Manage Employee Performance with Well-Timed Feedback
Effective employee performance management relies on frequent, well-timed, two-way feedback conversations—ideally monthly or more often—to keep employees engaged, address issues promptly, and support mental health, with performance management software serving as a helpful tool to facilitate these ongoing discussions, especially in industries like construction where daily check-ins may be challenging.
Feedback is integral to employee performance management, but learning how to manage employee performance effectively can be a challenge. Employee reviews are only effective when there is a two-way conversation between supervisors and workers. Conversations with employees about how they’re doing and how they can improve keep them engaged.
According to Workhuman, 85% of employees who have weekly check-ins with their manager report high engagement. Just 2% of employees who have weekly check-ins indicate they are disengaged.
But all feedback isn’t equal. When you need to manage employee performance, frequent feedback is almost always more effective than feedback provided once a year with a typical annual review.
Along with other tactics, employee performance management software can help facilitate conversations between employees and managers. Here are three ways to structure feedback to manage employee performance.
Make Feedback a Regular Occurrence
The goal of performance management is to make sure your employees are performing at their best and to stay on top of any issues that might arise. You can’t manage employee performance with one conversation a year.
During the pandemic, Gallup found that 45% of employees say they’ve gotten feedback from their manager either daily or a few times per week. But 28% of employees report that feedback is not frequent enough to help them understand how to improve.
Providing feedback multiple times a week can be a challenge for those in the construction industry. For example, on a busy job site, it might not be feasible to do the weekly one-on-ones that are common in the corporate world. However, many employees do want more feedback. Plan for at least quarterly conversations, but monthly is better.
One advantage to regular check-ins in the construction industry is the ability to keep tabs on people’s state of mind. Mental health issues are more prevalent in construction than in the general population, and the industry has the second-highest rate of suicide among its workers.
By checking in regularly, supervisors and crew leaders may notice changes in performance that reveal underlying mental health challenges. This enables them to take appropriate preventive action.
Employee performance management software can help with scheduling. Managers can set automatic notifications and reminders to meet with employees.
Make Feedback Timely
Whether good or bad, feedback should be based on recent performance, not something that happened months or even years ago.
Employee performance management that includes timely feedback is especially important in construction to ensure employees are working safely and cultivating good habits. Crew supervisors and managers should address any safety issues immediately. Repeated concerns need to be part of a formal performance appraisal which could potentially lead to termination.
On the other hand, outstanding performance—including great teamwork, a positive attitude, learning a new skill, and being safety conscious—are all behaviors and attributes that should be recognized. Recognition doesn’t have to be in private; calling people out for doing something great in a team meeting can add to their sense of engagement and pride of workmanship.
Consider giving project-based reviews and feedback. Once a project is complete, have a conversation about how the employee contributed to the work, what went well, and areas for possible improvement, learning, and skill-building.
Documenting this feedback in an employee performance management system helps ensure it is recorded for future reference. With employee performance management software, managers can easily review employee performance on a project-to-project basis with comprehensive feedback from a project lead’s perspective.
Make Feedback a Two-Way Conversation
Feedback should be a dialog, not a one-way street. When feedback is given regularly during employee performance management, it becomes an ongoing discussion in which you and the employee work together to set and adjust expectations and next steps.
Invite and expect input from the employee on where they may be facing challenges along with how they would like to grow. Listening is also vital. When you listen to an employee’s concerns, input, and ideas, you build a level of trust that’s necessary for effective feedback. As an added bonus, having a manager who listens inspires people to do their best work.
With an employee performance management system, managers have a variety of paperless options to gain feedback from employees. These include 360-degree feedback and DIY evaluation forms, rating scales, weighted sections, and custom content.
When you use feedback to manage employee performance, you help create a conversation with your employees about their roles and responsibilities, ultimately positively impacting their engagement.
But feedback isn’t just about quantity, it’s about quality as well. You can meet with your employees daily, but if you’re not having the right discussions, you might just be wasting your time.
Related
All Feedback Isn’t Created Equal
Frequent, high-quality employee feedback—characterized by trust, timeliness, objectivity, clear expectations, constructive focus, and active listening—is crucial for engagement and performance improvement, as annual reviews alone often fail and can even cause disengagement.
Performance Appraisal Methods to Improve Employee Output & Happiness - Arcoro
The article from Arcoro explains that performance appraisals, conducted regularly and involving employee feedback, are essential for managing and enhancing employee productivity and satisfaction by facilitating open communication, setting goals, and addressing issues, ultimately leading to more engaged, loyal, and productive teams while also providing employers with insights into overall company health and culture.
Turning Performance Data into a Retention Strategy
The article emphasizes how construction companies can leverage performance management software to analyze employee data—such as declining performance, engagement, and goal completion—to proactively identify flight risks, invest in high-potential employees, and implement data-driven retention strategies that reduce costly turnover and support workforce stability.
To Enhance Performance Management, Make It Continuous
The article advocates replacing traditional annual performance reviews with continuous, frequent feedback methods—such as just-in-time feedback, regular check-ins, project debriefs, and 360-degree feedback—to significantly boost employee motivation, engagement, and development by meeting their strong desire for timely recognition and coaching throughout the year.
Employees Want to Know How They’re Performing
Regular, meaningful feedback—especially weekly rather than annual—is crucial for employee motivation, engagement, and retention, as it builds trust and helps employees understand their performance, yet many employers fail to provide timely, specific feedback, highlighting the need for ongoing, trust-based communication supported by technology and project reviews.
Arcoro Performance Resources
Arcoro Performance Resources offers a range of HR and leadership materials—including articles, infographics, and eBooks—focused on leveraging performance data, understanding 360-degree feedback, providing effective employee feedback, and utilizing performance management software to enhance retention and maximize construction team productivity.