how to writing 360 feedback for your colleague

• 360 Degree Feedback , Performance Management

60+ Powerful 360 Degree Feedback Examples

• June 7, 2024

Let’s face it: traditional performance reviews can often feel like a monologue, not a dialogue. But is this one-sided approach truly giving you the full picture of your employees’ potential? Are there hidden strengths or weaknesses going unnoticed?

The challenge goes even deeper. While giving feedback might seem straightforward, crafting truly constructive feedback that helps someone improve, especially when it comes to peers or managers, can be a whole other story.

This is where 360 degree feedback comes in, offering a much-needed shift from a singular perspective to a well-rounded view. In this blog post, we share 60+ 360 degree feedback examples for managers and peers that you can share with your team today.

What is 360 Degree Feedback?

360-degree feedback is a comprehensive performance evaluation tool that gathers insights from multiple sources within an organization. Unlike traditional reviews that rely primarily on managerial feedback, this approach provides a well-rounded perspective by incorporating evaluations from:

Self-assessment : Employees evaluate their own strengths, weaknesses, and performance against set goals.

Peers : Colleagues assess their teamwork skills, communication style, and overall contribution to the team environment.

Direct reports (for managers): When applicable, employees working under a manager provide feedback on leadership style, delegation practices, and overall effectiveness.

Manager : Supervisors evaluate employee’s performance against set objectives, offering insights into work quality, problem-solving skills, and overall contribution.

This multi-source approach paints a more complete picture of an employee’s strengths and weaknesses, fostering a more holistic employee development strategy. With performance management software like Peoplebox, you can easily collect feedback from everyone involved. Try it yourself!

What are the Benefits of 360 Degree Feedback?

While traditional employee performance reviews offer a snapshot of employee performance, they often lack a comprehensive view. 360-degree feedback bridges this gap by incorporating insights from multiple sources, leading to a wealth of benefits for both employees and the organization. Let’s explore some key advantages:

Improved Self-Awareness : Employees gain a clearer picture of how they’re perceived by colleagues across different levels. This feedback helps them identify strengths they might not have realized and areas for improvement they may have overlooked.

Enhanced Communication : By highlighting communication styles and preferences, 360 degree feedback allows employees to adjust their approach for smoother collaboration. This leads to less miscommunication and a more positive work environment.

Better Team Dynamics : Understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses through 360 degree performance feedback fosters a spirit of collaboration. Teams can leverage individual talents more effectively, leading to improved synergy and project outcomes.

Targeted Development : The specific and actionable feedback provided through 360 degree reviews allows employees to focus on concrete areas for improvement. This targeted approach makes development efforts more efficient and impactful.

Increased Accountability : 360-degree employee feedback’s multi-source nature fosters a sense of shared responsibility for performance improvement. Employees feel accountable not just to their manager but also to their peers and direct reports.

Stronger Leadership Development : 360-degree feedback provides valuable insights into managers’ leadership styles and effectiveness. This feedback allows them to identify areas for improvement and become more effective leaders, ultimately benefiting their teams and the organization.

Before we move to the 360 degree feedback examples, if you’d like to learn more about 360 degree feedback, be sure to check out our blog post on ways to boost productivity with 360 degree performance feedback .

Thirty 360 Degree Feedback Examples for Peers

Providing effective peer reviews is crucial for fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment. Here are 30 examples to help you craft impactful feedback for your colleagues:

360 Degree Feedback Examples for Communication

• “John consistently communicates complex ideas in a clear and concise manner, making it easy for everyone to understand.”
• “Emily effectively summarizes meeting discussions, ensuring everyone is on the same page.”
• “Michael could improve his communication by providing more detailed explanations of project updates.”
• “Rachel is always available to answer questions and clarify any doubts, making her a valuable resource.”
• “David’s clear and concise emails reduce misunderstandings and improve team efficiency.”

360 Degree Feedback Examples for Collaboration

• “Sarah is always willing to help and support her colleagues, demonstrating a strong sense of teamwork.”
• “Tom consistently offers to help with tasks outside of his responsibilities, showcasing his commitment to the team.”
• “Lily could improve her collaboration by actively seeking input from others and incorporating their ideas.”
• “Chris is an excellent team player, always willing to adapt to changing priorities.”
• “Hannah’s proactive approach to resolving conflicts ensures that issues are addressed promptly and effectively.”

360 Degree Feedback Examples for Problem-Solving

• “Alex consistently approaches problems with a logical and analytical mindset, leading to effective solutions.”
• “Ben is skilled at identifying and addressing potential issues before they become major problems.”
• “Emily could improve her problem-solving by considering alternative perspectives and solutions.”
• “Michael’s creative solutions often lead to innovative and effective outcomes.”
• “Rachel is adept at breaking down complex problems into manageable tasks, making them easier to tackle.”

360 Degree Feedback Examples for Leadership

• “John consistently demonstrates leadership by taking initiative and guiding the team towards shared goals.”
• “Emily is an excellent role model, inspiring her colleagues to strive for excellence.”
• “Michael could improve his leadership by providing more guidance and support to his team members.”
• “Sarah is an effective leader, able to motivate and empower her team to achieve their best.”
• “David’s vision and strategic thinking inspire confidence and drive the team forward.”

360 Degree Feedback Examples for Adaptability

• “Tom is highly adaptable, able to adjust to changing priorities and deadlines with ease.”
• “Lily consistently demonstrates a willingness to learn and adapt to new processes and technologies.”
• “Chris could improve his adaptability by being more open to feedback and suggestions.”
• “Hannah is skilled at pivoting when necessary, ensuring that projects stay on track.”
• “Alex is adept at navigating ambiguity and uncertainty, remaining calm under pressure.”

360 Degree Feedback Examples for Time Management

• “Ben consistently meets deadlines and manages his time effectively, ensuring that projects are completed on schedule.”
• “Emily is skilled at prioritizing tasks and managing her workload, minimizing stress and maximizing productivity.”
• “Michael could improve his time management by setting realistic goals and avoiding procrastination.”
• “Sarah is an expert at delegating tasks and managing her team’s workload, ensuring that everyone is productive.”
• “David is adept at balancing multiple projects and tasks, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and efficiently.”

These examples provide a starting point for peers to offer constructive and actionable feedback to their colleagues. By focusing on specific competencies and behaviors, peers can help their colleagues grow and improve in their roles.

