Proper Etiquette of Giving Feedback to an Underperforming Employee

• Be Honest – It is essential that managers or employers are honest with their employees. In the long run, this will help to gain respect and, although it might be awkward at first, help the issue to be resolved straight away.
• Choose the Right Time – In the majority of cases, the best time to give negative feedback is as quickly after the incident as possible, or if it is about a continual issue, as soon as you realise that it is happening. It is important to try to be constructive, meaningful and relevant with the criticism.
• Emotion – Dealing with an underperforming employee can be very frustrating, but it is important that employees keep their emotions under control when they are giving a negative performance appraisal. By getting emotional, the employee might feel like they are being attacked, which will often put them on the offensive and cause resentment and ineffectiveness. Focusing on the facts and going in with a cool head are the keys to this.
• Choose the Right Words – One of the most crucial factors in making criticisms constructive is in the choice of words. For example, don`t use, absolutes such as never or always. This gives them room for argument and ultimately, they can ignore the feedback that is being given. It is much better to use words such as usually or often.
• Be Specific and Relevant – When a negative performance appraisal is being carried out it is important to be specific in criticisms as well as to keep them relevant. This means only criticizing things that the employee can do something about, and having facts on hand to back up the argument. It is also a good idea to have solutions on hand – such as extra training – for the best outcome for both the employer and employee.
• Look at Patterns – When considering how to give feedback constructively, it helps to look at patterns. This gives the manager the chance to address small details, hopefully changing the pattern of behaviour.
• Be Nice – It is important to remember that although the employee might be underperforming, they are a person with feelings. Make sure that they have a reason to change – remember that people don`t change for your reasons, they change for their

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