Author: Kylee Stone

Remote working has made some major changes to the style of our work. Employees are now taking part in meetings now more than ever. Often the meetings are with peers from the same team or at times from different teams. There are too many virtual one-on-one meetings happening at almost every organization.

Also Read: Video Meetings:7 Etiquettes To Follow

One-on-ones can be simply defined as standard scheduled time for managers to check-in with their direct reports. These meetings are important for both managers and direct reports because they ensure that both of them stay on the same page. It also helps in improving employee engagement.

Is there a right way to conduct these one-on-one meetings? Well, the answer is both yes and no. No, we don’t have a prescribed format to conduct a successful one-on-one meeting, but we can use a few best practices to make the most out of one-on-one meetings.

Here’s a list of best practices for effective one-on-one meetings:

Have A Purpose

With the increasing number of meetings managers have these days, it is very important to clarify the agenda of the meeting when you send out a request to schedule a meeting. Having a clear agenda helps both parties to prepare better for the meeting. This also helps the parties understand what priority the meeting needs to be given.

It doesn’t only help the opposite party realize the purpose of the meeting but also helps you, in a sense, to prepare beforehand for the meeting.

Also Read: Know How To Make Remote Employee Check-Ins Effective

Ask Relevant Questions

This totally depends on the type of meeting you intend to have. But most one-on-one meetings require either of the participants to ask a few questions. So, if you are the participant who needs to question the other, make a relevant set of questions to ask in the meeting.

This becomes easier if you already communicated the agenda. For example, if you are having a meeting with one of your direct reports about their performance on a particular project, you need to have a set of relevant questions that you need to ask them about it.

Document The Highlights 

Document the highlights of the one-on-one meeting. As a manager, it is hard to keep track of everyone in one meeting you have, so document the highlights of each one-on-one meeting you have with your employees. This will help you get started for the next meeting you have with them and you will miss nothing important from the past meeting.

Send Effective Meeting Recap

Once you document the contents of the meetings, it is ideal to email the participants of the meeting with the highlights that you’ve made note. Also include in the email, what is expected of them by the next meeting. This helps you and the participants in the meeting to have a document to refer to if they need to revise the contents of the meeting.

Also Read: Why Are Stay Interviews Essential For Your Organisation?

Don’t Miss To Follow Up

Following up on a meeting is vital. Always remember to keep track of the progress made on the aspects of the meeting after a one-on-one meeting. Be ready to help them with implementing the action plan discussed in the meeting. This will help all participants of the meeting stay motivated and productive at work. One-on-one meetings give the best results when they are recurring; so, experiment with the frequency of meetings and set a regular schedule for one-on-one meetings with your employees/ direct reports.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you conduct effective one-on-ones? Then request for a live demo.

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Why is it so important to keep employees motivated or improve employee engagement? Employees spend about 70% of their day’s time in front of their screens working. Now with everyone working from home, that has increased even more with no defined boundaries for work and personal life. So if your employees lack motivation and are disengaged, they wouldn’t contribute to the organizational success.

Here are a few tips for you to motivate your employees and drive employee engagement:

1. Establish A Culture Of Continuous Feedback 

Most managers do not realize the importance of giving feedback to their team members frequently. Did you know that 24% of workers would consider leaving their jobs if they have managers that provide inadequate performance feedback? As an HR manager, it is important for you to create a culture of frequent employee feedback.

Feedback helps employees understand the issues with their performance and helps them fix the issues, and improves employee engagement. At Engagedly, we use Engagedly’s employee feedback software that allows users to give, receive and request for feedback and also allows the feedback receivers to acknowledge their feedback and work on it.

Also Read: Importance Of Continuous Feedback In The Post COVID Era

2. Recognize Your Employee’s Hard Work 

Another way to motivate employees in your team is to recognize their accomplishments and celebrate them. It is important to create a culture of employee recognition and awards. This gives a sense of validation to the employees and inspire them to put more effort and be better the next time. Recognition is the primary thing that employees say that their manager could give them to inspire them to produce great work. It has a direct impact on employee engagement.

At Engagedly, we use rewards and recognition on Engagedly. There is also a way to praise employees publicly on the organization’s social dashboard. With Engagedly, you can also award discretionary points to your employees for their accomplishments, which one can later redeem for gift cards.

3. Promote Transparency

Transparency is one of the most underrated aspects that drives employee engagement and motivates employees. Employees want to know about their contribution to their organization. But, most organizations fail to clarify to their employees how their work matters in the bigger picture. So, set SMART goals for your employees and align these goals to the organizational goals. It will help them understand their role in organizational productivity.

At Engagedly, we use OKRs (Objectives And Key Results), a very popular approach to setting goals as well as measuring and tracking them. Engagedly’s OKR software allows you to set individual goals, assign goals to your team members, track the progress, and align these individual goals with department goals and organizational goals.

Also Read: 5 Things To Look For In An OKR Software

4. Help Your Employees Grow 

It is important to give employees the opportunity to develop themselves and improve their skills. With Gen Z joining the workforce rapidly, it is important to provide employees with opportunities to improve themselves at work. Let your team members feel valued at the workplace by providing them with opportunities to enhance their skills. In the current scenario, it has become even more important for employees to reskill and upskill themselves. Leaders and managers must design developmental plans for each employee. It will help close the skill gap accelerated by the pandemic.