Thirty 360 Degree Feedback Examples for Managers

Let’s face it—providing feedback to your managers can be daunting. However, offering constructive and actionable feedback is essential for fostering growth and development in the workplace. Here are 30 examples of 360-degree feedback that direct reports can use to provide valuable insights to their managers.

360 Degree Feedback Examples for Decision-Making

• “The team appreciates how David carefully considers all perspectives before making important decisions that impact the organization.”
• “Samantha could improve her decision-making by making more decisive choices and communicating the rationale behind them to the team.”
• “John consistently involves the team in decision-making, ensuring everyone is aligned and committed to the outcome.”
• “Emily is skilled at weighing the pros and cons of different options, making informed decisions that benefit the organization.”
• “Michael could improve his decision-making by considering alternative perspectives and solutions.”
• “David is an excellent communicator, keeping the team informed about project updates and changes.”
• “Samantha could improve her communication by providing more detailed explanations of project goals and expectations.”
• “John consistently provides clear and concise instructions, making it easy for the team to understand their tasks.”
• “Emily is skilled at active listening, ensuring that everyone’s concerns and ideas are heard.”
• “Michael could improve his communication by being more transparent about his thought process and decision-making.”
• “John consistently demonstrates leadership by setting clear goals and expectations, motivating the team to achieve their best.”
• “Samantha could improve her leadership by providing more guidance and support to her team members.”
• “David is skilled at empowering his team members, giving them the autonomy to make decisions and take ownership.”
• “Michael could improve his leadership by being more approachable and open to feedback.”
• “John consistently approaches problems with a logical and analytical mindset, leading to effective solutions.”
• “Emily is skilled at identifying and addressing potential issues before they become major problems.”
• “Samantha could improve her problem-solving by considering alternative perspectives and solutions.”
• “David is adept at breaking down complex problems into manageable tasks, making them easier to tackle.”
• “Michael could improve his problem-solving by being more proactive and anticipating potential issues.”
• “John consistently meets deadlines and manages his time effectively, ensuring that projects are completed on schedule.”
• “Samantha could improve her time management by setting realistic goals and avoiding procrastination.”
• “Michael could improve his time management by delegating tasks effectively and minimizing distractions.”
• “John consistently collaborates with other departments, ensuring that projects are aligned with organizational goals.”
• “Emily is skilled at building strong relationships with her colleagues, fostering a positive and productive work environment.”
• “Samantha could improve her collaboration by actively seeking input from others and incorporating their ideas.”
• “David is adept at resolving conflicts and addressing issues promptly, maintaining a positive team dynamic.”
• “Michael could improve his collaboration by being more open to feedback and suggestions from his team members.”

Remember, while giving feedback to managers might seem tricky, working it correctly can help you provide efficient feedback.

Best Practices for Giving and Receiving 360 Degree Feedback

Implementing an effective 360 degree performance review process requires a thoughtful approach to both giving and receiving feedback. By following these best practices, organizations and individuals can ensure that the feedback process is constructive and meaningful and leads to tangible improvements.

Providing Effective Feedback

Be Specific : Offer concrete examples and observations to support your feedback rather than vague or generalized statements.

• Vague: “Your communication skills could be improved.”
• Specific: “In the last meeting, when you presented your ideas, you spoke very quickly and didn’t use visuals. This made it difficult for some team members to follow your points.”

Focus on Behaviors : Provide feedback on specific behaviors and actions rather than making judgments about the person’s character or personality.

• Character Judgment: “You’re always so disorganized; it’s no wonder you missed the deadline.”
• Behavior-Focused: “The report draft was missing some key data points, and it was submitted after the agreed-upon deadline. Let’s discuss strategies to improve organization and time management for future projects.”

Balance Positive and Constructive : Ensure that you include both positive feedback and negative feedback to create a well-rounded perspective.

• All Negative: “Your presentation wasn’t very engaging, and the content lacked depth.”
• Balanced: “Your presentation slides were visually appealing, and I appreciated the clear structure. However, including some real-world examples to illustrate your points would further strengthen your message.”

Align with Core Competencies : Link your feedback to the identified competencies and skills relevant to the individual’s role and the organization’s goals.

• Generic: “You need to do better overall.”
• Competency-Aligned: “For your role as a project manager, prioritizing tasks and delegating effectively are crucial. Let’s explore strategies to improve your workflow and ensure all team members are contributing efficiently.”

Offer Actionable Suggestions : Provide specific, actionable steps the individual can take to address areas for improvement and continue developing their skills.

• Vague: “Try to be more assertive.”
• Actionable: “In meetings, consider raising your hand to contribute your ideas, and if you disagree with a point, you can phrase it constructively like ‘I see your point, but have you considered X?'”

Receiving Feedback Effectively

• Maintain an Open Mindset: Approach the feedback process with a growth mindset, ready to learn and improve rather than become defensive.
• Ask Clarifying Questions: If any feedback is unclear or you need more context, don’t hesitate to ask for additional details or examples.
• Prioritize Areas for Development: Review the feedback holistically and identify the 2-3 most critical areas to focus on for your personal and professional development.
• Create an Action Plan: Develop a clear plan of action, including specific steps, resources, and timelines, to address the areas identified for improvement.
• Follow Up and Reflect: Regularly review your progress, seek additional feedback, and adjust your action plan as needed to ensure continuous development.

Want an easier way out? Download our free 360 degree performance review template to get started!

What Types Of Questions To Ask In A 360 Degree Review?

Asking the right questions is the key to unlocking the full potential of a 360 degree feedback process. The questions you choose to ask can significantly impact the quality and relevance of the feedback received. By carefully crafting your questions, you can ensure that the feedback is targeted, actionable, and aligned with the individual’s and the organization’s goals.

Here are some sample questions to consider for each type of 360 degree feedback:

Self-Assessment:

• How well do you feel you are meeting your performance goals?
• What are your biggest strengths that contribute to your success in this role?
• In what areas do you see the most potential for growth and development?
• What resources or support would be helpful for you to achieve your professional goals?

Managerial Feedback:

• Does the employee consistently meet deadlines and deliver high-quality work?
• How effectively does this employee communicate ideas and collaborate with colleagues?
• Does the employee demonstrate initiative and take ownership of their tasks?
• What areas could this employee improve on to further enhance their performance and leadership skills?

Peer Feedback:

• How effectively does this colleague contribute to team discussions and brainstorming sessions?
• Is this person reliable and dependable when it comes to meeting commitments?
• Does this colleague create a positive and supportive work environment for others?
• How could this employee further strengthen their teamwork and collaboration skills?

