How do you let someone know via email that while they’re exceeding expectations, there are still a few areas where they could improve their performance? If you’re Ashok Venkatraman, director of client services at Saggezza, you don’t.
“We only use video calls for feedback, whether it is quick feedback or a more formal end-of-year update,” Venkatraman told Built In NYC. “As emails can be frequently misconstrued, we want to ensure we are aligned on what feedback we are sharing with all team members.”
Like many leaders, Venkatraman has had to learn how to master the skill of giving remote feedback this year. Although it may sound simple, giving remote feedback means taking into careful consideration not only the content and the medium it’s delivered through but also if the person on the receiving end is in the right space to receive it.
Paul McCarthy, chief people officer at SevenRooms, said that since going remote he’s made it a priority to try and ensure that employees have ample time to prepare themselves prior to receiving feedback.
“If possible, it’s important to give them adequate time to prepare to be in a location where they can also be focused and without distractions,” McCarthy said.
Whether feedback is delivered in-person or over video, there needs to be a level of trust and transparency between employees and managers. Venkatraman and McCarthy told us how they’ve worked to establish that with their teams, along with how they’ve tackled the challenge of providing great remote feedback.
Since the Saggezza team went remote, a lot has changed about how Ashok Venkatraman, director of client services, delivers feedback and communicates with his team. Venkatraman said that he has shifted from giving individual feedback to team-based feedback and that the company has also started using WhatsApp to enable quicker communication between leaders and employees.
What’s different about your approach to giving feedback remotely versus in person, and why?
I think the most crucial aspect of managing a remote workforce is maintaining an open-door policy. Not being able to pop into someone’s office, ask your question and get an answer fast can drastically impact people’s performance and work. We have also made the shift to give feedback in a more structured way and to whole teams, instead of only to individuals. While remote, it is also important to communicate feedback regularly, once a month at a minimum. This provides our employees with a better understanding of how they are doing on a continuous basis.
How do you work with remote employees to determine the best cadence and medium for providing feedback to them specifically?
The most important thing is making sure that there is transparency. To achieve this, everyone needs to feel connected and there needs to be a safe space for employees to ask for what they need and get an answer quickly. We use WhatsApp now to communicate with our team, so employees can quickly send a message and get a response fast.
Being remote inherently means isolation, so we’re trying to be more intentional in our efforts to reach out and do frequent check-ins. We have made significant efforts to improve our onboarding process and create a more structured approach. We make sure to pair new hires with a “Saggezza buddy,” someone who is local and can help answer questions they may not feel comfortable going to their manager with.
Earning your employees’ trust is difficult normally, and being remote means that as managers, we need to put in serious effort to achieve this.”
The normal context of being in an office and catching up casually with team members throughout the day doesn’t exist in a remote setting. How do you maintain transparency and communication with your remote team and how does that support your ability to provide great feedback?
We only use video calls for feedback, whether it is quick feedback or a more formal end-of-year update. As emails can be frequently misconstrued, we want to ensure we are aligned on what feedback we are sharing with all team members. Alignment is critical in order to guarantee that there is a shared commitment on the next steps. When giving any kind of feedback, there needs to be a level of trust between both parties. Earning your employees’ trust is difficult normally, and being remote means that as managers, we need to put in serious effort to achieve this.
As a result, we have invested in multiple initiatives to increase employee engagement and provide opportunities to connect with the broader company. We have bimonthly engineering practice meetings where employees have the opportunity to present a topic they are passionate about. We have also done several virtual happy hours and brought in a mixologist to show employees how to make unique drinks.
For some people, their home is also their roommate’s office or their partner’s office, and potentially even their child’s daycare or classroom. Paul McCarthy, chief people officer at SevenRooms, said that he makes sure to take this into account when scheduling time with employees for feedback.
What’s different about your approach to giving feedback remotely versus in person, and why?
Whether remote or in person, it’s crucial to ensure you are focused, prepared and have no distractions in order to provide feedback in a meaningful way. The difference in today’s virtual environment is that you also need to be mindful about whether or not the person you’re providing feedback to has been able to prepare in the same way.
Feedback in real time is always better than waiting too long, but you should also think about whether the recipient is in a state of mind and a space to have the conversation. If possible, it’s important to give them adequate time to prepare to be in a location where they can also be focused and without distractions.
How do you work with remote employees to determine the best cadence and medium for providing feedback to them specifically?
The best way to determine the cadence and medium for providing feedback is to set a purpose for each meeting and highlight a talking point to allow for feedback to be given and received. If you regularly have this as part of your one-on-one meetings, or set the expectation that you want feedback to be part of a meeting’s regular cadence, it can really help make it feel more meaningful for all participants.
Feedback in real time is always better than waiting too long, but you should also think about whether the recipient is in a state of mind and a space to have the conversation.”
The normal context of being in an office and catching up casually with team members throughout the day doesn’t exist in a remote setting. How do you maintain transparency and communication with your remote team and how does that support your ability to provide great feedback?
Keeping an open channel via Slack or Google Hangouts is really important because the single most important part of being transparent and communicating well is to commit to being accessible to your team. Plan ahead and let them know that giving and receiving feedback is part of your mantra. If you are open about these intentions, your team members should feel comfortable and encouraged to share their insight and reactions.