Engagedly uses its learning management system to assign courses to employees in various formats. Engagedly’s Mentoring Complete allows you to assign mentors to employees and promote on-site learning.

5. Care For Your Employee’s Wellbeing

According to the U.S. National Comorbidity Survey for Americans ages 15 to 54, 18% of employed individuals experienced symptoms of mental health issues.

There are many reasons why employees experience mental health issues and do not speak about it as often as they should. Remote working has worsened mental health issues. The number of employees reporting for stress, anxiety, screen fatigue, burnout, depression, etc., has increased drastically over the past one and a half years.

As a manager, it is important for you to commit yourself to the health and wellness of your own employees. Spread awareness and conduct training sessions for employees so that they do not feel ashamed to open up about these issues. Many employees do not speak about their mental health issues because of the fear of being misunderstood. Create a culture that encourages employees to speak about their mental health issues.

Also Read: How To Support Mental Health Of Your Remote Team

Many workplaces offer free sessions with therapists for their employees’ mental health assessment and support. Support your employees and encourage them to take therapy sessions occasionally. This will help them understand and acknowledge their deep-rooted issues and gradually solve them.

Want to know more about Engagedly? Request for a demo from our experts!

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COVID-19 has changed the way we do business. We need to find ways to keep our remote workforce engaged and happy now, more than ever. The pandemic is making companies mandate working from home for their workforce.

Most employees are feeling disengaged, unhappy and under-appreciated since the long session of working from home has begun. Is there a way to fix this and help employee engagement? Well, recognizing remote employees and their efforts could be the first step. In fact, according to a recent study, 58% of employees when asked how to improve employee engagement, they pointed to employee recognition. The only problem here is that managers aren’t really used to regularly acknowledging and recognizing the work of their remote teams.

Also Read: Workplace Culture : How To Read And Sustain It

If you’re a manager looking to recognize your remote employees, here are a few things to consider:

Have Frequent One-On-One’s With Your Employees

As a manager, it is important to have frequent one on one meetings with your remote employees. Though this isn’t recognition, these steps help you understand your employees and acknowledge their work. Once you acknowledge their efforts, it will be easier for you to make judgement on who deserves recognition and not.

One-on-ones can be simply defined as standard scheduled time for managers to check-in with their direct reports. These meetings are important for both managers and direct reports because they ensure that both of them stay on the same page.

Also Read: 5 Tips For Effective Weekly Check-Ins

One on one’s help managers with the following:

•         Keep track of team goals
•         Discuss action plan with their team
•         Stay aligned with direct reports’ goals
•         Sharing ideas and concerns

Understand The Objective Of the Program

Determine and understand the objective of recognition. Before you reward and recognize a remote employee, it is important for you, as a manager, to have a proper vision about it. Don’t make recognition programs only about increasing your overall organization revenue. Identify the focus of the recognition program and make sure that it aligns with your organizational values.

Use Employee Recognition Software

Digitize the employee recognition process. There are various tools to recognize and reward employees for their exceptional work. Give your remote teams access to these tools so that they have a specific platform to recognize and reward employee progress and accomplishments. This way they can also recognize their peers.

Many employee recognition tools are now available for you to implement this in your organization.

Also Read: 5 Benefits of Investing In Employee Recognition Software

Be Unbiased and Frequent

Being honest about feedback is one of the keys to a positive work culture. It is important to understand that there could be some limitations and challenges you face when initially implementing employee recognition programs. One thing to always remember is, practice makes perfect. So, keep practicing and revising the format of employee recognition programs, eventually you are bound to get it right.

Want to know how Engagedly can make your remote employee recognition programs easy? Request for a demo from our experts.

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Looking forward to investing in a 360 feedback software? If not, you might want to reconsider. In this new era of the virtual and remote world, feedback is becoming increasingly essential, not just from managers but from all collaborators. Millennials and Gen Z’s are not shy to receive feedback. They are open to receive and share suggestions and perspectives with better clarity, and every organization’s responsibility is to make that seamless for our employees.

We at Engagedly have created a list of things which you should check before you invest in one. But before we move on to the list, let us look at ‘What is 360 degree feedback?’.

What Is 360 Degree Feedback?

Ken Blanchard rightly phrased, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” Everyone requires feedback. Moreover, a feedback process in which everyone takes part creates an open culture, improves employee engagement and drives retention. Here where 360 degree feedback comes in. It is a process where employees receive and share feedback with their peers, colleagues, direct reports and managers. 

Also Read: 5 Best Tips To Reduce Employee Turnover

Although considered a modern method, one of its very first research papers, “Group feedback and group contingencies in modifying behavior of fifth graders”, was published in 1974. Organizations like GE, IBM, Amazon, PepsiCo. and many others are already using the process because of its effectiveness.

Now, coming back to you! Before you decide on which software to use for the process, make sure employees understand the process. Most processes in organizations fail because employees either have no knowledge or half knowledge about the processes in place. Help your employees understand how it differs from normal feedback, and let them know the benefits. Once your employees are fully cognizant of the process, it will be easier for them to use 360 feedback software. 

Here is a list of things to check for in a 360 feedback software.

Should Be Simple To Use

As mentioned above, there are multiple collaborators in 360 degree feedback, and some of them are external stakeholders. Every individual who will be part of the process may not be equally tech-savvy. So, it is essential to select a 360 feedback software which is easy to use and understand with no training. The user interface should be clutter free, and easy to move around.

