‘Upward Feedback’ and the Middle Manager

When ‘feedback at the workplace’ is mentioned, it’s natural to assume that the manager is the one giving it, and the employee is the one receiving it. It’s not very often that we read about upward feedback, or employees giving their manager feedback.

While regular (and encourage) upward feedback is not very common in many organisations, what is quite common at the workplace is the 360-feedback, where individuals collect feedback about themselves (capabilities, leadership, attitude to work, ability to deal with multiple projects, and so on) from their manager, peers and even employees.

360-feedback exercises are usually conducted during performance reviews and talent assessment sessions. The Balance Careers describes the 360-feedback as “a method and a tool that provides each employee the opportunity to receive performance feedback from his or her supervisor or manager and four to eight peers, reporting staff members, coworkers, and customers”.

Managers should strive for continuous improvement – which can be helped by gathering feedback from their employees regularly. Gathering feedback can provide valuable insights into the manager’s leadership and people management style. Feedback can help him identify areas where he is doing well and where he may need to improve. Additionally, it can help build trust between managers and their employees.

Despite knowing that feedback is good, no matter where it comes from – up or down, not all managers will welcome them wholeheartedly.

Here are different ways a manager could react to an employee’s feedback:

1. Welcomes the feedback and actively seeks to improve or practice what has been recommended

2. Reluctantly accepts feedback, but is open to making changes. May push back a little

3. Takes feedback as a personal attack and counters each one or refuses to consider any changes

Let’s break down each reaction, or reception to feedback, a little more.

1. Welcomes the feedback and actively seeks to improve or practice what has been recommended

This manager welcomes feedback from his employees willingly, and with an open mind. Not only does he remember that his manager’s feedback set him on the path to improvement, he also knows that it’s not personal. He takes active notes of the feedback provided by employees, reflects on them, and works towards making changes where they are deemed necessary. He does not try to talk down or counter each point raised with one of his own to justify his actions.

2. Reluctantly accepts feedback, but is open to making changes. May push back a little.

This manager knows that feedback is a two-way street. If you’re going to give feedback, you’re going to have to be prepared to accept it too…but there may be some roadkill. When his employees are sharing their thoughts about what he could do better, he can’t help but counter with some of his own reasons for doing what he did. However, at the end of the conversation, the manager thanks his employees for their feedback and agrees to review their comments about him.

3. Takes feedback as a personal attack and counters each one or refuses to consider any changes

This manager does not do well with feedback coming from employees. He believes that his employees are not equipped to assess him or his capabilities and actions. Giving him feedback is his manager’s role, not his employees’ responsibility. He does not proactively ask for it, and is usually taken aback – and negatively – when his employees share their thoughts and opinions with him. He sees feedback as a personal attack, or feels that he is being judged by his own employees. He actively argues against each point raised to justify why he was right, and uses his position as manager to shut the conversation down. He will also not consider any of the changes proposed by employees.

Harvard Business Review makes recommendations on how employees can give negative feedback to their managers. The first step is determining whether feedback is warranted in the first place. If it is, the article recommends that the employee prepare for the conversation, pick a feedback method, rehearse it – and finally, have that conversation with their manager.

Of the many skills a middle manager must have to be successful in leadership, the ability to receive feedback from colleagues at various levels ranks high. Feedback can provide valuable insights into the manager’s leadership and people management style, as well as help him identify areas where he is doing well and where he may need to improve. Additionally, feedback can help build trust between managers and their employees.

Regular feedback can contribute to a more positive environment between middle managers and their employees.