They Want It, You Hate It: Employee Feedback

Zippia, an online career matching company, stated in their 2023 fact-checked research paper that 65% of employees desire more feedback from their leaders. They want to know how they are doing in their role, how they could perform better, and if they are meeting expectations.

So why do so many leaders avoid employee feedback and reviews? It is obvious, right? It is uncomfortable, and so much easier to ignore the issue, pray it resolves itself, and rationalize your decision by telling yourself it is your problem, not theirs. You are simply being too picky or a micromanager.

Now, before you stop reading (because, of course, you have convinced yourself you don’t believe in reviews or confrontation or being vulnerable), take a look at these statistics:

1. Employees receiving regular feedback have 14.9% lower turnover rates than organizations with employees who do not receive feedback. (And you know how tight our hiring market is right now!)

2. Highly engaged employees show 21% greater profitability. (Do the math for your practice. It is a lot of money, right?)

3. 69% of employees say they would work harder if they felt their efforts were being recognized through regular feedback. (And guess what, this feedback costs you zero dollars.)

4. 98% of employees disengage from their work when they receive little or no feedback. (Something tells me you probably have an employee who has disengaged or “checked out.”)

5. 85% of employees take more initiative when they receive feedback. (Having a team full of “go-getters” would be amazing, right?)

There are clear and significant advantages to providing employing feedback and conducting well-designed reviews, so let’s get busy and find ways to make it easier for you.

Positive Feedback

Positive feedback is comfortable to provide to employees and takes only a minute. Examples of this type of feedback include:

• Positive: “Great work!!”

• Encouraging: “You are catching on!” and

• Appreciative: “I certainly appreciate all you do.”

However, according to studies and the scores of dental employee interviews I have conducted over the years, employees say positive feedback is uncommon and annual performance evaluations are rarer or non-existent.

Here is an important secret: This type of spontaneous, frequent, positive feedback creates a connection with your employees. So, when you do need to give constructive criticism, it will more likely be taken in the right spirit and result in growth, improvement, and more engagement instead of hostility or tears.

Constructive Feedback

“We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.”
– Bill Gates

Now let’s address the hard feedback usually called constructive criticism. First, and most importantly, do not give constructive criticism when you are emotional. The best way to avoid this scenario is to address the issue before you get to the point where you are “fed up with it.” At that point, your emotions will creep out in your body language and can create defensiveness in your employee or result in tears. In other words, don’t let issues fester.

Next, plan what you intend to communicate, the examples or data you plan to reference, and some solutions you want to discuss. Don’t hesitate to write your thoughts down and use them during the conversation.

Here is a suggested game plan for your preparation:

1) The Opening

• If you can get a couple of solid starter sentences under your belt, you can more easily transition into the actual issue. For that reason, there are some starter sentences in the next section to help you brainstorm.

2) The Issue

• Use the “I” statement and avoid the “Pointing-Finger-You” statement. Also, referencing practice metrics and concrete examples helps employees to better understand where you are coming from.

  • I feel you are struggling with our new impression technology...

  • I think you sound rushed when you answer the phone...

  • I noticed you have missed five days in the last two months...

3) Stop Talking

• Allow them to digest, think, and offer information which could help you better understand where they are coming from. Listen, actively!

4) Discuss Solution Options

• Ask for their ideas

• Offer your ideas

5) Design an Action Plan

• This should be a step-by-step plan

• Use dates, metrics, and concrete goals

• Schedule a date to re-evaluate

6) Re-evaluate the Issue

• This is critical. If you don’t do this, the employee assumes the issue didn’t really matter and they will slip right back into their old habits.

7) Document

• The conversation in the employee’s file.

• Include the plan, goals and timeline.

• Remember, it didn’t happen if it’s not documented.

Example Starter Sentences

1) “Jane, I need your help with a problem I have noticed lately….” (Suggest a partnership approach.)

2) “Jane, what are your work plans for the next five years?”

“I plan to be working right here, Doctor.”

“I am glad you like it here and plan to stay because we all feel you are a valuable team member. Because of that, I want to talk to you about an issue I think would greatly improve your value to our team…”

 3) “Jane, thank you for all your hard work. I know it is often a challenge, but I also know you are a dedicated team member. This is exactly why I want to discuss something that I think would help everyone on the team as well as improve our patients’ experience.”

 4) “Jane, that was an awkward situation yesterday with Mr. Smith, I know. I would like the two of us to brainstorm some ways we could avoid that situation in the future.”

The Annual Performance Review

Frequent, positive feedback and, when needed, constructive criticism, do not replace an Annual Performance Review. Addressing issues or giving positive feedback to employees needs to happen in a timely fashion. It should not wait until the annual employee review meeting.

The Annual Performance Review is a scheduled time to meet one-on-one with your employees for a two-way discussion about their performance, their goals for the next year, responsibilities they wish to take on, new skills they want to learn, barriers preventing them from performing at their highest level, and much more.

The annual review is directly connected to an employee’s job description and it involves a self-evaluation. The entire team should be trained in what to anticipate and prepare for during the review. The Annual Performance Review is not a grading process, a salary increase, or a finger-pointing meeting, but rather a collaboration designed to achieve professional growth, develop skills, and advance knowledge.

Offering your employees regular positive feedback, timely constructive criticism, and effective Annual Performance Reviews will reward you and your patients with better customer service, less employee turnover, more referrals, and more 5-star reviews. Make it happen!

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Related Dental Seminars

Whether it is in office, on-stage, or on the phone, Sandy Baird’s goals are to reduce practice stress, risks, and inefficiencies while increasing rewards to the dentists, the team, and their patients. Her presentations focus on building a turn-key dental practice managed by proven business systems. Sandy is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experiences through seminars, workshops, and training sessions. Mix and match to create your customized single or multi-segment break-out, half-day, or full day session.