20 Constructive and Positive Employee Feedback Examples at the Workplace

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Reinforcing and Redirecting Feedback

Before we get into these amazing feedback examples, you need to know about the two significant types of workplace feedback.

1. Reinforcing feedback – This is a very effective positive feedback type that tells employees that they are doing a great job and that they should continue doing the same good work. Why is this important? Consider this example of feedback. An employee has been putting in extra time to help peers and solve their problems. The manager sets up a short meeting to tell them that their efforts are being noticed and that the management is happy that they support their peers. This reinforces the action and makes the employee stick to it.
2. Redirecting feedback – This is a type of feedback given to help employees redirect their efforts and focus. Let’s say an employee is focusing on a task that does not add much value to the organization. Redirecting feedback is given, so they get to know what else to focus on. In a simple sense, this feedback puts the employee back on the right track.

Employee feedback examples – Top 20 suggestions

Here is a list of the top 20 feedback examples that you can make use of when you are offering feedback to your team.

Reinforcing feedback examples

We have been hearing great things about your work

If you have been getting a lot of positive comments about a specific employee’s work, this is one of the great positive feedback examples that you can give. It is a powerful reinforcement as you are telling an employee that their efforts are being praised and talked about by others in the workplace.

You have been doing a great job with X

If an employee has been doing a good job with his current task, this is one of the best positive feedback examples you can use. Make sure you tell the employee that their efforts are noted and appreciated. This will help them repeat the behavior.

Here is something that we really appreciate about you

Here is another one of the great positive feedback examples you can use. Highlight a specific behavior or action of an employee that the management appreciates. Instead of generalized statements, such specific terms help.

You are great at resolving conflicts within the team

There are some people who are great at resolving conflicts within the team. They are always there to help the team move forward and handle issues. If you have someone like this in your team, make sure you mention this to them as reinforcement feedback. These are the people your team will love.

We would love to see what more you can do with X

One of the most positive feedback examples involves challenging the skills of an employee. Let’s say an employee is doing a great job currently. By telling them you are curious to see how well they can perform in the future, you encourage them to work harder and smarter and challenge themselves.

We are convinced about your skills and expertise in this domain

Reinforcement helps sustain and grow a specific behavior. When you tell an employee that you are convinced about their skills and expertise in a specific domain, it is subtle feedback that tells them that more is expected of them. This is also one of those positive feedback examples that can encourage employees to keep up their good work.

We are very happy to see that you have achieved all your targets

When it comes to feedback sentences, this is a definite winner. If an employee has achieved all their targets, then definitely start with this one.

You have gone beyond your means to help with the deadline, and we are grateful for it

Employees usually don’t go above and beyond their call of duty. When they do it though, the act needs to be appreciated. This is one of the reinforcement feedback examples that can act as an intangible reward.

We appreciate that you always put your team ahead of yourself

There are employees who are genuinely interested in the success of the entire team rather than individual growth. Selflessness, as a behavior, needs to be appreciated, and you can do that by offering this feedback.

Your ability to deal with clients has helped us

An employee might be an exceptional salesperson or a people-friendly person who maintains a great rapport with clients. Make sure this behavior is reinforced as feedback so that the employee can practice it more.

Redirecting feedback examples

I would like to give you some feedback. Is this a good time?

If it is redirecting feedback that you want to give, then knowing if the employee is in the right mental space is essential, and that is why this is one of the best feedback examples. This will help create the right atmosphere to redirect the employee.

Do you have the time to listen to some feedback? 

Another one of the positive feedback examples that you can use for redirection is this. When you are giving feedback that requires the employee to make a change, they need to have enough time to listen and process the same. So, it is better to schedule a meeting for this and ask if the employee is available mentally.

I wanted to talk to you about X. Do you think there was a problem with it?

Let’s say an employee made an error or did a subpar job with a certain task. Instead of jumping right into the issues, start by asking the employee what they felt the problem was. This will help you give your feedback with a better understanding.

I understand you have been facing some difficulties at work

This is one of the employee feedback examples that will help you empathize with the employee instead of pointing fingers or simply stating what went wrong. It is a sentence that tells the employee that the management is willing to understand their difficulty and help with it.

