How to get honest feedback

What do you need to know when it comes to feedback you’ve received? Do you really always need to know where it came from? Although in some instances that might be helpful, surely, if its relevant and important enough for someone to give you that feedback, you should take it seriously anyway.

The subject of confidentiality often comes up when 360-degree feedback is used. The generally accepted practice is to maintain confidentiality for all peers and direct reports. Clearly, its true and right that a manager should be able to give feedback openly to any direct report. But I am utterly convinced that removing that protection for other reviewers results in compromised feedback.

I found it disturbing to read recently that a supplier was recommending companies adopt a process which reveals the identity of reviewers. The premise that people should be willing to put their names to their feedback is wonderful – in an ideal world. But we all know that its naive to approach this sort of thing as if the company culture is perfect. No company has that sort of ideal relationship between all staff, and the potential for damage is enormous if this is misjudged.

Any company that conducts feedback in such a way as to reveal the identity of respondent who are not the line managers of the reviewee cannot claim to have a robust system. And the larger the organisation, the more this applies. Critical reasons for protecting staff identities in this process are the potential for retribution should a manager of a colleague not like the feedback they receive, and the associated fear of this very behaviour which can produce feedback which is at best a washed-out version, and at worst outright nonsense. Only in a protected environment can a subordinate or a colleague be sure that less-than-glowing feedback will not cause negative repercussions for them.

Picture yourself in this position:

You have been asked to give feedback on your boss, who is a difficult person to talk to. You would love to give the feedback that more approachability (amongst other things)  would make it easier to work with them. BUT, the 360-degree feedback supplier has agreed with the HR department that as the company has such an ‘open’ culture, it will be appropriate for all feedback to be attributed to the staff member who made it.
Now you have a real dilemma:
- If you don’t submit any feedback, and everyone else who has been invited does so – it will be clear that you didn’t respond, thus raising questions about your commitment to the firm in this wonderful open culture.
- On the other hand, if you submit your honest feedback, and its attributed to you, there’s a real chance that you are going to have some issues with your boss.
- Of course, there is a third, more comfortable, solution. Give feedback, but don’t say anything that your boss might find uncomplimentary.
How many people would be brave enough to take anything but the third option? There are some, but in organisations that don’t protect their staff’s identities in this process, who would know how many. There is no way to tell, but you can see how it would also be almost impossible to ensure that everyone gets really honest feedback that gives them a true picture of their performance in the eyes of all their colleagues and direct reports.

(It must be noted that companies where the management team believes firmly that a transparent, open, no-blame culture exists may be mistaken. It sometimes looks very different from the lower levels of the organisation!)

Of course, if a reviewer chooses to reveal their identity, there are ways of doing so within a system that protects confidentiality. You can simply elect to add your initials at the end of your comments.

[Tip: One of the key benefits of using a specialist external supplier for 360-degree feedback or employee surveys is in fact, the guarantee of anonymity for all users. That, and their expert advice are some of the ways they add most value.]

Here’s an earlier post about 9 things to look for in an external supplier of 360-degree feedback and employee engagement surveys.

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Photo credit: Katie Spence

Tagged as: 360 degree feedback, employee surveys

Article by Vandy Massey

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