Continuous feedback has been replacing traditional performance management processes for years. Not only is it critical to implement continuous feedback in your organization, but continuous 360-degree feedback is becoming more popular. Why? Simply put, managers are not privy to the day-to-day activities that employees experience. Therefore 360-degree feedback allows for employees to receive feedback from multiple people that they work with every day which can truly help them develop in their position.
This article covers the benefits that organizations will receive from 360-degree feedback in their organization.
1) Increase employee accountability
You can’t expect an employee to improve or take accountability for their performance if they are not given feedback. Even if you are providing an employee with feedback, if it is too vague the employee may not be able to decide the suitable steps to improve their performance. 360-degree feedback allows employees to receive feedback from anyone in the organization. Chances are if an employee is receiving feedback from multiple people saying they need to improve their performance on a specific project, they will take that seriously. If expectations are clearly set and communicated to employees, it is then left up to them to take accountability for their actions. 360-degree feedback helps improve communication throughout the organization so that employees can become more aware and take corrective actions.
2) Increase employee self-awareness
Having blind spots is common when trying to look at our performance. Blind spots can harm your performance and limit your opportunities within an organization. With 360-degree feedback, these blind spots can become illuminated, and employees can get insight into where they can improve. 360-degree feedback allows employees to receive feedback from anyone in the organization at any time, which provides insight into an individual’s skillset and behaviors from multiple different angles (manager, peer, and if applicable, direct report). 360-degree feedback can help employees better understand their strengths and weaknesses in the workplace and what they need to do to improve. A 360-feedback software is especially helpful when increasing self-awareness and taking accountability because it can document these feedback conversations so the employee can go back later to reflect, analyze, and decide their next steps .
3) Improves workplace relationships
Feedback, whether it is positive or negative, can help strengthen relationship between colleagues. 82% of employees appreciate positive and negative feedback when delivered properly. Knowing that your teammates care about your development by providing you with feedback to help you improve can be a great way to foster workplace relationships. If employees are willing to share and receive feedback with one another it helps create a strong support system within the organization knowing that you have someone to bounce ideas off or to tell you the truth on how a project is looking. If employees feel supported by one another it can not only strengthen their relationships, but it can cause the whole organization to be more successful.
4) Encourages an open culture
Company culture is becoming a major reason why people are applying to certain organizations, in fact, 46% of job seekers cite company culture as very important when choosing a company. Whatever your company values may be, having an open culture where employees’ opinions are valued and appreciated is something all organizations should be prioritizing. Organizations want their employees to be sharing ideas on how the organization can improve. 360-degree feedback encourages all employees, no matter the position, to share their thoughts and to try and help one another improve. 360-feedback often becomes the medium for employees to share their opinions without the fear of losing their job or other repercussions.
Conclusion
When organizations enable continuous, 360-degree feedback, they create opportunities for their team to trust one another and take responsibility to help their teammates grow. If your organization has not yet implemented 360-degree feedback, you might want to start thinking about it.