When most people hear “employee feedback,” they picture performance reviews or one-off comments from a manager. But that’s only half the story.
The most successful organizations understand that feedback is a two-way street—something that flows in both directions. Sometimes, it even becomes three-way communication when colleague feedback is included.
Employees want to know how they’re doing, yes—but they also want to be heard. They want to share their experiences, voice concerns, and offer insights that could improve how the team or business operates.
When both sides are engaged in that dialogue and embedded in the culture, feedback becomes more than a management tool—it becomes a culture-builder.
There are important areas to consider, when implementing employee feedback to make it work, so it drives engagement.
The three kinds of employee feedback
Feedback to the employee
- When a manager, peer, or system gives feedback to the employee about their performance or behavior.
- Examples: Could be through informal everyday conversations or more structured on one-on-one or employee performance reviews.
Feedback from the employee:
- Sometimes also called employer feedback. This is when an employee gives feedback to the employer or organization—often collected through surveys, suggestion tools, or conversations.
- Example: An employee rating their satisfaction with workplace culture and well-being or in a survey. There are many types of surveys, e.g., employee engagement surveys, leadership feedback surveys, workplace risk assessments.
Feedback from the employee to another employee:
- Also called peer feedback or colleague feedback and refers to input and evaluations received from coworkers. The feedback can relate to performance, communication, teamwork or specific tasks.
- Example: Colleague feedback is usually informal, but could also be during a performance review and feedback session depending on the organization’s culture.
Why Feedback to Employees Matters
Feedback to employees isn’t just about correcting mistakes. Done well, it’s a tool for:
Boosting performance and engagement: Employees who receive regular feedback are more likely to understand expectations and deliver better results.
Gallup and Workhuman found in their research that employees who strongly agree they receive valuable feedback from the people they work with are five times as likely to be engaged, 57% less likely to be burned out, and 48% less likely to be looking or watching for another job
Building trust: Open dialogue creates a culture of honesty and mutual respect.
Improves growth and work performance: Constructive feedback encourages reflection and improvement, while positive feedback reinforces strengths.
According to Gallup research, employees are 3.6 times more likely to strongly agree that they are motivated to do outstanding work when their manager provides daily (vs. annual) feedback.
Young generation expects feedback: Research from Denmark shows that the youngest generation on the labour market not only want to receive feedback – they expect to receive feedback regularly. Read more in the article Feedback – often and in generous amounts
A Better Approach to Feedback Given to Employees
- Be consistent and intentional
Schedule regular time for feedback to ensure it becomes a steady, intentional part of your routine e.g. as a leader —not something left to chance. - Personalize your approach
Feedback isn’t one-size-fits-all. Different individuals prefer different rhythms and styles. Take the time to align with their preferences and ask what kind of feedback they find most helpful. - Be clear and specific
Vague feedback helps no one. Point to specific actions or examples so the person understands exactly what you’re addressing and why it matters. - Choose the right setting
Timing and environment matter. Deliver feedback in a private, respectful space—especially if it’s sensitive. Keep your tone constructive and professional, and stay composed throughout the conversation. - Focus on actions, not personality
Keep the feedback centered on behaviors or actions, not personal traits. This helps the message land more effectively and avoids making it feel like a personal critique. - Balance the positive with the constructive
People need to hear what they’re doing well just as much as what can be improved.
Why Feedback from Employees Matters
While feedback to employees helps them grow, feedback from employees is just as critical—because it gives leaders and the organization a chance to grow too. This is often referred to as upward or bottom-up feedback.
Feedback from employees isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic tool for improvement and growth. When organizations actively listen, they unlock valuable insights and boost engagement. Here’s why it matters:
Increases engagement and trust: When employees feel heard, they’re more likely to feel valued, connected, and motivated at work.
Improves decision-making: Employees are closest to the day-to-day reality. Their input often highlights issues or opportunities leaders may not see.
According to Gallup, globally only one in four employees strongly agree their opinions count at work. This means that most employees do not feel their suggestions or ideas on how to make their work better are listened to. This could lead to disengagement.
Supports leadership development: Honest feedback helps managers grow and adapt their leadership style to better support their teams.
Drives innovation: When employees have a voice, they’re more likely to contribute new ideas, suggest improvements, and challenge the status quo.
Builds a feedback culture: When feedback flows both ways, it normalizes open dialogue, encourages transparency, and strengthens company culture.
Track engagement with
an employee engagement survey
An employee feedback survey is a structured tool used to gather insights directly from employees about their work experience, engagement, satisfaction, and organizational culture.
Why it matters:
Surveys allow organizations to identify trends, track engagement over time, and pinpoint areas for improvement. They’re also a great way to give all employees a voice—even those who might not speak up in meetings.
What to include:
- Clear, concise questions about well-being, leadership, workload, collaboration, and values.
- Opportunities for open-text comments.
- A plan to follow up and act on the results—because collecting feedback without action is worse than not asking at all.
Tools like GAIS can help you build, distribute, and analyze these surveys quickly and effectively.
GAIS also provides guides and tools to improve engagement and well-being, and in the Action Centre you can easily delegate and track actions.
Tackle the challenges of employee feedback
Despite its importance, feedback often falls flat. Common issues include:
- Fear of conflict: Many managers and employees avoid tough conversations or giving feedback, e.g. in a survey to keep the peace.
- Lack of training: Not everyone knows how to give or receive feedback constructively.
- Infrequency: Feedback should be ongoing, not reserved for annual reviews.
- Unclear purpose: If it’s unclear what the purpose or intention is with the feedback given. For example, feedback given from a manager isn’t believed to be given with good intentions. Or the process and purpose of an engagement survey aren’t communicated clearly or to everyone.
So, how do we overcome these common pitfalls? Recognizing these barriers is the first step toward overcoming them.
Also, start focusing on building:
Psychological safety: Start by fostering psychological safety—create an environment where employees know their input is welcome and won’t be held against them.
When feedback is given to an employee – make the intention and purpose clear.
Feedback training: Training is also key. Both managers and employees benefit from learning how to give and receive feedback constructively, respectfully, and without fear.
Continuous feedback: It’s also important to embed feedback in everyday work, not just annual check-ins. Build feedback loops into team meetings, projects, and reviews. That way, feedback becomes a habit, not an event.
Roles and process: When doing employee surveys or well-being initiatives – make sure that the process is clear: What is happening when. What role does the employee play in the process and what is expected of them. Employees feel more secure when they know what to expect.
Read more in the article 3 important questions for your employee engagement efforts.
When using an employee survey make sure to communicate clearly about anonymity.
Building a Culture of Feedback
Feedback shouldn’t be a one-time event—it should be woven into the fabric of your company culture. Here’s how:
- Lead by example: When managers ask for and act on feedback, employees feel safer doing the same.
- Make it routine: Integrate feedback into regular 1:1s, team retrospectives, check-ins, team feedback, peer feedback, engagement and feedback surveys.
- Use the right tools: Employee Engagement Platforms like GAIS can save a lot of time – especially for HR to collect, analyze and create actions on employee feedback.
Feedback is more than a management or HR tool—it’s a mindset. When given with care and received with openness, it becomes a powerful driver of engagement, learning, and trust
Let’s make employee feedback
a part of our organization
Book a meeting with us – and let us show how you can use tools such as engagement surveys, leadership feedback survey, workplace risk assessment to collect feedback from your organization.
