Imagine if seeking feedback at work could do more than just improve your performance – it could infuse your job with meaning and empower you to take charge of your career. Recent research by Siyao Zhu from the University of East Anglia, and Bin Ma and Kristi Jain from IE Business School, suggests that when employees proactively seek feedback from their leaders and coworkers about their performance and role in the organization, they can foster a deeper sense of purpose in their work, which in turn encourages them to take initiative and achieve their career goals. This article explores what feedback-seeking looks like in practice, and how managers and HR professionals can cultivate this behaviour to benefit both employees and organizations.
Feedback-seeking involves employees actively inquiring about how they are performing and where they stand within the organization. It is not just about asking, “How am I doing?” but also requesting specific feedback on tasks, projects, or overall job performance, and seeking guidance on how to better align their efforts with organizational goals. For example, after completing a project, an employee might ask their manager for detailed feedback on what went well and where improvements could be made. They might also seek input from coworkers on their collaboration skills or how they are perceived within the team.
The study conducted by Zhu, Ma, and Jain demonstrated a powerful connection between feedback-seeking, meaningful work, and personal initiative. They found that when employees seek feedback, they are not only collecting information to improve performance. They are also engaging in a process that helps them understand their work’s meaningfulness, which is a valuable indicator of wellbeing, linked to job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and better health. When employees find their work meaningful, they are more likely to take proactive steps in their careers, such as setting ambitious goals and pursuing them with determination.
For managers and HR professionals, these findings offer important insights. Encouraging employees to seek feedback isn’t just about enhancing immediate job performance; it is about helping them build fulfilling careers. This provides a route to building motivation, engagement, and overall wellbeing.
To create an environment that encourages feedback-seeking, organizations should encourage employee autonomy. This helps reduce the fear around seeking feedback. Managers can cultivate a culture of openness where employees feel safe to ask for feedback without worrying about being judged. HR can support this by implementing training programmes that teach employees how to effectively seek and apply feedback. Leaders can also role-model these behaviors, demonstrating the value of feedback by actively seeking it themselves.
By fostering a culture where feedback-seeking is encouraged, managers and HR professionals can drive both employee satisfaction and organizational success, enhancing wellbeing and performance.
If you would like to find out more, the full academic article is available open access here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2023.103896
