Phrases like “nice work” and “good job” are easy to say, but many managers aren’t nearly as comfortable giving feedback to their employees that’s not purely positive. That’s unfortunate, as this feedback is just as, if not more, important to the growth of employees and the health of companies.

And that critical constructive feedback you dread giving can be the one workers most want to hear.

Read: GE re-engineers performance reviews and pay

The Harvard Business Review gathered data in 2014 and found that most employees actually wanted constructive feedback more than purely positive. Seventy-two percent of those polled (the multi-generational pool was made up of Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials) “thought their performance would improve if their managers would provide corrective feedback,” and even more believed that that feedback, “if delivered appropriately, is effective at improving performance.”

So how, then, can you give employees constructive feedback in a positive way.

1. Build a company culture where constructive feedback is accepted. The foundation is a great place to start. Employees who are secure in their positions and understand their goals, as well as those of the company, will be more receptive, not demotivated, by constructive feedback. Building a culture where it’s OK to make mistakes is equally important. Good employees should constantly be learning, and few can grow without making a few mistakes. Also, let employees know you regularly provide feedback to all employees, not just them.
2. Understand what constructive feedback is. It’s not blame-focused, but useful, direct and about the action, not the person.
3. Don’t sit on it. Give your employees constructive feedback in real-time. Make specific notes about what you need to discuss and give the feedback regularly. One-on-ones are a perfect time for this. Saving constructive feedback for performance reviews isn’t as effective.
4. Avoid the “compliment sandwich.” Managers tend to think slipping constructive feedback in between the positive helps the medicine go down easier, but skip it. Be straightforward with your feedback. Positive feedback is extremely important as well, but save it for later in the discussion or for another conversation.
5. Be direct and concise. Present the facts of your feedback with concrete examples. For example, instead of saying to an employee, “You don’t run meetings effectively,” give him or her a concrete example, such as “The action items from the meetings are unclear, and people don’t understand how to move forward.” Also, avoid using words like “but” and “however.” They reflect your uncomfortableness with giving the feedback. Oh, and they’re usually preceded by some form of praise (see compliment sandwich).
6. Provide feedback with a path to improvement. Most employees seek constructive feedback as a means to improving their job performance and growing professionally. Without managerial coaching, guidance and goals, the feedback alone can be frustrating for employees. For instance, tell your employee, “End each meeting with a list of action items and owners, so everyone is clear on the go-forward plan. This way everyone understands next steps, and it will help you develop your leadership skills.”
7. Face-to-face interaction is best — and preferably in private. Don’t send your constructive feedback in an email or toss it off publicly after — or even worse, in the middle — of a meeting

SEE ALSO: The Ultimate Guide to One-on-Ones

Company culture can be a thoughtfully cultivated source of competitive advantage or a breeding ground for the rise of inequality and the breakdown of meritocracy. The difference between the two ultimately comes down to one core principle: awareness. In the Ellen Pao vs. Kleiner Perkins case, the web of interactions became evidence for the dangers of missing the signs of gender inequality in the workplace. From meeting invites to sexual harassment, it is difficult to fully understand the complexities of how the situation unraveled. However, one thing from the case is crystal clear: companies need a more modern approach to gender dynamics in the workplace. (more…)

Performance reviews are extremely time intensive and therefore extremely costly. In fact, at a 500-person company, the cost of a review cycle can reach north of $500,000 in terms of the time employees spend to write their reviews! If you are going to implement such a costly process, it’s important that you make sure it adds a lot of value for your employees.

How do you make sure a performance management is valuable? To start, you need to craft a strong set of questions – where the answers to those questions give your employees the feedback they need to understand how well they are performing. It’s one of those garbage-in, garbage-out scenarios. If you ask poor questions, you will get poor feedback in return. It’s that simple.

That’s a lot of pressure … so how do you make sure you are asking the correct questions, and asking those questions in the correct way? Here are a few tips:

1. Don’t write compound statements. Keep them short and singular.

Compound statements, also known as “double-barreled” questions cause inaccurate answers because they allow for only one answer, while really asking two questions.

Here is an example:
How well does this person exhibit execution and leadership?

How would you evaluate a person based on two completely different things when you only get one answer? You can’t. As a result, this may cause inaccuracies in the attitudes being measured for the question.

2. Write questions that evaluate employees on behaviors that are observable and measurable

The most helpful feedback is based on observable, specific events. When evaluators aim to write in this fashion, the tone of the review tends to be more objective, and less subjective. Subjective feedback runs a few risks.

[bctt tweet=”Employees receiving subjective feedback are more likely to disregard it” username=”reflektive”]

First, employees receiving subjective feedback are more likely to disregard it because the feedback can be inaccurate since it can be based on feeling rather than concrete facts. Second, subjective feedback can sometimes be based on predicting an intention, which usually isn’t very helpful.

3. Consider including a set of questions that evaluate employees based on how well they exhibit the core values of your company

Most successful companies have a rock solid set of core values. One way to really reinforce the fact that core values are extremely important is to evaluate your employees based on how well they exhibit these values. This will clearly signal to them that values aren’t just words put up on a wall.

Here are some examples of how you can phrase these core value questions:

• How well does this person exhibit [insert core value here]?
• How well does this person exhibit leadership?
• How well does this person exhibit teamwork?

4. Identify specific behaviors and requirements for different levels of employees

The skills requirement to succeed in upper management differ from those expected of individual contributors. Because of this, it’s important to setup different questions for different employee levels:

Executives: Focus on vision and strategy, along with capabilities to build strategic alliances within and outside the company. Basic skills are assumed.

Middle Managers: Detailed questions on people skills, team management, and results-oriented execution. Include a few aspirational statements to help identify possible candidates for higher roles.

Individual Contributors: Fundamentals of managing responsibilities and executing on expectations, both individually and as part of a team.