It is quite hard to know the contribution of each employee to the success of your business. After all, they work as a team! But did you know that some hide their weaknesses in those groups? Also, some employees will work twice as much as others for the success of the projects. For example, some personalities won’t mind working more than others. Some are habitual latecomers. Others may spend a lot of company’s time chatting with friends on social media. Sadly, the management may not know because their interest is in the end product.
But other colleagues will know. The customers will also know. The supervisor may know but fear to destroy the career of his co-worker. 360-degree feedback is the best performance appraisal in this case. Its main ingredient is anonymity.
Reasons Why It’s Essential to Protect the Identity of Feedback Providers
Provision of honest feedback
360-degree is anonymous by default. You may be wondering, “what is 360 degree feedback?’ It is a performance review. The assessment comes from multiple sources. Also, it’s different from the standard one in that many people do the evaluation. For managers, writing a report isn’t a big issue. After all, that is part of their duties.
But, an ordinary employee will not give a negative report about his boss or a close co-worker openly. The review may affect their relationship. That’s why it’s crucial to protect his identity so he can be free to provide honest feedback.
Maintain a healthy working relationship
You now don’t have to ask, “What is 360 degree feedback”? Because you already know! But did you know that dynamics exist in your company? Some recipients of the feedback may not look at it positively. If they knew its origin, that would be the end of their healthy relationship with the one who came up with the comments. You may hear comments such as “he never liked me.” Protecting the identity of the feedback provider is critical. The unhealthy relationship among employees will affect productivity and profits.
Focus on the feedback
As pointed out earlier, you should protect the source of the feedback. If not, the recipient will find reasons why the provider gave such info. But, if you protect the identity of the provider, the recipients will focus on the feedback. They will try to improve on their weaknesses. Also, they will seek training or further studies to get more skills. Moreover, they will appreciate knowing their strengths and weaknesses.
Committed employees
Losing a job is the last thing any employee would wish. In the traditional performance appraisal, it’s easy to get an excellent review. All you need to do is to ensure you have a good relationship with the boss. But, 360-degree feedback is different. The assessment comes from many sources. Thus, you have to provide the best service and work hard to get an excellent review.
Bottom Line
Protecting the identity of the feedback provider has many benefits. It helps the recipient focus on the feedback rather than the source. It also promotes honesty.