Direct Reports (for Managers):

• How clearly does your manager communicate expectations and deadlines?
• Does your manager provide constructive criticism and guidance to help you improve your skills?
• Does your manager create an environment where you feel comfortable sharing ideas and concerns?
• How could your manager’s leadership style be more effective in supporting your development and motivation?

We cover more such important 360 degree feedback questions in-depth in our exclusive blog post . Check it out!

Collect Effective 360 Degree Feedback with Peoplebox

When it comes to collecting 360 degree feedback, it’s important to highlight the crucial role that technology can play in streamlining and optimizing the process. Peoplebox’s performance management platform offers a suite of features designed to help organizations collect, analyze, and act upon 360 degree feedback in a seamless and efficient manner.

One of the standout features of Peoplebox is its seamless integration with Slack . This integration allows employees to easily submit and receive feedback directly within the Slack environment, making the process more accessible and convenient. Additionally, it offers features like anonymous feedback surveys, weekly check-ins and one-on-ones, ensuring that feedback is not limited to formal review periods but is an ongoing process that supports continuous growth and development.

With Peoplebox, organizations can create a culture of continuous feedback and development where employees are empowered to grow, thrive, and contribute to the overall success of the organization. Ready to take your 360 degree feedback process to the next level? Talk to us today !

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360 Degree Feedback Examples - How to provide constructive feedback

What is 360-degree feedback?

This type of feedback, also known as multi-rater feedback, is typically collected on behalf of an employee to recognise their efforts and to provide constructive feedback. Running a performance review can be challenging given the time constraints and different biases involved.

This feedback is typically collected from the manager, peers and direct reports of an employee to get more objective feedback on how that employee is performing in the workplace. This type of review works well because it prevents the bias from one person from influencing the performance review.

When all the reviewers in such a review align on the feedback provided, the manager and employee can rely more heavily on that feedback. 

The key to collecting good feedback using a suitable peer review template . You also need to facilitate the process in a way that promotes psychological safety and employee development as outcomes.

3 Tips on Giving Constructive Feedback

• Be Specific: When giving constructive feedback, it's important to be specific about what the issue is and provide examples to illustrate your point. This will help the person understand what they need to work on and how to improve.
• Be Timely: Giving feedback as soon as possible after the event or situation has occurred will make it more relevant and actionable. Delaying feedback can lead to confusion and misunderstandings.
• Be Balanced: Constructive feedback should be balanced and include both positive and negative points. This will help the person understand their strengths and how to build on them, as well as areas where they need to improve. This will help to maintain motivation and engagement. Also, make sure to give feedback in private, so the employee can be honest and open without feeling judged.

Ready to enhance your performance review process? Roslin’s multi-rater performance review system offers a streamlined, structured approach that makes collecting comprehensive, unbiased feedback easier than ever. By integrating manager, peer, and direct report insights, our tool ensures a well-rounded evaluation, promoting psychological safety and developmental outcomes. Discover how Roslin can transform your feedback process today.

Examples of 360 Feedback

Leadership skills feedback.

"This person is very confident in their role as group leader. They can get the most out of everyone on the team."

"This person is highly effective at leading work groups and able to resolve conflicts among participants."

"This person is fair and treats every employee in the team equally and respectfully."

Needs Improvement

"This person is biased and favours some employees more than others in the team."

"This person provides no recognition to a team member's effort and hard work."

"This person can't explain the goals and objectives of a task clearly to an employee."

Communication Skills Feedback

"This person's communication skills are great, and they can make others understand the point clearly."

"This person is adept at communicating difficult messages and decisions skilfully."

"This person is precise in giving directions and effectively communicates what they expect from their team members."

"This person fails to communicate with their peers effectively, causing a lot of misunderstanding within the team."

"This person's direct and impersonal approach to handling discussions is ineffective in boosting the morale of those around them."

"This person needs improvement in replying to emails promptly."

Teamwork Feedback

"This person can be relied upon by team members."

"This person respects others and gives everyone equal opportunities to express their opinions."

"This person is a great team player. Their team members respect and appreciate them."

"This person is inconsiderate towards' others' opinions and ideas."

"This person tries to take credit for the work done by their team."

"This person tries to use their seniority to dominate their team members."

Productivity Feedback

"This person delivers urgent work without compromising on the details."

"This person always meets deadlines and makes the best time use."

"This person exceeds expectations by delivering more than assigned work despite the tight schedule."

"This person constantly pushes deadlines and fails to deliver on time."

"This person lacks a sense of urgency."

"This person has started delivering low-quality work to finish their work on time."

Attendance Feedback

"This person always comes in on time, follows the schedule and adheres to their lunch break time."

"This person replies to emails and calls in time."

"This person schedules their time off in advance and can be relied upon for completing your tasks on time."

"This person takes too many personal calls in a day."

"This person repeatedly exceeds their  lunch break time that interferes with their work schedule."

"This person often comes to the office late, causing scheduled meetings to start late. It also affects others' schedules. They need to keep up with the schedule so coworkers can keep up with theirs too."

Interpersonal Skills Feedback

"Even when disagreeing with others, this person does it gracefully and respectfully."

"This person can adapt easily to various situations and different people."

"This person is equal in their treatment of everyone and communicates with their peers respectfully."

"This person seems to find it difficult to express their emotions and feelings, which often causes misunderstandings."

"When given any kind of feedback, This person doesn't take it positively."

"This person does not take the time to develop and sustain positive and beneficial relationships."

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How to Provide Coworker Feedback for a 360 Review

Offer effective feedback your managers can use

Problems With Face-to-Face Feedback

• 360 Feedback Provides a Better Picture
• Tips for Providing Better Feedback
• Make Your Feedback Honest

Don’t Write a Book

Do make your key points.

• Provide Examples to Illustrate
• Don’t Expect to See Employee Action
• Don’t Worry About Negative Impact
• The Experience Is a Growth Opportunity

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You may be asked to provide feedback about another employee as part of a 360-degree review. When a manager delivers this feedback, your coworkers can benefit from your frank comments in the context of an overall review. The goal of this 360 feedback is to help the employee improve their performance and become a better contributor at work.

The typical employee is not comfortable giving feedback directly to a colleague, especially if it's less than positive. Face-to-face individual feedback can be counter-productive because it tends to focus on whatever the co-worker is doing now that is bugging their colleague.

Additionally, the feedback focuses on identifying problems and areas that are not working effectively. Ideally, feedback takes a more nuanced approach and focuses on ideas for improvement—not just on the negative.