With a pilot group of users, review free demo or trial versions of the software before investing in it for the organization.

Customization Of Features In 360 Feedback Software

When selecting a 360 feedback software, you can either choose a standard software which is developed by a vendor and is being used by different organizations, or you can choose a software that is flexible and supports customization based on organizational needs. With the changing pace of technology we would suggest to opt for a software which supports customization. Examples of customizable features are unique questionnaire templates for different employees, addition of unique competencies based on job roles, etc.

Also Read: Want To Measure Employee Engagement? Here’s How

Robust Security

One of the most important things to consider while selecting a 360 feedback software is its security features. Feedback received from managers, peers, customers, etc., is highly confidential and sensitive. If it leaks or falls in the wrong hands, it can cause lots of damage or can be put use to unlawful purposes. Before zeroing down on a vendor, ask them these three questions:

• How they secure their application data?
• What measures they will take if there is a data breach?
• Do they follow Information Security Laws of the respective country?

360 Feedback Software With Continuous Customer Support

In the current virtual working space where employees are working remotely from different time zones, a vendor with round-the-clock support is necessary. No matter how simple it is, the vendors of the software need to walk you through the entire process of giving and receiving 360 feedback through their software. Even employees use it regularly might face difficulty and need help and support. When there is a continuous support tech support present, it makes the job of employees easier if they face any difficulty.

Anonymous Feature

In a 360 degree feedback, not only does the employee receive feedback from the manager, but the manager receives feedback too. Employees, while sharing feedback about their managers and team leaders, might not be open and honest at times. Opting for a 360 feedback software with an anonymity option helps employees share honest feedback about their peers and managers alike. Anonymity is not only concerned with hiding one’s identity but also to prevent any unwanted altercations in the team. Additionally, they get to share their thoughts, opinions, and concerns with no hesitation.

Also Read: Signs That Your HR Department Is Overwhelmed

Insights And Analytics

Without detailed insights or analytics, a 360 degree feedback process would be of no use. It is crucial for a 360 feedback software to provide a detailed analysis of the feedback received, which makes it easier for employees to understand their strengths and weaknesses. But this is only possible when the report is comprehensive and highlights the potential blind spots, gaps, highest-rated areas, lowest rated areas, and ratings.

Are you planning to invest in a 360 feedback software? Then request for a live demo.

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What can I do to improve my employee’s performance? This is a common question which managers and leaders have, and the most simple way is to share feedback with your employees. In a recent survey, 72% of respondents said that their performance would improve if they receive feedback from their managers (Source: Harvard Business Review). It is one of the most important tools in the managerial toolbox.

Whether positive or constructive, it gives direction to your employees and helps them focus. Employee feedback has numerous benefits, so if done right, it has a positive impact on the employee and the organization. Considering the current situation where everyone is working remotely for a long time now, feedback will help them be on track and keep them engaged.

Also Read: 5 Things To Look For In An OKR Software 

Why Is Employee Feedback Important?

• Helps in improving employee engagement 
• Feedback motivates employees
• It is a tool for continuous improvement and learning
• Feedback improves performance
• Increases retention of employees
• Helps in increasing self-awareness

It goes without saying that giving employee feedback is very important. So it becomes crucial that feedback is shared correctly and is useful to them. Here are some pointers for you to keep in mind while sharing feedback.

Give Emphasis to Behaviour

While sharing feedback, the focus should be on the behaviour of the employee or what they do instead of emphasizing their character. Identify behaviours or actions that you wish to reinforce throughout the organization that also resonates with your company culture. Elucidate its importance to your employee and what effect it will have on the team and the organization.

The Secret to Giving Constructive Criticism highlights two examples of sharing feedback.

Example 1: When you interrupt me in front of a client, it causes a problem.

Example 2: Your arrogance is causing a problem.

The first example is more impactful and acceptable to the employees as it focuses on the behavior and highlights the problem instead of personality.

Also Read: 3 Simple Tips To Manage Your Remote Team

Don’t Use The ‘Sandwich’ Approach

Employee feedback, whether positive or constructive criticism, should be relevant and shared clearly with the employee. Often, ‘compliment sandwiches’ are used while delivering criticism so that the employee doesn’t feel overwhelmed. This strategy involves fitting constructive criticism between positive praises and compliments. But doing so not only undermines the value of the actual feedback but also leaves the employees confused.

Be To The Point

As mentioned above, feedback should not only be shared often and on time, but it should also be specific and concise for it to be effective. When employee feedback is specific, it helps them to understand what they should keep on doing and what they should avoid for the success of the organization. Specific and concise feedback is a lot more helpful to the employees when they receive constructive criticism or negative feedback from their managers.

Example 1: Manager: “Jack, your presentation could have been in more detail.”

In the above example, Jack’s manager expresses concern but is not clear about what the presentation lacked or what he could have done to improve it.

Example 2: Manager: “Jack, your presentation was incomplete. You could have included the marketing leads received from SQLs and MQLs and added graphs to make it more insightful.”

The example above clearly outlines how Jack could have improved the presentation. It is specific and concise.

Be Regular With Employee Feedback

“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection,”- Mark Twain.

