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Are you looking for peer feedback examples to share with your team during an evaluation? That's an excellent starting point because, according to Gallup, only 14.5 % of managers strongly agree that they know how to give effective feedback. If that's true for the managers, imagine what it feels like for other team members, who may have even less experience with evaluating others.
Peer feedback has vast potential for change and improvement, but only if done correctly. In this article, you'll find plenty of positive feedback examples and those that help you address challenges in a kind and empathetic way.
What are peer feedback examples?
Before we start, we should explain what peer feedback is. Peer feedback is a standard practice where employees evaluate each other's performance. Team members measure each other's efficiency, skills, and accomplishments in a survey usually conducted by the HR department.
However, statistics show that 21% of employees never respond to a peer feedback request. It's the last thing on their to-do list or they're not motivated to do it.
Your role as HR manager or business owner should be to make it as easy as possible for people to express their opinion. The best way to do so is by providing examples and prompts for giving constructive comments. You can use the peer feedback template that we provided in this article.
Why are they important for evaluations?
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As mentioned, peer feedback benefits everyone and it's essential for an unbiased evaluation process. Here are reasons why you need to develop a peer feedback culture in your company:
- New insights - As a manager, you see your employees differently than co-workers. Often, peers can identify each other's strengths and hidden talents that you may overlook at first as a manager.
- Employee retention - Your peer feedback data may help your company decrease the turnover rate. According to one survey, 92% of employees believe recognition increases the likelihood of retaining workers.
- Training insights - Peer feedback is a great way to discover areas for improvement. If some comments keep repeating, such as people reporting that one teammate lacks soft skills, you should consider organizing additional training or mentorship.
- Building a remote culture - These surveys boost employee engagement and make a remote employee feel valued and an equal team member. There's a misconception that remote workers are less productive than their colleagues working from the office, and peer feedback helps to evaluate everyone's performance more fairly.
- Career paths - Sometimes, peer feedback can uncover that someone is capable of a new role that you haven't previously considered. If people keep praising your new customer support agent for their excellent leadership skills, you may consider discussing an alternative career path.
Related
The importance of a 90-day review template
How to get started with a performance review template?
Key elements of good peer review examples
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If you're starting with implementing a feedback culture in your company, remember that your employees may need guidance on how to do it properly. Here are four elements of quality feedback that make giving feedback easier.
Likert scale
Suppose you want to get data on some particular quality or core value. In that case, the best way is to include a 5-point scale in the feedback example. The Likert scale increases the chances that people will be willing to respond to the survey because it's not binary (like Yes/No questions) and allows them to stay neutral for some questions.
All you have to do is list characteristics that interest you or prepare some questions. For example, has this person been giving extra effort lately? How would you rate their communication skills? Are they good team members?
Then, add the following scale from 1 to 5:
- 1 - Strongly disagree
- 2 - Disagree
- 3 - Neither agree nor disagree
- 4 - Agree
- 5 - Strongly agree
Strengths
Research shows that positive feedback might be more powerful than we think. People not only like feeling appreciated for their good behavior but it motivates them to work harder. Research shows that 39% of employees feel like their efforts aren't appreciated enough and that 69% of employees would work harder if they felt their efforts were recognized. You should encourage people to recognize each other's strengths because it creates a positive feedback loop that reinforces positive behavior.
You can share the feedback sandwich technique with your team and encourage them to use it whenever they want to share something that's not positive employee feedback. Every feedback should start with positive comments and end on a positive note. Any negative feedback or suggestions should be wrapped between two positive comments.
Areas to improve
Constructive criticism can be a game-changer within your organization if you handle it well. It contains massive room for improvement; sometimes, it's more powerful than a positive feedback example.
It's important to motivate people to be open and not be afraid to share negative feedback when necessary. Two things can help you:
- Make it anonymous - People tend to give more honest feedback when they know it won't affect their intrapersonal relationships. Don't forget to emphasize that feedback will stay anonymous and get them to open.
- Don't take it personally - Every HR knows that receiving negative feedback can be a source of stress for employees. Before any evaluation, you should point out that feedback is just a reflection of someone's current performance and not a reflection of their worthiness. If someone gets particularly upset, you should schedule a 1:1 session where you can discuss the negative feedback from a different perspective.
Open-ended questions and prompts
People are much more likely to provide constructive feedback if you give them prompts on how to answer. That's also the best method to get precise and meaningful feedback instead of vague sentences with little or no meaning.
If you're making a questionnaire from scratch, here are some ideas on what type of questions to include:
- What is one thing about X that you appreciate the most?
- What was their most significant accomplishment last month?
- How did they help you or other team members in the previous month?
- What do you wish they did differently?
Of course, your questionnaire will be more detailed and you may also add questions related to the industry you work in.
How do you give peer review feedback to remote teams?
Providing comments and critiques to team members who aren't in the same room can be difficult, but through it, you can also improve your communication skills. An approach to consider is to use video conferencing to have a one-on-one meeting when possible to make the conversation feel more intimate.
It's also important to be clear in your feedback. Remote teams often rely on written communication, so make sure your feedback is easily understood. Focus on specific behaviors or actions they can improve rather than personality traits.
Finally, give feedback regularly. When working remotely, it can be easy to feel isolated or disconnected, so frequent feedback can help team members stay engaged and motivated.
How do you write a peer review?
Writing a peer review can be daunting, but there are a few key tips that can help you craft a useful and constructive review. It is essential to be specific when providing feedback. Refrain from making general remarks and focus on activities or behaviors the person can improve. Give examples of what you are saying, so they understand it completely and offer advice and solutions. Offering advice will demonstrate that you care about them doing better!
Moreover, be balanced when giving your review. Do not concentrate only on the negatives or the positives but offer an objective perspective. Be honest in your feedback, yet also understanding and empathetic. Always share a few positive thoughts on the person’s work!
Finally, be prompt when providing feedback. Don’t wait until the end of the project to give feedback. Instead, offer feedback continually and on time to help the person adjust and improve more quickly.
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