7 Tips for Giving Positive Feedback in the Workplace

Feedback is a vital part of any working relationship. Humans have an innate need to know when we’re doing well at a task, and positive feedback at work aids in productivity, good relationships, and career advancement. Here are seven tips for giving positive feedback in the workplace.

What Is Positive Feedback in the Workplace?

Early research into positive feedback started with B.F. Skinner’s “operant learning theory” which suggests that by adding a reward to a desired behavior, a person is likely to repeat it. Put simply: positive reinforcement works. To be sure, humans are more complex than puppies learning to sit for a treat, but many people spend a significant portion of their lives at work where the concept of positive reinforcement has a lot of merit.

Positive feedback can be given verbally, either privately or in the presence of other colleagues, electronically directly to the person or as an announcement in company communication, as part of a rewards scheme, in the form of promotions, or monetarily as a pay raise or bonus. 

What Are the Benefits of Positive Feedback?

Professor Christine Porath at Georgetown Business School  surveyed 20,000 people across all industries and found that “higher levels of feedback are associated with 89% greater thriving at work, 63% more engagement, and 79% higher job satisfaction.” Those numbers show that most workers are anxious to hear how they are performing. And they want to feel good about their work. Positive feedback contributes to productivity in the following ways:

• Helps people feel like a valued member of the team
• Deepens and improves professional relationships
• Shows that a person’s work contributions are important to company goals
• Provides clear guidelines for good work
• Motivates recipients to give positive feedback to other colleagues
• Provides a goal-setting framework for raises and promotions 

7 Tips for Giving Positive Feedback

Make it ongoing

Rather than offering positive feedback on a prescribed schedule, like during a quarterly or yearly performance review, look for feedback opportunities at any time. “Regular use in the workplace promotes an environment of trust, motivation and employee engagement,” according to WDHB. If you want to increase and improve positive feedback, you may start by keeping track of each instance. This practice can help you become aware of frequency and equality.

Cater to the recipient

Some people love to be praised in front of other colleagues. It may help them feel like the feedback has more value. For others, any kind of public acknowledgement is embarrassing. It’s important for leaders to know the personalities of team members and offer them the kind of positive feedback that feels best. Sometimes written feedback may be the most beneficial, especially if it comes with an accompanying reward. With writing, you have time to consider your words carefully and effectively communicate the sentiment.

Beware of “the feedback sandwich”

A commonly-accepted method of feedback sandwiches something negative (the meat) between two pieces of positivity (the bread). Leaders may assume this makes negative feedback easier to deliver and easier for the recipient to accept. Not so, says Roger Schwarz. “If you give a feedback sandwich, you risk alienating your direct reports. In addition, they are likely to discount your positive feedback, believing it is not genuine.” While there may be times where combining may be appropriate, consider how it may be received and offer positive feedback on its own when work is commendable.

Choose your language carefully

People are attuned to feedback that sounds insincere. Phrases like “You are the best” or “I can’t believe how awesome you are!” may not land positively like you hope. Instead, look for phrases that reference specific work actions or results. Something like “I am so impressed with your writing on our manual. Thank you for spending time making it easy to read” acknowledges both effort and talent. 

Pay attention to nonverbal cues

Research conducted by Marie Dasborough observed two groups: one received positive feedback with negative facial expressions like “frowns and narrowed eyes”; and one received negative feedback delivered with smiles and nods. In interviews after, the group who got the positive feedback without the facial expressions to match “reported feeling worse about their performance than did the participants who had received good-natured negative feedback. In effect, the delivery was more important than the message itself.”

Learn feedback models

To up your feedback game, sometimes it can be helpful to follow a rubric. Consider applying some effective and trusted feedback models:

• The SBI Model stands for Situation – Behavior – Impact, and bases feedback on facts. Start by describing the Situation with specific facts, describe the observable Behavior, and describe the Impact the behavior had on the situation. This model attempts to keep emotion out of the conversation with “I” statements that observe and report. 
• The Pendleton Model of feedback is more collaborative. Once you confirm someone is ready to receive feedback, you start by allowing the employee to give background about the situation or behavior. The manager identifies positive aspects, the employee identifies positive aspects, then each has the opportunity to identify things that could be improved. The conversation ends with an action plan, if needed.
• The STAR feedback model has the manager identify a Situation or Task and describe it in as much detail as possible. Then you identify the Action the employee took that warrants positive feedback and again offer specifics. Lastly, describe the positive Result of the employee’s actions.

Use virtual feedback tools

It may be challenging to deliver positive feedback equally to all team members, especially if the team is large or includes remote workers. This is where virtual feedback tools can be helpful. You could use surveys to solicit employee reactions or implement the WorkforceHub employee engagement tools for a streamlined experience across the organization. Manager check-ins and a recognition wall allow your teams to recognize and praise one another regularly.

Learning to give positive feedback can be a powerful leadership tool. Managers who give thoughtful and specific feedback can contribute positively to team culture and promote confidence and productivity.