Tips for Using Employee Feedback Surveys for Self Development

Posted on: 29 November 2019

In today's business environment productivity is of utmost importance, and so is the ability to measure it. One way employers manage this is by conducting surveys on their employees and receiving feedback from a variety of sources. The feedback received is supposed to help you as an employee to develop further and improve your productivity in the company. That said, feedback recipients must understand how to utilise feedback surveys, especially since most of the input comes from peers and managers. This article highlights how to approach such feedback and use it to your advantage.  

Acceptance -- The first thing you should do when you sit down with your peers and managers is to accept the results of the survey. It should not be difficult since the feedback is mostly anonymous; therefore, there is no knowing the identity of participants. However, it is always tempting to find out who talked positively of you and who pointed to the negatives. It is recommended that employees fight off this temptation and focus on accepting the feedback first. Ideally, you should look at what is being said and not who said what since it the only way to keep an open mind. When you accept the feedback, both positive and negative, you will be better placed to improve.

Spot Patterns -- You can get a lot of information just by reading patterns, and it is no different with feedback surveys in the workplace. Listen carefully as the manager and the team read and discusses feedback about your role in the company. For instance, if most people say positive things about you, then the chances are high that you are a team player. However, you will always find some outliers with such surveys since two or three people in a group of 20 might not agree with your behaviour or your capabilities or skills. Make sure you note down these patterns since they are essential in improving your strengths and working on your weaknesses.

Draw a Development Plan -- No one is perfect; therefore, if you receive a lot of positive feedback on your performance survey, it does not mean you should not continue to work on developing yourself to be better. Unfortunately, most employees take this route since they have this misplaced belief that such feedback surveys have little impact. Therefore, it is vital to prepare a road map immediately you finish discussing the feedback surveys. The blueprint or development plan uses the results from the feedback survey to help you identify areas that need improving. For example, if most of your peers say that you are always late in delivering projects, you should include the issue in your plan, and the steps you intend to take to improve your time-management skills.

To learn more about employee review surveys and platforms, like the Manager 360 Feedback surveys, check out a business consulting provider near you!

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