Remote work is becoming more popular every day, with many people working from home or in different countries. Primarily due to the current covid-19 pandemic, a lot of people have had to cut their commute short and work from home while staying in isolation.
According to the data from the 2018 State of Remote Work report, more than 70 percent of employees feel more productive when working remotely. And more than 90 percent of employees plan to keep working remotely in the future.
If employers provide their employees with feedback on what they are doing well and where they can improve, it will help them be more productive. They will feel like they have better direction on the tasks that need to be completed and how to accomplish these goals. This is why it is important to provide feedback that is specific, timely, and regular.
Ways to receive feedback from your boss or manager
There are several ways to receive feedback on your work remotely, whether you’re an employee or a manager.
- The first way is by using back channelling. This can be done through instant messaging services, where the person receiving the feedback may say something like, “you mentioned that I need to complete this task more quickly…” or “So if I understand correctly, you want me to prioritize the work...”.
- The second way is by emailing your manager or co-worker when they provide feedback with an action plan of what needs to be done in order to make changes. This will help you stay on track and accountable for following through with your tasks. You can even suggest a meeting through email and propose what you will discuss and accomplish during your meeting.
Providing positive feedback is an essential aspect for both employers and employees to remember when working remotely, when you can mostly only communicate through text or video calls. Positive reinforcement can keep both parties motivated and interested in their work, leading to better results. Many managers like to give praise to their employees as a way to let them know they’re doing a good job, and this should be done as often as possible.
Why is it essential to provide and receive feedback in a remote work setting?
If your employees are working from home or in a different country, it can be challenging to communicate about their progress and how the work is going. Feedback is one of the best ways to make sure that their work is on-task and meeting expectations. Your employees need this feedback to improve their work and move forward in the company.
If your employees receive feedback on their work, they will feel more confident in what they are doing and how it affects the company. When employers provide feedback to their employees, it helps them form a bond of trust between each other. It’s important to remember that even though you’re not meeting face-to-face, providing feedback allows both of you to understand each other better.
When managers or employers don’t provide feedback to their employees, you see your employees start to become uncertain about what they’re doing. This can have a negative impact on the company and how it operates. Employees should be communicating with their employers so that both of them are on the same page and expectations aren’t being missed.
When it comes to giving feedback remotely, make sure your employees know what they’re doing well and what needs improving. That way, they can do the same for you! Employees will be more motivated and excited about working if their employer is constantly providing them with feedback. This will also increase employee engagement because your employees feel like they are part of a team when working with you.
On the other hand, if employers don’t provide feedback to their employees, they will start feeling discouraged and less motivated. If they aren’t receiving either praise or constructive criticism for what they are doing, it will be hard for them to improve as a team member or as an individual. This can lead to them becoming less engaged in their work, affecting your company’s overall performance.
8 Best Practices for giving feedback for remote work
Being Honest
As a manager, you will have to communicate your feedback in a professional and motivating way. Always be honest about the work that employees are doing or not doing. Providing feedback can help employees improve their performance, which in turn will give better results for the company.
When giving positive feedback, it’s important to include examples of what they did well and why you praise them. For example, if an employee did an excellent job on a project, mention the aspects of their work that made it great. If there are things that can be improved upon, then include ways for them to improve the next time around.
Including examples is vital because it clarifies what employees need to do to improve and what they did well. Feedback should be specific and detailed for employees to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
Giving negative feedback may not come naturally to some people, but when it comes to working remotely, it’s crucial that employers provide effective feedback when needed. If you notice that an employee has not been doing an excellent job on a particular task, provide them with specific examples of what they can do to improve.
Using Feedback Tools
Numerous tools can be used to provide feedback. These range from project management tools, such as Basecamp or Trello, or communication applications like Zoom or Slack. Using these types of programs as a platform for providing feedback allows employers and employees to have access to one another even when they’re not working in the same place.
Employees can provide remote feedback through these types of programs as well and giving them a chance to communicate with you on what they’re working on can be very productive. Using these tools for feedback is an excellent way to keep your employees informed about their work while allowing employers to monitor progress.
Create a safe space for feedback
It's crucial to create a safe space where employees can feel comfortable with providing their feedback. Letting them know that they will not be penalized for constructive criticism of their work is an effective way to get the most out of your employees. Using this type of environment, employees will feel more confident when they talk to their employers about their work.
Check-in with your employees
Checking in with your employees on a regular basis is an excellent way to see how the work is coming along and if there is anything that needs improvement. Communication can be one of the most challenging parts of remote work but having weekly meetings to go over employees’ progress can be beneficial.
Providing remote feedback should always include the good things that are being done and ways for employees to make sure they are doing their best work. Feedback is an integral part of any company’s structure and helps create a thriving team environment where employers and employees can communicate effectively.
Use media to convey the message.
Employers do not always have to provide feedback in person, and when working remotely, it is crucial that they use different types of media. Sending emails with notes about employees’ progress lets them know what has been accomplished and how they can keep doing a good job.
Using videos and images to let employees know what is going well and how to improve their work is a great way to keep communication flowing. Providing positive and negative feedback does not have to be an uncomfortable task, as long as it’s clear and concise for employees to understand the message.
Be a good example
Employers must be a good example when it comes to giving feedback, so being conscious of how you do things is important. Be honest about what employees are doing well and what they can improve on, but never insult them or say anything that could be taken the wrong way.
Providing constructive criticism requires employers to say precisely what is on their minds, so being the first to communicate effectively can lead employees to be more confident. If you are critical of how they work before giving specific examples, then employers risk not understanding why they’re receiving negative feedback.
Encourage questions
When providing remote feedback, it’s crucial that employers feel open about asking questions. If they don’t fully understand the feedback being given, then you must make sure they know that asking questions is okay.
Employers should never leave employees in the dark about what needs to be worked on, so making them feel comfortable asking questions is very important. Providing feedback on employees’ work can be difficult when there are so many things to improve, but it doesn’t have to be an awkward process if they feel confident in communicating with you.
Don’t forget about after-action reviews.
After giving remote feedback on work being done, employers should always follow up with an after-action review. This is the perfect time for employees and managers to discuss what was done well and what could be improved.
Checking in with employees after they complete a project or task is critical. This way, both the employer and employee can learn from their mistakes and become better at what they do.
Final Thoughts
Remote work can be challenging because it is so different from how most employees are used to working. And yet, there are ways for employers and employees alike to make remote work a success story. Therefore, providing remote workers feedback is something employers should look into before creating a company culture where it’s normal to go days without hearing anything about their work. With these essential practices in place, employers can communicate effectively with their remote employees and make remote work a successful venture.