Make feedback a regular activity at your organization for it to work effectively. Managers and leaders often treat feedback as a formal process and do it at the time of performance reviews. Employee feedback works best when it is given at the moment and as close to the event as possible. The fresher the feedback, the more impactful it is. While frequent feedback will help you praise good work, at the same time, it will help you guide those who need it.

Also Read: The Importance Of Peer Feedback At Workplace

Following Up Is Important

Following up with your employees is one of the crucial steps for the feedback to be effective. Being a manager, you are not only responsible for sharing feedback but also instrumental in making sure that your employees work on it. From time to time, connect with your employees to understand how they are progressing and whether they need any help. It will help to appreciate those who have achieved success and help those who need it. It will motivate employees and encourage them to work harder.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you with Employee Feedback? Then request for a live demo.

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According to Gallup, only 33 % of American workers are engaged in their jobs, 52% were “just showing up,” and 17 % described themselves as “actively disengaged“.

You all must have heard about the term employee engagement numerous times in various HR blogs, articles, or research. This is because it is important and is crucial for an organization’s success. It has been a constant topic of discussion among HRs and senior leadership for eons now. But during COVID times, when everyone started working from home, it became even more crucial. Let us take a look at some of the benefits to understand why it is important.

Also Read: 5 Employee Appreciation Ideas For Your Remote Team

But What is Employee Engagement? 

Often the term “employee engagement” is used interchangeably with employee satisfaction or happiness, but they aren’t the same. It is not only the level of satisfaction or happiness that one has at work; it is more than that. Engaged employees are committed to their job, intrinsically motivated, perform their best, and go above and beyond their call of duty. An article on Forbes defines employee engagement precisely and simply as the ‘emotional commitment that an employee has towards the organization and its goals’.

Employee Engagement Improves Employee Retention

One of the key reasons why employee engagement is the buzzword for all HRs is because it improves retention. It is a no-brainer for anyone that engaged employees tend to stay with an organization for a longer period of time. It reduces employee turnover and the cost of employing and training new employees. Employee disengagement is one of the major causes why organizations lose out on their best employees, and it often creates a domino effect.

As per Gallup, ‘engaged and thriving’ employees are 59% less likely to leave their jobs, so organizations must keep their employees engaged.

Also Read: Looking To Be An Effective Leader? Here’s How

Engaged Employees Are More Productive 

Engaged employees are more productive when compared to their disengaged counterparts. They will work faster in lesser time and make fewer mistakes, thus saving on business hours and money. They are interested in the work they do and feel a sense of pride in doing so. Not only this, they have a high level of commitment and go the extra mile to get the job done. This improves the productivity of the employees and the organization.

Reduced Absenteeism At Work

Harvard Business Review reports that absenteeism is 37% more in disengaged employees. Disengaged employees don’t feel a sense of responsibility towards the organization, and they do not think twice before taking leaves. When an employee quits the organization, it is easy to fill the position. But when an employee remains absent, it is difficult to do so, and at the same time the organization has to make sure the work is completed.

Also Read: 5 Best Tips To Reduce Employee Turnover

Higher Levels Of Customer Satisfaction

In the words of the great Richard Branson – “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” Customer satisfaction is directly related to the engagement levels of the employee. The more engaged an employee is, the more satisfied, committed, and happy the employee is at work. They align their personal and professional goals to the organizational goals, and work hard to provide a better customer experience.

More Innovation At Work

Employee engagement helps in channeling out the best from the employees. An engaged employee does more than their role calls for. They continuously work on improving the products and services of the organization. It leads to fresh and new ideas and innovation at the workplace.

Organization Grows Financially

Increased productivity and efficiency of employees impact the overall profits for the organization. The latest research trend shows that highly engaged organizations are 21% more profitable than their peers. In turn, the organization should take active steps to invest part of the profits in employee engagement activities. This will help the organization to have consistent employee engagement and profitability.

Also Read: 360 Degree Feedback:The Benefits and The Challenges

Employee Engagement Improves Job Satisfaction

The ultimate goal of employee engagement is to improve employee job satisfaction. Although employee satisfaction and employee engagement might sound synonymous, they are different. Employee satisfaction is simply how happy or satisfied employees feel while at work. Employee engagement directly impacts the job satisfaction. A satisfied employee looks forward to going to work every day and feels enthusiastic about the same. They feel a greater connection with the organization and work efficiently, increasing productivity.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you with employee engagement? Then request for a live demo.

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360 degree feedback or multirater feedback, although termed as a modern method, has been a topic of research for over 45 years. One of its first research papers was published in 1974 and was titled; “Group feedback and group contingencies in modifying behavior of fifth graders”.  Globally, organizations such as GE, IBM, Amazon, PepsiCo, etc., have already started using 360 degree feedback. It is more balanced, procured from multiple sources, and helps in identifying areas of improvement. Moreover, it increases self-awareness, improves working relationships, and enhances the performance of the employee. 

Also Read: 5 Benefits Of Investing In Employee Recognition Software

While some have made the shift, but others are still following traditional employee feedback practices. Implementing a 360 degree feedback will not only promote an open culture in the organization but will also keep the employees engaged, which will drive employee retention. Here are 7 tips to help you get started with 360 degree feedback in your organization.

Know The Purpose

Many organizations implement 360 degree feedback without any clear goal or objective in mind. Before starting with the process, the organization and the leadership should identify what they want to achieve from the process. They should be able to answer some basic questions before starting the process.