That's why most organizations using 360 feedback rely heavily on feedback that is given to a manager, who then integrates and shares it with the employee. Other organizations provide electronic review submission that goes directly to the employee. The 360 feedback raters can opt to remain anonymous.

Electronic methods, even when the rater is identified and the co-worker is able to approach them to understand the feedback, are not ideal. Many employees are uncomfortable seeking additional feedback  and many raters are uncomfortable providing the feedback essential for the rated employee's work improvement.

Why Co-Worker 360 Feedback Provides a Better Picture

An organization can only continue to grow and prosper if its employees do. Since employees are rarely overseen constantly by the manager, the manager’s feedback to the employee should reflect an assessment from people who work with the co-worker daily. The manager needs to assess if their experience aligns with that of these co-workers. Your organization is more effective when a variety of voices go into the 360 feedback delivered.

Tips for Providing Better 360-Degree Feedback

Feedback is useful to the manager when it is specific.

Make Your Feedback Straightforward and Honest

You hinder your colleague’s development if you hedge your words, leave out deserved criticism, or send up a smokescreen that fogs the true interaction you have with the employee.

Here is an example of useful criticism: "I am bothered a great deal when Mary completes her assignments late. My entire team is then forced to wait until we can complete our portion of the project. This causes us to rush and not turn out our best work. Or, we miss our deadline, too."

The manager can only deal with a certain amount of information—whether it's praise or criticism. Make your key points succinctly. If you have criticisms, pick one to three to share. Don’t go on and on with details that don’t clarify your key points. State the facts, as you see them. A manager will find it impossible and frustrating to deal with five pages of input.

You serve the 360-review process best by highlighting your key interactions with your co-worker. Emphasize the positive aspects of working with them and any areas that could use development.

A maximum of three strengths and three weaknesses is the most a manager can deal with effectively when combined with feedback from others. This forces you to focus on the most important aspects of your coworker’s performance.

Provide Examples to Illustrate Your Most Important Points

Your feedback will help your colleague most if you can provide a clarifying example. Saying "John is a poor meeting leader," is not as helpful as saying that when John leads meetings, people talk over each other, the meetings go over their scheduled time, start late, and rarely have an agenda.

If you say Sarah doesn’t listen very well to the opinions of other employees, you are not providing the manager with enough information. Describe how Sarah’s unwillingness to listen to other employees affects work. Try this, instead:

"Sarah calls a group of us together and asks for our opinion and almost never alters her decision or direction based on the feedback other employees provide. Consequently, few employees care to offer her their opinion anymore."

Here's another example: When you update Barbara about a project you are both active on, she forgets what you told her. During your next interaction, she asks all the same questions again.

Specific feedback for Larry might focus on how every time you make a critical comment or try to have input to your shared project, he exhibits visible anger and argues about the input. It is not conducive to you continuing to give honest feedback.

Don’t Expect to See the Employee Act on Your Feedback

The manager is looking for patterns of behavior, both positive and negative. If you are the only coworker who offers a particular criticism or praise, the manager may choose to focus on the behaviors that more employees identified.

Plus, managers recognize that employees can only focus on a few things at a time to effectively change their behavior. Hitting the employee with 10 different areas for improvement will result in a demoralized employee who feels they are doing nothing right.

You want an employee to perceive feedback as a genuine opportunity to grow personal and professional skills, not as a dump about everything they are doing wrong.

Don’t Worry About Negative Impact on Your Co-Worker

The employee’s manager is looking for patterns they can share with the employee. Your feedback is only one piece that goes into the awarding of raises and promotions. The feedback from additional co-workers, the manager’s opinions, the employee’s self-evaluation, and their work contributions and accomplishments all affect the 360 performance appraisal.

Use the Experience as a Growth Opportunity

As you think about your co-worker’s performance and interactions, examine actions and habits you also have that people love or hate. You’re sure to find some commonalities with your co-worker. It’s a great opportunity to look at yourself and think about what you could improve, too.

By offering thoughtful feedback with specific examples, the manager can share the feedback with your co-worker, or your coworker can read the feedback and digest its essence. You are presenting an opportunity for the employee to grow.

The Bottom Line

The 360-review ensures that each employee’s performance and contribution get wide input from across the organization. It is so much more effective than relying exclusively on one manager’s opinion.

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10 Best Effective 360 Review Feedback Examples (+ Benefits)

Annual Review Process — a monster that almost all employers in an organization collectively dread, right?

Well, the stale and outdated review process doesn’t necessarily have to send shivers down everybody’s spine as we have more efficient, reliable, and effective feedback tools, especially 360-degree feedback.

Google implemented it across its disciplines and received astounding results as over 75 percent of its employees found 360-degree quite useful!

Therefore, in this post, we will help readers understand 360-degree feedback from inside and out, its benefits, applications, and some of the best feedback examples.

Let’s dig right into it, shall we?

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What is 360-degree employee feedback?

Employees across industries are used to receiving structured and formal feedback from their supervisors, especially when the time comes for the annual performance review.

Believe it or not, the yearly performance evaluation is still the only tool managers use to review employees and teams.

Breathing fresh air into this feedback cycle is the 360-degree feedback system that considers an employee’s work ethic, competencies, challenges, areas of improvement, and work style while providing space for its team members to share their insights.

360-degree feedback helps receive frequent and constructive feedback as employees get the opportunity to give extra context and specific examples that eventually make leadership strive for improved employee growth and experience.

What are the benefits of 360-degree feedback?

1. promotes dialogue with other team members.

A 360-degree feedback system opens gates for constructive criticism and conversations related to the performance review.

The participants in the review process can follow up with their managers and other team members to eventually “break the ice” and create a culture for open performance conversations.

2. Increase employee engagement and encourage personal development

The main goal of a 360-degree feedback process is to establish a work environment that promotes personal and professional development.

The review generated from the process allows participants to develop a feedback-based plan as it aggressively exposes their perceptions, blind spots, and even employee strengths that were overlooked.

3. Makes the employee motivated and boosts performance management

360-degree feedback can be followed up with post-assessment 360 surveys, ideally 12 months later, to figure out whether or not the participants can boost their performance. However, this is only possible if the leadership provides participants with proper support.

4. Direct reports increase accountability

A 360-degree feedback system does an excellent job of eliminating ambiguities and providing participants with key specifics to work on.

The information generated through the new review process helps managers create accountability for the behaviors showcased by participants. Moreover, it facilitates consistent expectations throughout an organization.