You seem to have been focusing on the smaller details while moving away from the bigger picture

Some employees, in the process of doing a task, start focusing on very small details and spending a lot of time on it, and end up forgetting the bigger picture. So, among the examples of positive feedback, this is a very effective one to bring the employee back on track.

I am curious about your progress with X

In case an employee seems to be stuck in a place or progressing very slowly, you can start your feedback by asking the employee’s view on their progress. This is one of the smartest positive feedback examples, as you get to know the employee’s view first before giving your opinion.

Can we both debrief on what went right and didn’t go as planned in X?

This is one of the best positive feedback examples that don’t make you sound like a villain. You are not there to point fingers or make a list of what the employee didn’t do right. You are there to discuss things that didn’t work right, and after getting an understanding, help redirect the employee.

I can’t help but notice you have been having trouble with meeting deadlines

This is the kind of feedback that most managers hesitate to give. Some employees always miss meeting deadlines, and this becomes a cause of delays within the team. In the list of examples of positive feedback, you can use this to hint to your employee that they have not been meeting deadlines.

It would be great to see how much resources you can gather by yourself before reaching out for help

In every organization, there is always that one employee who keeps asking others for favors and help. This may become problematic in the future and create dependency. In that case, in the list of feedback examples, this is a good structure to follow.

This is not easy for me to say

In case of extreme feedback, criticism, or intense situations, there is nothing better than this to start with. It shows that you are equally nervous about the conversation and will help make the conversation as humane as possible.

How to give out feedback? Five great tips

You can use any of the above feedback examples based on what the situation demands. However, knowing how to use them right is very important. Check out these five great tips to make these feedback examples actually productive.

1. Be prepared – You cannot walk into a meeting and try and sort it out with no preparation. Even the most experienced of CXOs spend considerable time planning what needs to be said, so their feedback has the intended effect. Depending on what kind of feedback you are offering, pick from one of the critical or positive feedback examples listed above.
2. Consider the situation and time – Feedback is appreciated only when it is dished out at the right time, in the right circumstances. Make sure you understand if the person has the mental space and the time to hear the feedback and accept it, and only then offer it. All the above-mentioned feedback examples work only when the employee is ready to listen.
3. Help the employee move forward – You shouldn’t be a leader who just gives advice. You should help the employee to act on it too.
4. Remain receptive – A person who offers feedback should also be open to listening from the employee and understand their point of view when needed. Which is why, the positive feedback examples here are designed to encourage back and forth communications.
5. Make this a regular process – As experts say, feedback should not be a one or two-time thing. It needs to be regular and 360-degree in nature. An organization where feedback is frequent and offered the right way can experience actual growth. PossibleWorks can help create 360-degree feedback tools that foster such an environment at the workplace. Our tools encourage conversations, bring objectivity to your feedback, and help collect data that affect developmental and tacit areas like EI, accountability, planning, collaboration, and more.

Also, here is our blog on how to conduct effective 1:1 performance check-in meetings. Do read this when you find the time.

How to take feedback?

Now, let’s see what you should do when you are at the receiving end of any feedback. Let’s say you are offered one of these feedback examples. How do you take them in the right way and use them for your growth? Check these tips out.

• If you are offered one of these positive feedback examples, then take some time to feel proud of your work. Understand that your management recognizes the efforts you have put in and continue to do your best.
• If you are offered one of the redirecting feedback examples, then be grateful that the people around you have taken an effort to help you move towards the right direction. Instead of quickly defending your work, thank them for the feedback and do some introspection about what needs to be changed.
• Try and explain your decision or action if you feel the feedback was unfair. You can also choose to have a healthy conversation. Do note that these amazing feedback examples are designed to allow back and forth communication.

Conclusion

A culture of frequent and regular feedback is a vital indicator of holistic growth – both of the organization and the people in it. So, the redirecting and reinforcing or positive feedback examples discussed here will definitely help you to improve the way you offer feedback.

Remember that these feedback examples are just a structure you can follow to create your own modules. Feedback doesn’t always mean it needs to be top-down. You can use these feedback examples to create peer-to-peer feedback and bottom-up feedback structures too. Follow this up by reading our popular blog on how to give effective employee feedback.

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