How to Give Employees Effective Criticism

If you're in the business of people management, you've probably had to dole out some 'constructive criticism'. This can be unpleasant and ineffective if done poorly. Done well, constructive criticism will effect change in behavior and improve both work performance and morale. Review these tips for more successful people management, even when your employees have failed you.

Effective Constructive Criticism Tip #1: Don't mix your messages

How many times have people managers been told that their criticism must be balanced; it must be equally positive and negative? Millions - and that's true. Unfortunately, this usually results in managers prefacing their negative criticism with a positive statement. In practice, it usually goes something like this:

Joe, you're a good employee but you're not adhering to our dress code.
or
Jane, I like working with you but you're late too much.

These statements are not specifically bad, except that they're usually made by people managers who never say anything positive until they're ready to confront an employee's negative behavior. Criticism, both positive and negative, must be both timely and specific. Here, the negative criticism is timely and somewhat specific, but the positive is too general. This effectively makes the positive statement a 'throwaway.' The employee doesn't hear it, because it is too broad and it is followed by a specific negative. Joe might think "how can I be a good employee if I'm not wearing my uniform?" Jane will wonder how you could like working with someone who is late often enough to merit comment. Being specific and timely in both positive and negative criticism makes the message sticky - the specific comment stays with the employee and influences behavior - the general comment is tossed aside.

Effective Constructive Criticism Tip #2: Use Facts
Most people want to do good work, and will have already made the effort to perform. What this means is that most of the time, they think that they are doing their job. The difference isn't between their perception of their job and their performance, it's between their perception of their job and yours. Telling them simply that they aren't performing doesn't cut the muster. Let's go back to Joe and Jane. Joe's been wearing the wrong color shoes and Jane is between 4 and 12 minutes late 80% of the time. Assuming that Joe and Jane want to do well, we must also assume that neither of them considers these 'deviations' to be substantial. So how can their people manager ensure that the message is received? An example of how an effective people manager can use facts to give constructive criticism:

Joe, our dress code calls for black shoes, and you've worn these gray shoes for two weeks. Your work shoes must be black.

and

Jane, in the last ten days, you have been between 4 and 12 minutes late 8 times. If I schedule you to work at 4 o'clock, you need to be here and ready to start working your station at 4 o'clock.

These facts leave no room for guessing. If Joe thought his shoes were okay, he knows now that black means black. If Jane thought 4 minutes late wasn't really late, or that she's not late that often, she knows now that she's been late most days and that 4 minutes counts.

Effective Constructive Criticism Tip #3: Ask Questions
One of the most effective and underutilized techniques in people management is asking clarifying questions. What we assume is common knowledge is often just what we perceive to be normal. Normal is relative. This is a fantastic technique to take the sting out of a confrontation which I use extensively in any conversation with an employee who smells bad. "How many uniforms do you have?" "Are you able to wash and dry them before wearing them a second time?" "Do you have enough time after practice before you come to work?" If none of those questions work, we move on to the harder ones - "Have you changed deodorant brands?" "Are you able to clean up before work?" But let's leave our poor, stinky employee alone for a moment and go back to Joe and Jane.

Joe, do you see the difference between the color of your shoes and mine? Did you choose these shoes? Why have you changed the the shoes you were wearing?

or

Jane, how do you define being 'on time'? How much time are you giving yourself to get to work before your shift?

The answers you get may surprise you. You might find out that Joe's dad went out and bought him new work shoes with their last $40 and Joe doesn't have the heart to tell him they're the wrong color. You might find out that Jane is waiting on her babysitter who is habitually late, or that Jane's sense of time means that she thinks 4 o'clock means 'around 4 o'clock.' Whatever you find out, it will help you in creating solutions - which is the goal of any constructive criticism.

Effective Constructive Criticism Tip #4: Use Positive Criticism Well
Please don't fall into the trap we covered in the first tip - positive reinforcement, just like negative, must be specific and timely to be effective. Rather than waiting until you have something bad to talk about, make a habit of finding something real to compliment every day. There's nothing wrong with telling an employee that they're 'a good employee' or that you 'like working with them' but that doesn't count as specific positive reinforcement. Here are some examples of specific and timely positive reinforcement.
Joe is on time to work every single day. In fact, you can't remember a time when he wasn't exactly on time - he's very dependable.
Hi Joe. I noticed that you've just clocked in and once again, you are exactly on time. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that you are at work, exactly on time, every single day. Your dependability has not gone unnoticed. Keep it up, you're setting the example!

or

When Jane does get to work, she is a blur of motion. She's one of those employees who notices what needs to be done and does it without being directed. Just after she empties the mop bucket (that someone else left full) you stop her.
Jane, thanks for taking care of that. I really appreciate that you work independently - it frees me up to keep an eye on other things.

If you make this a habit, catching people doing well and commenting on it, then when it comes time for some negative, you won't feel like you have to toss in a 'throwaway positive' before you get to the heart of the matter - nor will you feel like you have to put off talking about it until you can find something nice to say. Better still, your employees will know that their efforts are valued, and they will have a realistic idea of what they're good at. If this is a 'problem area' for you, there's no time like the present. Start today, making sure you don't finish your day until you've noticed something good your employees did - and let them know you noticed.

Effective people management cannot be accomplished without both positive and negative constructive criticism. Perfecting your technique of keeping criticisms specific and timely will ensure that your employees know what they do well and where they need to improve. This is vital for a healthy and low stress work environment - for employees and people managers alike.