The Importance of an Employee Feedback Loop

Increasing employee engagement and productivity isn’t always easy, but it’s key to your organization’s success. Asking for direct feedback is one of the best ways to see what’s helping (and what isn’t helping) your team hit all its marks. Below, learn how you can implement employee feedback loops in your organization to drive your team’s engagement. 

• What is an employee feedback loop?
• The 4 components of a feedback loop
• The importance of employee feedback systems
• 6 advantages of positive feedback loops
• How to implement an employee feedback loop system
• How to implement a feedback loop with Fellow

What is an employee feedback loop?

An employee feedback loop is regular, two-way direct communication between two groups to improve an organization’s processes or products and services. The main types of positive feedback loops include:

• Manager to employee. In an employee feedback system, the manager will give feedback to team members to improve employee performance. Increased employee satisfaction can result too since team members know management cares to see them grow.
• Employee to manager. It works vice versa too – team members can use feedback loops to share their thoughts with their manager. This can improve the work environment and create a healthy company culture. 
• Customers to organization. Organizations often thrive on customer feedback. This positive or negative feedback can help an organization perfect its products and services. 

The 4 components of a feedback loop

Feedback loops include equal parts active listening and clear communication. Below are the four components of effective feedback loops. 

• Asking questions to gather information
• Going through the feedback
• Acting on the feedback
• Sharing your plan with your team

1Asking questions to gather information

Meaningful feedback starts with a team that’s encouraged to voice its opinions. You can ask open-ended questions to get meaningful insights that truly reveal your organization’s blind spots.

2Going through the feedback

Once you’ve gotten feedback, you should go through it to pinpoint any areas you might’ve overlooked. For example, maybe a few of your team members feel like communication across teams in the office is lacking. If this is the case, start planning what you can do to improve the situation. Encouraging more hands-on cross-functional collaboration can be a great start.

3Acting on the feedback

For your employee feedback loop to be effective, you’ll need to address your constructive feedback and make an action plan. For example, if you know your team is dealing with poor communication, you can schedule and plan a workshop to reunite your team. 

4Sharing your plan with your team

Once you’ve come up with an action plan, it’s time to tell your team all about the upcoming changes. This shows that you take your team’s feedback seriously and want to create a positive change in your workplace. 

The importance of employee feedback systems

One of the main drivers of employee satisfaction is the relationship between managers and their employees. With an employee feedback system, you open a direct line of honest communication between team members and managers, leading to strong and successful work relationships. 

Managers can also use these systems to discover issues they might not have previously noticed. These issues could be why the team’s employee engagement and productivity are dropping fast. With the right feedback and a solid action plan in place, you can lead your team – and the whole organization – to success. 

6 advantages of positive feedback loops

Positive feedback loops can improve communication between managers and team members, and that’s just the start. Here’s why you should implement feedback loops for your team.

• Higher productivity
• Improved job satisfaction
• Increased trust in management
• Better staff retention
• Safer workplaces
• Higher-quality products and services

1Higher productivity

When your team notices that you take their feedback seriously and act on it, they’ll often feel more valued. From there, they might be more likely to become more engaged and work harder. 

2Improved job satisfaction

Valued team members are more likely to feel satisfied with their work. That means they’re less likely to leave for other organizations. To keep your team satisfied, listen to their input and give them positive feedback for their hard work.

3Increased trust in management

If you take what your team says to heart and make big changes, your team might be more likely to trust you. This can lead to better work relationships and more open communication with your team. 

4Better staff retention

Did you know that a study once found that 96% of team members feel that managers showing empathy can boost retention? With that in mind, during team member one-on-one meetings, you should actively listen and stay mindful of the team member’s feelings when they share feedback. Then, put a plan in place to improve things and check in with your team members to see whether these changes are impacting your workplace.

5Safer workplaces

No one wants to feel uncomfortable at their workplace or while buying products, so take the time to listen to opinions and ask hard questions. If someone feels uncomfortable, you can act on it immediately and bring them back to safety. 

6Higher-quality products and services

With customer feedback loops, you can figure out how to improve your products and services. Your improved offerings can lead to better results for the whole organization. 

How to implement an employee feedback loop system

Now that you know all the benefits of positive feedback loops, it’s time to start using them in your organization. Here’s how to get the engine running.

• Ask for employee feedback
• Look at your employee satisfaction
• Turn constructive feedback into action
• Encourage employee engagement

1Ask for employee feedback

Asking for feedback can be a bit daunting—what if it’s all super negative? But it’s also one of the best ways to improve team member communication and satisfaction. 

When you ask for feedback, send out open-ended questions and ask follow-up questions if you need clarification. This can help you dive deeper into what is and isn’t working in your office so you can make the right changes. 

Fellow makes it easy to ask for feedback about meetings and projects, and respond both on the web and through Slack.

2Look at your employee satisfaction

Is your team happy with its work? With you? With the organization? One of the best ways to find out is to send employee surveys through anonymous feedback tools. This way, everyone can share their honest opinions without any fear of repercussions. If you see that some of your team members aren’t happy, host one-on-ones to figure out how you can make them feel seen and heard. 

3Turn constructive feedback into action

It’s one thing to listen to feedback. It’s another thing to actively listen, take notes, and create an action plan. Go over your feedback with a fine-toothed comb before figuring out the steps to take. Note which issues stand out, then plot out you’ll address them. 

4Encourage employee engagement

To keep employees engaged, you need to create a safe space where they can share their honest input. Be open to their ideas, and ask questions that show them you’re engaged too. Then, once you know how you’ll address their suggestions, share your plan with your team. This way, they can truly stay in the loop. 

How to implement a feedback loop with Fellow

Fellow enables your team to share real-time feedback on meetings, projects, and performance. With Fellow, you can plan out your feedback sessions with customizable meeting agendas. You can also take notes directly in your agenda and use the platform to ask for peer feedback. It’s the best way to keep your organization on the path to success.

Parting advice

An effective feedback loop takes careful planning, active listening, and a strong action plan. To make the very best changes for customer satisfaction and employee retention, you’ll need a platform for all things feedback, and Fellow is the perfect platform to help you with this!