone involved in the project.

Phrases:

• Maintains a work schedule to complete projects on time
• Always recognizes other people in the team for their timely delivery of work
• Consistently finishes work before deadlines
• Keep meetings on schedule
• Respects everyone’s time

Example (Constructive): I’ve noticed this is the second time you’ve missed a deadline in the month. I understand you have a lot of things to do, but I’d appreciate it if you can please let me know about the roadblocks that are stopping you from finishing on time. Maybe a re-evaluation of your weekly calendar is needed at the moment.

Feedback for speaking over others

Any employee who has a habit of speaking over others can be trouble for the entire team or sometimes the organization. It’s not that they are bad, sometimes over-excitement can get the better of these people. Therefore, handle feedback with care.

Phrases:

• Shows a lack of patience
• Consistently interrupts others during a conversation
• Lacks the desired listening skills

Example (Constructive): I love your energy and ideas, however in a group setting, I’d appreciate it if you can allow others to speak actively during conversations. Listening is a great skill for your career, and you’ll learn so much from others by doing this. What do you say?

Feedback for goals (Achieving or missing the goals)

Aligning individual goals with that of the team and the organization needs to be the number one thing on every leader’s list. The employees may or may not achieve their goals. That’s why the feedback needs to be on point.

Phrases:

• Continuously sets and achieves performance goals
• Contributes to the growth of the team and the company
• Helps others to achieve their goals
• Delegates work effectively for completion of work on time
• Often changes the goals, however, never achieves them
• Gathers too many tasks and then fails to deliver on them

Example (Constructive): You seem to have taken too many projects under your belt. I’d suggest you remove some of the less important ones and focus on the top 2-3 things, finish them first and then move on to the remaining goals in the list.

Feedback for Vision

Is the team passionate about the purpose and path the company is taking? Yes, or No, you need to use the right phrases during the feedback process.

Phrases:

• Stands for the organization’s values in everything they do
• Promotes the company culture in every action
• Think of the future and aligns personal goals with the goals of the organization
• Can contribute towards the company’s goals

Example (Constructive): It’s great you want to contribute towards that big project; however, I’d love for you to keep a keen eye on the fixed deliverables first. Let’s have a detailed checklist so that we don’t miss anything.

Feedback for attendance

Few employees have messed up attendance. Instead of focusing on the individual, focus on the effect it is having on their overall performance.

Phrases:

• Facing trouble in organizing things due to time mismanagement
• Never on time in meetings
• No certainty in terms of availability during the day
• Can improve on the overall punctuality in the office

Example (Constructive): Hey [name], I’ve observed that you’ve been missing from the last few morning meetings, and you’ve also missed some of your deadlines. I am afraid you may have some important information. It will be better if you can catch up with everyone to be on the same page. Also, please create a plan for attendance and work on improving things in the future.

Feedback for supervision

Effective supervision is a must for any fast-growing team.

Phrase:

• Gives credit and recognition to those who deserve it
• Always available for help and guidance
• Takes care of the team
• Helps employees to have a clear understanding of their goals
• Creates a roadmap to follow for others
• Never involved in the process
• Can do better by showing people ‘how to do’ rather than telling them ‘what to do’

Example (Constructive): I’ve noticed that you haven’t been helping out X on the Y project. I know you have a lot on your plate, but X has recently joined our organization. Your guidance can really help her/him to excel in the new role. Let me know how you plan to proceed forward.

Feedback for productivity

Results and productivity go hand in hand. Both impact any organization from top to bottom.

Phrases:

• Continuously produces more results than expected
• Completes the target on time
• Exceeds set output standards
• Not focused on work during office hours

Example (Constructive): Focusing on important tasks will help you eliminate distractions and complete the project on a set deadline. It will help if both of us can have a quick catch up every morning. Also, if there’s something outside work that’s affecting you, then please let me know. I’d be happy to assist you and hope you feel comfortable at work.

Feedback for solving problems on their own

Active employees feel empowered to go out and solve challenges on their own. On the other hand, passive employees don’t like to take the initiative.

Phrases:

• Wait for others to solve his/her problems at work
• Never takes initiative to solve challenges at work
• Plans and solves problems through a practical approach
• Turns challenges into opportunities
• Always looking for solutions to questions

Example (Constructive): For this problem, it’d be great if you can tap into the existing resources and come up with a solution on your own before reaching out to others. Spend time on a problem instead of simply going to others for quick fixes. If this approach doesn’t work, please reach out to me, and we will come up with a solution together.

Feedback for potential

Realizing the hidden potential of employees is a hidden superpower of a manager. When it comes to realizing that potential, a lot depends on the employee.