• “What current problems do we need to solve?”
• “Will everyone be part of the process?”
• “How will we use the results?”
• “Will every employee be part of the process?”

Once organizations know why they are conducting the process, the probability of success increases.

Is Your Organization Ready For It?

As per a study by Smith and Walker(2001), positive 360-degree feedback ratings of bank managers were correlated with customer loyalty.

Before implementing any new process, it is important to check the readiness of the organization and its employees. It is crucial in determining the success of the process. Before starting with the process, it is important to know how open everyone is to receive feedback from others. Managers and senior leaders might be hesitant to be part of a process where they will be evaluated by their direct reports. When you implement it for the first time, senior leadership needs to be on board with the plan. Leaders should understand the process to make it easier to pilot it down throughout the organization. 

Also Read: 7 Ways To Curb Workplace Negativity

Communicate The Process In Advance

Effective communication is the key to organizational success, as it helps businesses around the world to function smoothly. When you are implementing a 360 degree feedback process for the first time, it is important to communicate the: Why, How, and What of the process to all the stakeholders involved.

Communicate and conduct informative sessions on what is 360 performance review and why it should be implemented. Share the purpose, objective, and a timeline to implement the process in your organization. Inform everyone about the process of how the feedback will be collected and utilized. It will result in more transparency in the process, thus making it effective.

Disclose Anonymity Or Attribution

Inform your employees well in advance whether the feedback will be anonymous or attributed. When the process is anonymous, everyone can share genuine and unbiased feedback. They share their opinions and concerns freely without the fear of oppression. 

While on the other hand, some companies prefer the process to be open and attributed. It opens up a room for discussion between the reviewers and reviewees on the feedback received.

Also Read: 5 Essential Managerial Tips To Create Employee Engagement

Manage Rater Selection

Rater selection is one of the most important processes in 360 degree feedback. The list of raters involves a wide spectrum of people starting from managers, team leaders, peers, direct reports, customers, and vendors. It is recommended to select at least one superior, three-five peers, and six-eight direct reports; it will ensure that there is enough number of participants to receive relevant and comprehensive feedback data. In addition to this, raters should have at least six months of working relationship with the reviewee.

Identify A Coach

Many organizations launch the 360 degree feedback successfully, but they fail to follow the process through till the end. This makes it necessary to have a coach who will guide throughout the 360 performance review process. Their role will involve training the raters and employees, analyzing reports, and making developmental plans for the employees. A coach can be someone internal such as the HR, the manager, or the team leader; or someone external who is a practitioner of 360 degree methodology.

It is recommended to have a designated coach in the initial stages of the implementation of 360 performance review.

Also Read: Best Tip To Create A Disability Friendly Workplace

360 Degree Feedback Software

Having a 360 degree feedback tool makes it easy to implement the process. Currently, multiple tools in the market have 360 degree feedback as part of their performance management suite, but it is important to select one which is easy to use, and requires no prior training. Go for a demo version of the tool before zeroing down on the final one. The tool should support simple customizations and should be robust at the same time. Moreover, there should be a 24*7 customer support team to help with any issues.

Need help with implementing 360 Degree Feedback in your organization? Then request us for a live demo.

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An article in Forbes highlights that 360 degree feedback is used as a cornerstone of leadership development processes in more than 85% of all the Fortune 500 companies. Continue reading “360 Degree Feedback: The Benefits And Challenges”

360 degree feedback is now a hotshot topic in the HR industry. Globally, most organizations have started instating the process; or are already running it successfully. Given the need for constant streamlining, no amount of information about it is too much at the moment. Here we are, answering a vital question – why do you need to customize your 360 degree feedback Survey Questions according to departments?

While creating the questions for 360 degree feedback or the multirater, it might be less work for the HR department to create a generalized questionnaire and circulate it. But that is not going to fetch you the result you are truly looking for. Each department runs on starkly different skill sets and work ethics.

Also Read: Here’s A Checklist For Choosing The Right 360 Feedback Software

For example – While in the coding department, attention to detail might be a priority skill required. In the sales department, it will not be the same. It will be the art of communication. So, if you ask the question, “ Rate the employee’s level of attention to detail” to everyone, it is relevant for certain departments, but not for all. It fails to add much value to others. 

In such a case, their work schedules, way of handling tasks, way of communication, various such aspects will differ, and the survey will not fetch relevant results. So the best way to tackle this is to create your own 360 competency model, wherein you can pick up the core skills required for each department and then frame the questions around those skill sets. By skill sets, we do not mean only practical competencies. It should also include questions on leadership, ease of collaboration, being a team player, etc.

Tips To Create customized questions for 360 Degree feedback:

• Choose one or multiple established questionnaires
• From these questionnaires, pick a couple of questions that would remain consistent across all departments
• Then, make a list of each department’s core competencies
• Pick the questions that are relevant for each department
• If the questionnaires do not cover certain skill sets and areas, create your own

Competencies Vary As Per Organizational Levels

When employees move up the company ladder, the skills required to succeed in each level change. The same skills that worked perfectly at one level would not get you far once promoted to the next level. So if you are developing a 360 degree feedback questionnaire to evaluate employees of multiple levels, it is necessary to look at the different levels and design the questions. Here are certain areas you can look into:

Team Building and Connectivity

The evaluation of the C-suite and the upper-level employees should include questions on team building, emotional intelligence, relationship building, and connectivity, as it is one of the core competencies required. They are required to connect with different departments for strategic collaborations. For lower-level employees, on the other hand, individual contributors and non-managers, the evaluation should be based on being a team player and supporting team endeavours, interpersonal skills, and so on.

