Continuous Informal Feedback and Support

Continuous Informal Feedback and Support

Performance feedback should be provided on a regular, informal basis. Ongoing feedback ensures that an employee has opportunities to improve and is not surprised by the results of a formal performance evaluation.

Best Practices

• Provide constructive comments on an ongoing basis that inform the employee about his/her current job performance.
• Recognize improvements.
• Regular, informal comments should be accurate and positive; present negative comments in private.
• Provide training and input as needed to help employees improve performance or correct unacceptable behavior.
• Hold interim progress reviews; schedule them on a regular basis and apply them consistently to all employees.
• Document results.

Informal Positive Comments

Regular feedback may take the form of a casual, positive comment ("Good job," "Keep it up," "I'm proud of you"). Comments such as these reinforce achievement and are essential to employee morale. Although these comments are often unplanned or spur-of-the-moment, employees take them seriously and they often drive future behavior. Similar comments can inform employees requiring additional training that they must take the training seriously.

Feedback for Negative Performance

Casual comments can also be about negative behavior (“I think you need to pay a little more attention to detail,” or “I notice you came in late again. Is everything alright?”). Try to present comments about negative behavior in a supportive manner. You want to encourage the employee to discuss issues that may be impacting his/her performance before it becomes a disciplinary action. Likewise, comments about negative behavior put employees on notice that the behavior needs to be changed. In addition, an employee will not be surprised at receiving poor performance ratings or being subject to formal disciplinary actions if he/she fails to correct the behavior.

Feedback may also take other forms, such as a coaching session, additional training on a task not properly executed, or a written reminder regarding compliance with a company rule.

Interim Progress Reviews

Interim progress reviews should be scheduled on a regular basis in between formal performance evaluations. Interim progress reviews may be held as a means of:

• Providing a checkpoint on areas discussed in the previous formal evaluation or interim progress review.
• Evaluating and supporting new employees. For example, a new employee may be reviewed monthly to provide feedback on job performance and answer any questions.
• Identifying and managing issues as they arise. For example, poor attendance, tardiness, not following company policy, or a misunderstanding about a job task.

The interim progress review should identify:

• Performance standards needing adjustment.
• Changes to previously identified goals and objectives, development needs, or action plans.
• Performance standards that are not being met and the remedial action to be taken.

Preparing for an Interim Progress Review

In preparing for such a meeting with an employee, a supervisor should:

• Review the performance standards agreed upon at the previous interim progress review or formal evaluation;
• Check the employee's progress toward meeting these standards, using measurable results wherever possible;
• Identify possible problem areas to discuss; and
• Have employee prepare for the meeting by independently reviewing his/her progress against the performance standards and identifying problem areas and possible remedies.

Document Results

Following the meeting, document the discussion and the plan of action in a format both you and the employee can sign. Give the employee a copy and give a copy to Human Resources for employee’s personnel file.

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