5. Honest feedback helps make the employee communicate

A 360-degree feedback process, unlike one-sided performance feedback, evaluates vital behavior in a working relationship — positive reciprocity.

It gives participants clarity over how they interact with others, how effectively they communicate, whether or not they are open to constructive and anonymous feedback, and other areas that impact relationships at work.

10 Best 360-degree Review Feedback Examples

Now that we are well-acquainted with how 360 feedback surveys work, it’s time we share some of the best 360-degree review feedback examples with you. Let’s get started!

1. Leadership skills

• “The person possesses excellent leadership potential.”
• “The person shows great confidence in their leadership role and can get the best out of other team members.”
• “The person effectively leads work groups and resolves conflicts in a team environment.”
• “The person shows potential to be a good group leader.”

2. Communication skills

• “The person shows excellent verbal communication skills both on personal and group level.”
• “The person shows mediocre presentation and interpersonal skills.”
• “The person communicates clearly and concisely.”
• “The person does not share information and ideas with the team, which shows their controlling nature.”
• “The person does not communicate well and seems arrogant.”
• “The person has improved their interpersonal skills to be more open and honest with team members.”

3. Teamwork skills

• “The person is very easygoing and fits well with any group.”
• “The person is receptive to team feedback and is a perfect team member.”
• “The person is a highly skilled team player.”
• “The person doesn’t prefer a team environment and has difficulty building rapport.”
• “The person has improved at working in a team environment by building strong relationships with members and managing personality clashes.”

4. Conflict-resolution skills

• “The person shows excellent ability to resolve conflicts quickly.”
• “The person has strong opinions but is open to external ideas (team members opinions), allowing the group to focus and work together.”
• “The person comes across as highly opinionated and has difficulty working with team members with opposing ideas.”

5. Creativity skills

• “The person is incredibly creative and always comes up with fresh ideas and creative solutions.”
• “The person shows potential for creative thinking and helps improve team members’ ideas during brainstorming sessions.”
• “The person doesn’t contribute effectively when it comes to brainstorming new ideas, campaigns, and solutions.”

6. Adaptability skills

• “The person is great at using new technology to propel the team forward for effective goal achievement.”
• “The person shows slight discomfort when subjected to new technology at work.”
• “The person needs help to deal with new technology and isn’t able to effectively use new tools to improve efficiency. “
• “The person prefers the older technology and is not inclined to switch to the new tools.”

7. Problem-solving skills

• “The person could improve their problem-solving skills by letting in more than one perspective to achieve a more complete understanding of the situation.”
• “The person sometimes reacts impulsively to new problems and doesn’t step back to contemplate the potential consequences.”
• “The person shows excellent problem-solving abilities as they understand the importance of teamwork when solving problems.”

8. Alignment abilities

• “The person showcases an all-around alignment with the company values and their actions are committed to the company’s vision.”
• “The person has not been meeting their deadlines, which is causing performance-related problems across the team.”
• “The person needs to commit to the company’s mission, vision, and goals with immediate effect and represent the brand in a positive light.”

9. Motivation

• “The person has dropped their productivity recently and doesn’t seem motivated toward the company’s goals of producing quality results.”
• “The person needs to work outside their comfort zone and handle more challenging tasks to boost their morale and motivation.”
• “The person seems to need more autonomy to feel motivated at work.”

10. Efficiency

• “The person feels the need for more resources to become efficient at completing the assigned tasks.”
• “The person has invested their time into training and has recently improved their productivity and efficiency in their role.”
• “The person does not seem to have an effective understanding of the tasks assigned.”

How to use 360-degree feedback?

As we know, the primary objective of 360-degree feedback is to generate deep insights into how employees at an organization function while collecting information related to employee engagement, leadership, teamwork, communication, conflict resolution + more.

Once managers of 360-degree feedback have the information, they can use it to provide employee feedback and facilitate employees’ performance improvement.

In this, managers figure out the areas employees already excel at and which skills they can develop to improve their performance.

However, managers might find it difficult to make their employees share honest and open feedback when completing surveys.

One of the best ways to deal with this is by encouraging organization-wide anonymous and honest feedback that generates honest responses — pushing for overall employee development.

How to write an effective 360-degree feedback question?

Your 360-degree feedback review system will function like a well-oiled machine if you ask questions the right way.

What should you consider when drafting 360 survey questions? Although we have covered this in much detail in one of our previous posts, here are some things you can consider to write better questions.

Managers should make sure the questions are fair and non-judgemental. Questions that are not leading or influencing will attract a large range of responses.

Moreover, managers shouldn’t ask questions on more than one competency at a time, or else they will confuse the participant.

Another crucial aspect of writing effective qualitative feedback questions is language. Make sure the questions are in the language participants understand. There should be no space for overly complex phrases and jargon that inhibit common understanding.

Coming back to core competencies, the survey should ideally ask not more than 8-10 questions related to participants’ key roles in the organization. In other words, the survey should focus on the core areas of their roles.

Final thoughts!

360-degree feedback is an exceptionally effective tool for generating direct reports, providing objective performance analysis of individuals in a team environment, and most importantly, ensuring an excellent feedback culture.

Not only that, it even provides managers insights into how the team reviews the individual — providing an all-around (360-degree) performance analysis to help managers make better decisions.

The advantages of implementing such a contemporary review process are quite obvious.

However, business owners and managers need to have constructive discussions with their employees to help them understand the common goals associated with 360 reviews and what employees can do to contribute to the set goals.

In other words, your 360-degree feedback review process implementation needs to be strategic. We hope you found this article helpful!

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360 Feedback Examples: 58 Real-World Examples

Explore our comprehensive guide to 360 feedback, featuring 58 detailed examples across key competencies.

Learn to give and interpret feedback effectively, enhancing performance and development in any organizational setting.

Communication

Effective communication is fundamental to both personal and professional success.

In the context of 360-degree feedback, assessing communication skills can provide valuable insights into how individuals interact with their peers, managers, and direct reports.

Here, we explore various aspects of communication through specific examples:

Listening Skills

• Example: During team meetings, John consistently allows others to speak without interjecting. He maintains eye contact, nods in understanding, and never cuts off speakers, showing respect and encouraging open communication.
• Explanation: This behavior demonstrates active listening, fostering a culture of respect and collaboration.
• Example: Sarah frequently asks questions such as, “Can you explain further what you mean by…” or “Did I understand correctly that…?” during discussions.
• Explanation: Asking questions not only clarifies the information but also conveys to the speaker that their message is important, enhancing mutual understanding.