Also Read: 6 Employee Recognition Ideas For Your Remote Team

Motivation and Strategy

The people leaders have a big role to play in these areas. It is a part of their role to strategize, set goals around the company vision and mission, and keep their employees motivated. 360 degree feedback questions should cover these competencies. Individual contributors and non-managers should not have any questions in this area. These are not the core competencies for them.

Management of Tasks

There can be lesser questions for the C-suite and the upper-level employees in this area. The leaders would not have become leaders if they were not competent in basic task management when at the lower levels. The individual contributors and non-managers on the other hand, need to be evaluated on their basic skills of task management, reliability, and performance.

Given all the above points, we understand that it can be a challenging task to customize your 360 degree feedback Survey Questions according to different departments and levels. But once you create the framework the first time, it becomes easier from the second time onwards. You would already know the process and the competencies. Editing them to suit the current scenario would not take you much time. Engagedly’s multirater allows for customized 360 degree feedback surveys that can ease out the whole process for you.

Want to implement 360 degree feedback in your organization? Then request for a live demo.

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While we cannot stress enough about how important it is for employees to receive feedback from their managers, peer feedback is also important. In fact, its slightly underrated. Colleagues or peers know each other better than their managers do! They work closely with each other on a daily basis and have a better understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses than a manager can know.

In this article, we will share some tips to make peer feedback effective and impactful.

Why Is Peer Feedback Important?

Peer Feedback when done right has numerous benefits. It helps in the following:

• Team Building
• Multiple Sources of Feedback
• Reduces Bias In Feedback 
• Drives Employee Engagement
• Removes The Fear Factor
• Self-Evaluation and Development
• Increases Job Satisfaction
• Improves Morale Of The Employee

Here are some tips for you to keep in mind so as to reap the benefits of peer feedback.

Prepare On Time

If you are giving feedback to your peer, it is essential to prepare well for it. Feedback in any form helps your peers to develop and understand themselves better. A feedback discussion without preparation tends to be unorganized and ineffective for the recipient. It ends up being a waste of time for both the giver and the receiver of feedback.

Preparing ahead of the peer feedback process will help you stay focused and on track. Draft the points to be addressed before the meeting. Give them some real-life examples so that they can understand better. It will help them feel that you have put in efforts for the process.

Also Read: Remote Onboarding: Essentials To Know

To The Point

According to recent research by SAP, 76% of employees were motivated by positive feedback from their peers.

While the above statement is true in many cases but it is not always helpful. ‘Feedback Sandwich’ is often a great way to not let your peers feel overwhelmed and unmotivated. It is the art of delivering constructive feedback or criticism between two positive feedback. But in doing so, your colleagues tend to ignore the criticism and focus on the positive feedback instead. They develop a false opinion about themselves that they are doing good and need no improvement. Instead of the feedback sandwich, be direct and straightforward with your points. It will help them focus in the right direction. Give them examples of how they could solve the issues with their strengths.

Be Consistent

For peer feedback to have an impact, it should be a consistent and ongoing activity. It should be a part of an employee’s continuous or ongoing performance management process. When the process is regular, it will help you to share feedback on recent activities. It will help you to share constructive feedback about others. Moreover, it makes your peers more open and receptive to receiving feedback from others. The process is known to foster communication and improve collaboration, which leads to easier problem solving and higher productivity among teams. It also helps to track the growth, progress, and wins of everyone on the team.

A real-time feedback software will make receiving and sharing feedback with your peers easy and simple. It will help to keep the process ongoing and consistent.

Use Passive Voice

While using passive voice is not recommended in writing, it is useful while giving peer feedback, especially constructive feedback. Using passive voice makes the feedback non-personal and focuses on the action instead of the person. Your peers will be more open to receiving feedback that doesn’t criticize them. For instance, consider the below examples:

1) “You didn’t provide supporting data to the claims you made in the report.”

2) “The report would have been more useful with additional data.”

While both the examples want to highlight the same thing, the second one is more accepting and impactful as it focuses on the problem instead of the person.

Also Read: Top 7 Performance Appraisal Mistakes Managers Make

Summarize And Follow Up

At the end of the feedback session with your peer, summarize the points discussed. Formalize or document the points and create a plan of action for your peers. Email the points after every discussion or track them in a real-time feedback software. This will help your peers to understand the process better and remove any misunderstandings if any. It also helps them understand the expectations from the process.

Follow up with your colleague and discuss whether they need any help. It will help your colleagues to stay encouraged, motivated, and productive.

Do you want to know how Engagedly can help you with Peer Feedback? Then request a live demo.

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There has been a profound shift in the way businesses function since last year. Not only virtual onboarding and video meetings gained popularity, but remote working also became common. With everything gone virtual and remote, it has added to the existing stress of the employees. So now more than ever, it has become important for organizations to recognize and reward their employees. It will help employees stay happy, engaged, focussed, and motivated at all times. But is your rewards and recognition program tailored for the remote workforce?