Phrases:

• Hasn’t reached the level required for promotion
• Is ready to handle big assignments and tasks
• Capable of a higher performance and productivity level
• Enhancing his/her skills through constant learning

Example (Constructive): 2020 is ending, and you did a decent job at your role in this company. I still believe there is a lot of scope for improvement, and you have the potential to play a bigger role in the team next year. My advice would be to make a plan for 2021. We can discuss and work together to bring it to life.

Feedback for management skills

Managing is not only about fancy speeches but rather listening to your team members, making sure they understand their responsibilities and helping them out to achieve the maximum results. Constant feedback (positive and negative) for your employees will help you become a better manager.

Phrases:

• Provides support to every team member
• Helps the team transition through daily challenges
• Is always available for a conversation when the team isn’t doing good
• Holds individuals accountable for their own performances

Example (Constructive): I’m glad you’ve finally decided to check-in with your team. I’ve observed you haven’t spent a lot of time with the team lately, and it’s affecting their performance. Right now, your team needs you, and I hope you can do something to bring them together like before.

Feedback for learning skills

Learning is a constant process, and the best employees are students of this process.

Phrases:

• Adapts to new situations quickly
• Keeps a check on the development path with constant upskilling
• Spends time on understanding new concepts and products
• Helps others in their learning journey

Example (Constructive): Last week, you said NO to a project because you didn’t know one of the tools that was needed to implement this project. I could tell you were frustrated, but simply leaving a project, for this reason, isn’t acceptable. I hope you can find the desire to learn inside you and rethink your decision. I believe you can be a great asset to this project.

Feedback for administration

Whether it’s one person or an entire group of people that’s taking care of the administrative side of things, effective feedback can elevate the overall performance.

Phrases:

• Keeps information organized for effective administration
• Develops specific strategies to take care of daily tasks
• Solves employee problems quickly
• Works tirelessly to make the administrative processes better
• Shows great customer service qualities

Example (Constructive): Lately, you don’t seem focused on work. Customers are sending a lot of queries, and you haven’t solved them at the expected rate. I hope we can make a plan and solve the urgent ones at the earliest. Please keep me updated on the progress.

Feedback for creativity

Keeping a check on the creativity of your employees is essential, and you can use different phrases to describe their artistry.

Phrases:

• Always resourceful and imaginative in the time of need
• Always thinking outside the box when solving complex challenges
• Adds new ideas to existing concepts to make them better
• Constantly experimenting with things to drive results
• Promotes self-learning to adapt to the growing needs of the company
• Claims to think outside the box but don’t act like it
• Only takes projects that don’t require creative solutions to implement

Example (Constructive): [Name], this was a really challenging project. But you gave up without breaking down the complex parts into manageable pieces. A little bit of creativity would have helped everyone feel more confident and involved in it. I hope you can think of new ideas and come back fresh tomorrow.

Feedback for improvement

Every employee goes through a bad phase at work. However, make sure that your team overcomes those initial hurdles and give their best to the cause.

Phrases:

• Continues to improve
• I admire that you worked late nights to learn the new tools
• I can see you’re having a positive impact at work after that abysmal last month
• Thanks for taking charge of the daily meetings in the absence of [name]
• Always working on new strategies

Example (Constructive): Last month, you couldn’t reach your goals. When it happened, I remember you assured me this month you want to get that right. I can see you are working hard, but there is still scope for improvement. Work harder to reach the targets you set for yourself. I believe you can make a positive impact, just keep going.

Feedback for innovation

Markets are rapidly evolving, so to keep your product relevant in the market, a company needs to innovate continuously. At the heart of this innovation are the employees of the company.

Phrases:

• Collects ideas and combines them to create innovative solutions
• Leaves the norms and tries new ways to solve major challenges at work
• Always looking to add extra value to every bit of work
• Not afraid to try new things and shows great ability to assess risks before solving a problem
• Forever curious to figure out new ways to add value to the team and the organization

Example (Constructive): Coming up with new and innovative ideas is not that simple, still you can’t give up before giving your best shot. I’d suggest work on improving the current processes, which will allow you to allot more time to newer things. If you do that, you’ll be on your way to becoming an important asset to the company. Please think about it.

Ready to Level Up Your Feedback Process?

It’d be great if the above examples helped you. If they did, then great. If they didn’t, no sweat. Feedback is just one element of the Performance Management module.

That’s where Keka comes into action. We love to help organizations create an employee-centric culture. Our Performance Management System is armored with all the tools that you’ll need to create that culture at your organization. You’ll find lots of things like 360-degree reviews, One on One meeting software, continuous feedback, goal management, recognition programs, sample feedback templates, and much more.

If you are ready to feel the Keka experience, then sign for a FREE demo now!