Verbal Communication

• Example: Whenever Tom presents in meetings, he speaks clearly and structures his points logically, making it easy for the team to follow his ideas.
• Explanation: Clear articulation helps in reducing misunderstandings and ensures that ideas are conveyed effectively.
• Example: Emma regularly deals with complex data and has the ability to explain her findings in simple terms that non-experts can easily understand.
• Explanation: The ability to demystify complex ideas is crucial for cross-functional collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Written Communication

• Example: Mark’s emails are brief and to the point. He uses bullet points to highlight actions needed and specifies deadlines clearly.
• Explanation: Concise writing that drives action can significantly enhance productivity and reduce time spent on lengthy communications.
• Example: Lisa compiles monthly performance reports that are well-organized, with clear headings, concise summaries, and visual aids like charts and graphs to ensure readability.
• Explanation: Well-crafted reports can aid in better decision-making and are essential for keeping stakeholders informed with necessary insights.

This section of the guide underscores the importance of both receptive and expressive aspects of communication.

Effective communication is essential for fostering an environment where ideas flow freely, collaboration is encouraged, and all voices are heard.

By providing clear examples and explanations, this guide aims to help individuals recognize and emulate effective communication behaviors in their professional interactions.

Leadership is a critical function in any organization, influencing culture, driving change, and delivering results.

Effective leaders inspire their teams, set clear goals, and guide their organizations through challenges.

In 360-degree feedback, evaluating leadership skills helps identify strengths and areas for improvement.

Here are several examples of leadership competencies:

Visionary Leadership

• Example: Rachel frequently shares her vision for the department during team meetings, linking day-to-day work with the larger goals of the company. She uses storytelling to make the vision relatable and inspiring.
• Explanation: A leader’s ability to articulate a clear and compelling vision is crucial for keeping the team motivated and focused on common objectives.
• Example: Mike develops annual goals that not only align with the organization’s objectives but also challenge his team to grow. He ensures these goals are measurable and attainable, fostering a sense of achievement and progress.
• Explanation: Strategic goal-setting ensures that the team remains on a path that contributes to the broader success of the organization while fostering professional development.

Team Leadership

• Example: Emma promotes teamwork by organizing regular brainstorming sessions where all team members are encouraged to voice their ideas and solutions. She recognizes contributions and ensures that credit is shared equally.
• Explanation: Encouraging collaboration enhances team cohesion and leverages diverse perspectives for better solutions.
• Example: When conflicts arise, John acts promptly to mediate discussions between the parties involved. He listens to each side, remains neutral, and helps them find common ground or a compromise.
• Explanation: Effective conflict resolution prevents disputes from disrupting team dynamics and maintains a healthy work environment.

Decision Making

• Example: Linda uses a balanced approach to decision-making. She considers data analytics, consults experienced colleagues, and applies her understanding of the industry trends to make informed choices.
• Explanation: A well-rounded decision-making process reduces risk and enhances the likelihood of achieving desired outcomes.
• Example: Tom ensures that all relevant stakeholders are involved in decisions that affect them. He organizes meetings to gather input and discusses potential impacts before finalizing any plans.
• Explanation: Involving stakeholders in decision-making not only builds trust but also ensures that decisions are well-informed and broadly supported.

Leadership within the context of 360-feedback is about measuring not just the capacity to lead but also the ability to inspire, engage, and move others toward a common goal.

The above examples and explanations aim to illustrate key aspects of effective leadership that can be developed and refined over time.

Teamwork and Collaboration

In today’s interconnected workplace, the ability to work effectively with others is invaluable. Teamwork and collaboration are essential for achieving organizational goals and fostering a healthy work environment.

The following examples in the context of 360-degree feedback highlight important aspects of teamwork and how individuals contribute to collective success.

Cooperation

• Shares Resources and Information Willingly with Colleagues
• Example: Julia consistently shares relevant files and resources with her team without being asked. She proactively provides updates that could impact her colleagues’ work.
• Explanation: Willingness to share information and resources demonstrates a commitment to the team’s success and builds a culture of openness and mutual support.
• Works Cooperatively in Group Settings
• Example: During projects, Mark actively seeks the opinions of others and integrates different viewpoints into the project plan. He adapts his own ideas to better fit the team’s objectives.
• Explanation: Cooperative behavior in group settings enhances the quality of work produced and fosters a sense of unity among team members.

Supportiveness

• Regularly Offers Help to Coworkers
• Example: Sarah frequently checks in with her peers to see if they need help and often volunteers to assist others with their tasks, especially when deadlines are approaching.
• Explanation: By offering help, an employee not only aids in alleviating others’ workloads but also promotes a helpful and supportive workplace culture.
• Acts as a Mentor to Newer Team Members
• Example: Tom takes the initiative to mentor new hires by guiding them through the company’s processes and supporting them in their initial projects. He provides feedback and encouragement to help them integrate smoothly.
• Explanation: Mentoring new team members speeds up their learning process, aids their performance, and strengthens team cohesion.

Conflict Resolution

• Facilitates Constructive Discussions During Disagreements
• Example: Lisa is known for her role in calming tensions during team disagreements. She encourages open communication and helps the team focus on the issue at hand rather than personal differences.
• Explanation: Facilitating constructive discussions prevents conflicts from escalating and helps maintain a positive team dynamic.
• Promotes Compromise and Consensus Building
• Example: Whenever there is a decision to be made, James encourages everyone to voice their opinions and ideas. He seeks to find a compromise that incorporates diverse viewpoints and achieves consensus.
• Explanation: Promoting compromise and consensus ensures decisions are fair and inclusive, enhancing team satisfaction and buy-in.

Teamwork and collaboration are about more than just working side by side; they involve actively engaging with others, sharing responsibilities, and supporting each other’s growth.

The examples provided in this section illustrate behaviors that contribute to effective teamwork and the maintenance of a collaborative team environment. By fostering these behaviors, organizations can enhance productivity and create a more harmonious workplace.

Problem Solving

Problem-solving skills are essential in navigating the challenges and uncertainties of the workplace.

A keen ability to address and resolve issues effectively not only enhances individual performance but also contributes to the overall success of the organization.

This section of the guide explores examples of problem-solving skills as highlighted through 360-degree feedback.