Here are a few ways in which you can reward and recognize your remote team.

Invest In A Software

The impact employee recognition has on employees cannot be undervalued. With COIVD19, it has become even more important for organizations to acknowledge and reward their employees. Multiple cloud-based employee rewards and recognition software are available in the market, which has made this job simpler. They allow managers and leaders to recognize and reward their employees in real-time from anywhere. It helps employees to boost their morale and keep up their productivity.

Many performance management tools such as Engagedly come with buil-in employee recognition software module. It also has gamification features and the option to praise your employees.

Also Read: Employee Engagement Software To Help Enhance Productivity

Promote Professional Development

One of the most common reasons for employees to leave their job is for career growth and expansion. It has been true even for remote employees. Give them a reason to stay, provide them opportunities for professional and personal development. Encourage your employees to take online training courses to enhance their skills and knowledge. Invest in the business versions of online training academies such as Udemy, Coursera, edX, etc. It will give them access to an abundance of courses. With everyone working from home, this is the right time for your employees to learn new skills and techniques to reskill and upskill themselves.

When employees see that the organization cares about their growth and development, they stay with a particular organization for a long time. It is a win-win situation for both.

Recognize Them On Social Media

Why not use social media and recognize your employees on a larger scale? Yes, you read it right! Praise and recognize your employees on the social media channels such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. It will highlight the achievement not only to all the employees but also to a larger audience.

Focus on how the employee handled job responsibilities exceedingly well. Moreover, mention how valuable they are and how their contribution makes a difference. Since most of the employees are still working remotely, recognizing them socially will encourage them to perform better. It reflects the organization’s culture of appreciation and their value for the employee.

Also Read: Club Reviews With Social Recognition To Enhance Engagement

Virtual Lunch

If it had been a year ago, going for team-lunches, outings, or virtual dinners would have been a great option to appreciate your employees. But with strict social-distancing norms still existing in some countries, that might not be just possible. But that does not stop you and your team from enjoying  a virtual lunch or dinner. Getting food delivered to your employee’s house and having it over a virtual meeting would be a great option. It will help them to bond with each other and take their mind away from work. Additionally, it helps them to reduce the added stress of cooking for a day.

Note: This option is impractical when employees work out of different time zones.

Help Your Employees Stay Healthy 

According to a  survey conducted by the American Psychological Association found that 89% of employees are more likely to recommend their organization as a good place to work if the organization is committed to their well-being.

With the fear of COVID19 and other newer strains still being found, it has created additional stress for all employees. The uncertainty has taken a toll on employee’s physical and mental health. For employees to stay healthy and productive, organizations must invest in their wellness. In the current situation, nothing could be as rewarding for the employees as organizations investing in their wellness. Following are some of the ways in which an organization can take care of its employees well being:

• Invest in their insurance – it is still an asset for many
• Offer virtual meditation, dance, yoga, and other workout classes
• Give them access to virtual doctor consultation platforms
• Conduct sessions on mental wellbeing and its importance
• Send health gears/kits to your remote employees

A happy and healthy employee will be more engaged at work and will be more productive.

Also Read: Understanding Employee Wellbeing In 2021

Gift Cards

Gift cards are one of the best options to reward your remote employees with. It gives them the option to buy anything and redeem it whenever they want to. Gives them the flexibility to choose what they want and what will be useful to them.

Currently, many organizations have shifted from the remote model of working to a hybrid model. But remote working is going to stay, and a large fraction of employees will continue to work remotely. This guide will help you to recognize and reward your remote employees effectively.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you with implementing employee recognition and rewards program? Then request for a live demo

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About 60% of top development companies are using 360 degree feedback for both development and decision making for high-potential identification, confirmation of potential, and succession planning purposes – Bracken and Church(2013).

360 degree feedback, also sometimes referred to as multirater feedback, is a process where everyone the employee has worked with provides feedback for the employee. In this process, feedback is not only collected from the managers but several stakeholders such as direct reports, peers, senior leadership, customers, vendors, etc. It presents an overall clear picture of an employee’s performance, behavioural skills, and competency.

A 360 degree feedback, when implemented in the correct way, works wonders for employee growth. It not only to improves self-awareness and enhances employee engagement but also helps in improving employee productivity and retention. Moreover, it helps in understanding the training and developmental needs of the employees.

But it is a tedious process since it involves collecting data from multiple sources and then analyzing it. Thus making it difficult for organizations to implement it till the end.

Here are some tips to make the process simple.

Know The Objective

Knowing the purpose or the objective is perhaps the first and most important step towards conducting a successful 360 degree feedback. The senior leadership and the HR managers of the organizations should be able to answer three simple questions before starting the process.

• Why do they want to implement it?
• How do they plan to use the results?
• How do they plan to conduct it?

Once the leadership and management have a clear idea about the process, it would be easier to implement it.

Also Read: The Importance Of 360 Degree Feedback For Healthcare

Pre Decide The Competencies

As companies differ from one another in terms of employee size, value, work culture, and ethics, it is essential to determine the competencies to be measured in a 360 degree feedback. The best way is to make a list of competencies to be evaluated before the process starts. The 360 degree feedback survey should include questions based on organizational and self-improvement competencies. Some of the skills on which the survey questions could focus are:

• Leadership skills
• Problem-solving
• Interpersonal Skills
• Motivation
• Efficiency
• Engagement
• Teamwork

Communicate To Everyone

Communication plays a crucial part in the success and effectiveness of a multirater or 360 degree feedback process. The leadership should clearly communicate to the stakeholders about the scope of the process, how they plan to collect the feedback and how they will use the results. Everyone who will be a part of the process should understand that it will be used for developmental purposes and not to evaluate performance. The employees should be given appropriate training on how to share constructive feedback.

