Giving Feedback to Colleagues
As the workplace shifts to a more team-oriented, cross-functional environment, employees are being asked to provide feedback on colleagues on a regular basis. This can be a good thing because you can get valuable feedback from fellow teammates who have daily interaction with you.
It does not take long to realize that providing feedback to a coworker could be uncomfortable, especially if there is criticism involved. This would be a situation in which a constructive writing strategy would be useful. Here are some guidelines to ensure that your comments are perceived constructively:
- Direct your comments at the behavior and not the person.
- Keep the tone of your message neutral and objective—think about how you would feel reading the same comments about yourself.
- Try to include appreciation of positive behaviors as well as noting behaviors to be improved.
- Suggest positive steps to resolve the issue.
Here are some examples of constructive criticism addressed to a coworker.
You are doing a great job making the customer happy and compensating with extra hard work when things get a little behind. You could perhaps spend some time providing more training for the team to take some of the extra work off you and improve their skills at the same time. You are fun to work with, especially when you share more of yourself with the team.
Your dedication and motivation set a great example for the team. Your intimate knowledge of the technology of the project makes you indispensable. Sometimes when you are asked to help with a problem, you simply create a fix quickly without explaining the solution. It would be very helpful to include the team and explain the issues even if it slows you down a bit.
Cross-functional refers to a team or process involving members from different departments or areas of expertise within an organization, working together towards a common goal.