Analytical Skills

• Breaks Down Complex Problems into Manageable Parts
• Example: When faced with a complex project, Angela methodically divides the task into smaller, more manageable sections, assigning clear responsibilities and deadlines for each part.
• Explanation: This approach allows for more focused and effective problem-solving by making overwhelming tasks more accessible and easier to manage.
• Uses Data Effectively to Guide Decisions
• Example: Robert consistently uses data analytics to inform decision-making processes. He gathers relevant data, interprets it accurately, and uses these insights to propose solutions.
• Explanation: Effective use of data ensures that decisions are grounded in facts and evidence, which can lead to more successful outcomes.

Creativity and Innovation

• Proposes Novel Solutions During Brainstorming Sessions
• Example: Emily often contributes unique and innovative ideas during brainstorming sessions, challenging conventional ways of thinking and encouraging the team to explore new possibilities.
• Explanation: Introducing creative solutions can lead to breakthroughs in projects and processes, significantly improving efficiency and effectiveness.
• Implements Innovative Approaches to Improve Work Processes
• Example: After noticing repeated inefficiencies in the monthly reporting process, John developed and implemented a new template that reduced the time required by 30%.
• Explanation: Seeking innovative ways to improve work processes not only enhances productivity but also demonstrates initiative and forward-thinking.

Decision Effectiveness

• Evaluates Pros and Cons Before Making Decisions
• Example: Linda systematically reviews the advantages and disadvantages of potential options before making critical decisions, ensuring she chooses the most effective path.
• Explanation: Carefully weighing the pros and cons helps in making more informed, effective decisions that are likely to yield positive results.
• Quickly Identifies Core Issues in Complex Situations
• Example: In a crisis involving a delayed product launch, Tom quickly identified the core issue to be a supply chain bottleneck and coordinated a response to address it directly.
• Explanation: The ability to swiftly pinpoint core issues in complex situations enables faster resolution and minimizes the impact on business operations.

Problem-solving is an integral competency that impacts all aspects of business operations, from daily challenges to strategic issues.

The examples in this section demonstrate how effectively addressing problems not only requires analytical thinking and creativity but also a structured and data-driven approach to decision-making.

Cultivating these skills can significantly enhance an individual’s ability to contribute to their team and organization.

Adaptability

In a fast-changing workplace, adaptability is a key trait that helps individuals and organizations thrive under varied circumstances.

Being adaptable involves adjusting to new conditions, embracing changes, and continually learning new skills.

This section provides examples of adaptability as seen in 360-degree feedback, demonstrating how this competency is crucial for resilience and growth.

Flexibility

• Adapts Strategies Quickly in Response to Changing Circumstances
• Example: Kevin noticed a significant shift in market trends that affected his product’s performance. He quickly realigned the team’s strategy to focus on new customer needs, keeping the project relevant and competitive.
• Explanation: The ability to swiftly adapt strategies in response to external changes ensures that projects remain viable and align with current market conditions.
• Handles Unexpected Situations Calmly and Effectively
• Example: When a critical presentation tool failed minutes before a client meeting, Sandra improvised with available resources, successfully delivering the presentation using alternative methods.
• Explanation: Remaining calm and effective in unexpected situations prevents panic, allows for clear thinking, and can lead to innovative problem-solving on the spot.

Learning Agility

• Quickly Learns New Tools and Technologies
• Example: Raj was introduced to a new project management software as part of a company-wide upgrade. He not only mastered the tool quickly but also helped train his colleagues, enhancing team productivity.
• Explanation: Embracing and quickly learning new technologies demonstrates agility and a commitment to personal and organizational growth.
• Applies New Knowledge to Enhance Job Performance
• Example: After attending a workshop on data analytics, Lisa integrated her new skills into her daily work, significantly improving her reports’ accuracy and providing deeper insights that benefited her team.
• Explanation: Actively applying new knowledge not only improves individual performance but also adds value to the team and organization.

Openness to Change

• Welcomes New Ideas and Approaches from Others
• Example: Mark consistently encourages his team to bring forward new ideas and tries them out in pilot projects, showing a genuine openness to innovative approaches.
• Explanation: Being receptive to new ideas encourages a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within the team.
• Adjusts to New Roles and Responsibilities with Ease
• Example: When promoted to a managerial role, Emily quickly adapted to her new responsibilities, effectively managing her team’s dynamics and significantly improving their project turnaround time.
• Explanation: Adapting swiftly to new roles shows a professional’s versatility and readiness to take on higher responsibilities, which is crucial for career advancement.

Adaptability is essential for maintaining effectiveness in an evolving work environment. It involves not only adjusting to new circumstances but also proactively embracing changes and learning from them.

The examples provided here illustrate how adaptability manifests in various scenarios, underscoring its importance in both personal and organizational contexts.

This competency is a valuable asset that enables individuals to navigate challenges and seize opportunities effectively.

Integrity and Ethics

Integrity and ethics are foundational to building trust and credibility in any professional environment.

These principles guide behavior and decision-making, ensuring that actions align with the values and standards of the organization. This section highlights how integrity and ethics can be assessed and fostered through 360-degree feedback.

Trustworthiness

• Handles Sensitive Information with Discretion
• Example: Alice is known for her strict confidentiality with sensitive company data. She ensures that access to sensitive information is restricted and properly secured.
• Explanation: Demonstrating discretion in handling sensitive information builds trust among colleagues and clients, reinforcing a reputation for reliability and integrity.
• Acts Consistently with Organizational Values Even Under Pressure
• Example: During a high-stakes negotiation, Bob adhered to the company’s ethical guidelines, despite facing pressure to compromise on these standards to close the deal.
• Explanation: Maintaining organizational values under pressure showcases a strong commitment to ethics and sets a positive example for others.
• Treats All Employees and Colleagues Equally
• Example: Janet consistently applies the same rules and standards to every member of her team, regardless of their personal relationship or status within the company.
• Explanation: Fair treatment of all employees fosters a sense of equity and respect, which is crucial for maintaining morale and productivity.
• Applies Rules and Policies Impartially
• Example: Tom enforces workplace policies impartially, applying the same disciplinary measures to all employees who violate company protocols, including those in higher positions.
• Explanation: Impartial application of rules and policies reinforces the principles of justice and equality in the workplace, promoting a culture of accountability.

Ethical Decision-Making

• Makes Decisions Based on Fairness and Honesty
• Example: Sarah faced a dilemma where she could have favored a long-time vendor for a contract despite receiving a more competitive bid from a newcomer. She chose the newcomer, prioritizing fairness and the company’s best interests.
• Explanation: Making decisions based on fairness and honesty ensures that business operations are conducted ethically, enhancing the organization’s reputation.
• Refuses to Participate in Unethical Practices
• Example: Kevin was offered confidential information from a competitor that would have benefited his project. He refused to accept the information and reported the incident to his superiors.
• Explanation: Standing firm against unethical practices demonstrates a strong moral compass and adherence to ethical standards, which are critical for sustainable business practices.

