How to give negative feedback without demotivating employees

How do you give negative feedback to your employees without demotivating them? This is a challenge that many face. When praise is a key motivator, what do you say when the criticism must be direct and honest? What goes through a person’s head if they have been labeled as a source of negativity in the workplace? How can an employer shift negative attitudes into positive work ethics that benefit the company? Can it be done before resentment is allowed to build up to simmering levels that might threaten productivity?

These questions, and more, must be considered when implementing corrective measures for employee behavior.

Why knowing how to give negative feedback is so important

Giving negative feedback can be a challenge for most managers. After all, you know that no one enjoys receiving criticism — especially when it’s unexpected. And you get it: You’re the one doing the coaching and correcting, so it’s uncomfortable to have these conversations.

But giving negative feedback is one of the most important things you can do as a manager — and not just because your team members need to be corrected. When done right, constructive criticism is actually a highly effective way to help them develop their skills and advance their careers.

In fact, there are two major reasons why giving corrective feedback is crucial to helping your team members grow.

It's essential for better performance

Yes, in order to improve at anything — whether it’s sales or learning Spanish or boxing — we need good guidance on what works and what doesn't. To figure that out, we need to be able to see ourselves clearly (and gain an understanding of how others perceive us). Negative honest feedback helps us do that by showing us where our weaknesses are. And once we know what those weaknesses are, we're in a much better place to work on them and get better at whatever we're doing.

How to give negative feedback effectively

While it's true that giving negative feedback can make some people uncomfortable, it's a necessary part of being a manager. If you don't give your employees adequate feedback about their performance, they won't know what they're doing well and what they need to improve. More importantly, if you only provide positive feedback, employees won't believe you when you do offer constructive criticism.

Consider these tips while providing negative feedback:

Prepare your talking points

Negative feedback can be hard to deal with, whether you’re giving it or receiving it. Before starting a conversation with a colleague, take some time to prepare and think through what you want to say. To help you do this, write down the key behaviors or actions that you’ve noticed or that have concerned you and why they are problematic. If possible, provide examples of the issues and describe how they negatively impact productivity and the team dynamic.

Keep your feedback specific and actionable

While it’s important to be direct about what behaviors need to change, avoid being vague or accusatory in your feedback. Instead of saying something like “You need to be more professional,” try pointing out specific behaviors that would help them become more professional, such as “You could be more professional in meetings by showing that you’re listening by making eye contact with people when they speak instead of looking at your phone under the table.” This will give them a concrete idea of what they can do differently in order to improve their performance at work.

Make it about their performance, not them as a person

This can feel tricky when you are giving negative feedback. It’s common to try to soften the blow by saying things like “You’re great at some things, but…” or “I know you have a lot on your plate right now…” These phrases might make you feel more comfortable in the moment, but they hurt your message. Be honest and direct, and then give specific examples of what happened and how it made an impact

Be direct and genuine

When giving any type of feedback, it is important to be direct and genuine by saying what you mean. To illustrate the point, consider a manager who has a staff member who constantly shows up late for work. Instead of directly addressing the issue, the manager may beat around the bush in an effort to avoid sounding confrontational or negative.

For example, if the employee asked why he was being given a performance review, the manager might say, “I think you could show more dedication to your job” or “You are just not showing your full potential here at work.” These statements do not address the real issue, which is that the employee is frequently showing up late for work. Therefore, it is better for the manager to be direct and specific about what actions need improvement when giving this type of feedback. For example, “Your punctuality needs improvement” or “You often show up late for work” would be more clear statements than saying “You could show more dedication to your job.”

What are the effects of poorly delivered negative feedback?

If delivered poorly, negative feedback can have detrimental effects on the recipient. Negative feedback may cause the individual to feel angry or frustrated towards the person delivering the feedback or the organization in general.

It can also result in a decrease in motivation and an unwillingness to improve performance.

Poorly delivered negative feedback can also negatively impact morale and cause other employees to question their own performance.

Giving negative feedback in a one-on-one meeting

One-on-one meetings are a great opportunity to keep your employees on track and provide constructive feedback. These feedback session helps employees, not you.

Here are some tips for giving negative feedback in a one-on-one meeting:

Keep it private. You want to respect your employee's privacy and dignity when you give negative feedback. This is not something that needs to be shared with other employees or the rest of the company.

Be specific and offer solutions. Saying something along the lines of "you're bad at your job" is not going to help anyone, although it is extremely tempting to do so when dealing with a frustrating employee. Be specific instead -- this will help show them exactly what they need to change, and also prove that you aren't just picking on them. It's also helpful to offer solutions instead of just pointing out problems.

Be honest but compassionate. It's important that you don't sugarcoat negative feedback, but you also don't want to be mean or condescending about it. The goal here is not to make your employee feel bad for their shortcomings -- it's about helping them improve as an employee so that both of you can benefit from it in the long run.

Providing feedback is a part of leadership

It is important to know how to give and receive feedback well, because if you are a manager or a leader of some kind, then you are sure to get feedback or give it. Receiving feedback well means accepting criticism without taking it personally and having a thick skin. Giving good feedback means being able to effectively tell someone what they need to hear but are not wanting to hear.