Also Read: How Important Is Feedback In Today’s World?

Participant Selection

Participant or rater selection is as important as communicating the process to everyone. For feedback to be relevant and useful, reviewers or raters must have a working relationship with the reviewee. Reviewers can be someone who is working in the organization or someone from outside. They include a list of people such as managers, peers, leadership, subordinates, vendors, customers, etc. Additionally, there should be a good number of reviewers for each reviewee to receive comprehensive data for their development.

Test With A Pilot Group

If you are rolling out 360 degree feedback for the first time in your organization, conduct a pilot process. Conducting a pilot process with a small group will help you identify problems easily and nip them in the bud. Moreover, it will help in identifying the usefulness and effectiveness of the process. It reduces the chances of any issues cropping up in the future. Take feedback from all the members of the pilot group to improve the process.

Also Read: Why Every Should Practice Continuous Feedback?

Choose The Right 360 Degree Feedback Software

Selecting and investing in the correct 360 degree feedback software plays a crucial part in the success of the process. Here are some of the features which an ideal software should have:

• Simple and easy to use so that employees don’t require training
• Should support customization as per organization needs
• Robust so that data stays secure and confidential
• Supports easy integration
• Round the clock customer support

Here’s an article in which we discuss a checklist for choosing the right 360 degree feedback software.

Report And Action Plan

Once everyone has shared their feedback, it is time to generate the reports and share them with employees. Based on the report generated, skill gaps and blindspots should be identified and discussed with the employees. For example, an employee might lack team-management skills. As a part of the action plan, employees should take up training, internal or external workshops, conferences, coaching exercises, mentoring programs, etc., to develop their skills. Without a proper action plan, the complete process of 360 degree feedback would be ineffective.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you with implementing 360 degree feedback? Then request for a live demo

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Is your organization planning to get started with 360 degree feedback? While it is a great strategy to shift from the traditional feedback process, but you need to be a little careful while selecting a software for it. Choosing the right 360 feedback software is necessary for the process to be successful. In this article, we will focus on some of the important features. But before we take a look at the features, let us understand 360 degree feedback.

360 degree feedback is a relatively modern method of feedback where everyone with whom an employee has worked shares feedback of the employee. Managers, peers, direct reports, customers, and vendors share their feedback. So it is crucial that the 360 feedback software is selected carefully. It should seamlessly integrate with the current processes in your organization.

Let us take a look at some of the features.

Effortless To Use

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” —Leonardo da Vinci.

Many people are involved in the process of 360 degree feedback. They can be either internal or external stakeholders. At the same time, there are too many 360 feedback software available in the market. So it becomes a little tricky while selecting one for your organization.

For 360 feedback software to be effective, it should be simple and easy to use. Users should be able to understand and navigate around the software without any prior training. The interface should be user friendly and not cluttered with unnecessary information.

To test how your employees will adapt to a new software, using a trial or free version with a pilot group of users is highly recommended.

Also Read: Have You Set Effective OKRs For Your Customer Success Team?

Built-In Anonymous Feature

In most organizations, 360 degree feedback is conducted for all the employees as well as for the senior leaders. When 360 degree feedback is implemented for the first time in an organization, employees might not be open to review their manager and senior leaders. As a result, they are often not honest with their reviews. When 360 feedback software supports anonymity, employees are more open to sharing their feedback about their seniors. Additionally, it also prevents any unwanted tension in the team.

Offers Easy Customization

While selecting a 360 degree feedback tool, organization should check to what degree the tool offers customization. The tool that you finalize for the organization should support easy customization as per the needs of the organization.

For example, customizable questionnaire templates as per individuals, adding new competencies, etc.

Simple customizations like this will help in making work simpler and address specific issues for a specific group of users

Also Read: Customize 360 Feedback Survey Questions According To Departments

Reporting and Analytics

The 360 feedback software which you decide to select for your organization should provide the employees with a detailed report. The report should collect and tabulate information received from all the people involved in the feedback process. A good report should include the highest-rated areas, lowest rated areas, ratings, potential blind spots, and gaps. This will help employees in understanding their strengths and also the weak areas they need to work on.

Secure and Robust

One of the most important things to consider while selecting a 360 feedback software is how secure it is. As the tool will have feedback received from managers, peers, customers, etc., the information is highly confidential and sensitive. If the tool does not have proper security features, data might end up in the wrong hands. The minimum requirement is the 360 feedback software should at least follow the Information Security Laws of the country where the organization is.

Also Read: Know How To Implement 360 Degree Feedback In Your Startup

Round The Clock Support

Since it is the first time that 360 degree feedback is being implemented in your organization, look for a tool that provides 24*7 customer support. Some employees may find it difficult to fill the survey when at office, since it takes time to get used to new software. Instead of the office, they might choose to do so from home. So a support team should be available to help the employees at any time of the day.
In addition to that, the tool should have proper user documentation in place, which employees can refer to before reaching out to customer support.

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