Integrity and ethics are not just about adhering to laws and regulations; they represent a core set of values that influence every action and decision in the workplace.

By providing examples of how individuals can uphold these values, this section of the guide aims to inspire and cultivate a workplace environment where ethics and integrity are practiced consistently and visibly.

This not only enhances individual character but also contributes to the overall ethical climate of the organization.

Performance Management

Performance management is a key aspect of organizational success, encompassing the processes used to identify, encourage, measure, evaluate, improve, and reward employee performance.

Effective performance management not only boosts productivity but also aligns individual achievements with organizational goals.

Here, we examine how 360-degree feedback highlights competencies related to performance management.

Goal Setting

• Sets Realistic and Challenging Goals for the Team
• Example: Jennifer consistently sets clear, achievable, yet challenging goals for her team, ensuring each member understands their targets and the role these play in the broader company strategy.
• Explanation: Setting realistic and challenging goals motivates team members to stretch their capabilities while aligning their efforts with the organization’s objectives.
• Regularly Reviews and Adjusts Goals as Needed
• Example: Every quarter, Mike reviews the team’s progress towards current goals and makes adjustments based on new market conditions or organizational priorities.
• Explanation: Regularly reviewing and adjusting goals ensures that the team remains focused and adaptive to changing organizational needs or external pressures.

Feedback Provision

• Provides Constructive and Timely Feedback to Colleagues
• Example: Laura offers timely and constructive feedback after each project completion, focusing on specific areas of performance and providing actionable suggestions for improvement.
• Explanation: Timely and constructive feedback is crucial for continuous improvement and helps individuals understand how they can enhance their performance in future tasks.
• Balances Positive and Constructive Feedback
• Example: Daniel excels at providing balanced feedback, recognizing and celebrating his team’s achievements while also addressing areas that require improvement.
• Explanation: Balancing positive reinforcement with constructive criticism encourages a positive work atmosphere and promotes personal and professional growth among team members.

Employee Development

• Encourages Professional Growth and Development
• Example: Susan allocates budget and time for her team members to attend relevant training and workshops, supporting their continuous professional development.
• Explanation: Encouraging ongoing learning and development not only enhances individual skills but also boosts overall team capability and adaptability.
• Identifies and Cultivates Potential in Employees
• Example: Mark has a keen eye for spotting potential in his team members. He tailors development plans to individual strengths and career aspirations, helping them progress toward leadership roles.
• Explanation: Actively identifying and nurturing employee potential fosters a pipeline of talent within the organization, crucial for long-term sustainability and leadership continuity.

Recognition and Rewards

• Recognizes and Rewards Excellent Performance
• Example: Emma makes it a point to publicly acknowledge outstanding contributions during team meetings and ties these recognitions to specific rewards, such as bonuses or promotions.
• Explanation: Recognizing and rewarding excellent performance not only motivates the recipient but also sets a benchmark for excellence within the team.
• Ensures Fairness in Recognition and Reward Systems
• Example: Tom implements a transparent method for tracking contributions and ensures that rewards are distributed based on performance metrics, maintaining fairness across the board.
• Explanation: Fair and transparent reward systems reinforce the meritocracy within the organization, ensuring that employees feel valued and treated equitably.

Performance management is a comprehensive process that involves setting goals, providing feedback, facilitating development, and recognizing achievements.

Through the examples in this section, this guide illustrates how effective performance management practices can drive employee engagement, improve organizational outcomes, and align individual performance with broader strategic goals.

Personal Effectiveness

Personal effectiveness encompasses the skills and behaviors that enable an individual to manage their tasks, responsibilities, and goals efficiently and effectively.

This crucial competency area directly impacts productivity, satisfaction, and overall success in the workplace.

Through 360-degree feedback, strengths and areas for improvement in personal effectiveness can be highlighted and addressed. Here are examples showcasing different aspects of personal effectiveness.

Self-Management

• Manages Own Time and Priorities Effectively
• Example: Chloe consistently meets deadlines and manages her schedule effectively, ensuring she prioritizes tasks according to their urgency and importance.
• Explanation: Effective time management is fundamental to personal effectiveness, helping individuals complete tasks efficiently while maintaining high-quality work.
• Demonstrates Self-Discipline and Ability to Work Independently
• Example: Even in remote work settings, Alex maintains high productivity levels, adheres to his work schedule, and meets all his performance targets without direct supervision.
• Explanation: Self-discipline and the ability to work independently are critical in today’s flexible work environments, indicating strong personal accountability and professionalism.

Stress Management

• Maintains Composure and Effectiveness Under Pressure
• Example: During a critical project phase, Sarah remained calm and focused, effectively managing her stress and encouraging her team to stay on track.
• Explanation: The ability to handle stress and maintain composure under pressure ensures sustained productivity and is crucial during challenging periods.
• Uses Stress-Reduction Techniques to Manage Workloads
• Example: Tom regularly practices mindfulness exercises during breaks to manage his stress, helping him stay focused and energized throughout the day.
• Explanation: Employing stress-reduction techniques can improve overall well-being and performance, especially in high-demand situations.
• Adjusts Quickly to New Tasks and Environments
• Example: When transferred to a new department, Lisa quickly adapted to the new work environment and responsibilities, showing flexibility and a positive attitude.
• Explanation: Being adaptable to change is a key element of personal effectiveness, helping individuals thrive in various settings and roles.
• Embraces New Methods and Technologies for Efficiency
• Example: Kevin eagerly learns new software tools introduced by his company to enhance productivity, often becoming a resource for colleagues needing assistance.
• Explanation: Embracing new methods and technologies demonstrates a proactive approach to personal and organizational improvement.
• Makes Informed Decisions Based on a Balanced Consideration of Facts and Experience
• Example: Emily consistently makes well-informed decisions by researching background information, analyzing data, and drawing from her extensive experience.
• Explanation: Effective decision making involves a careful balance of facts, analysis, and personal experience to achieve the best outcomes.
• Consistently Aligns Decisions with Personal and Organizational Values
• Example: Mark makes decisions that not only advance his personal career goals but also align with the company’s values and ethics, promoting integrity in his work.
• Explanation: Aligning decisions with personal and organizational values fosters trust and ensures long-term success and alignment with business strategies.

Personal effectiveness is about maximizing one’s efficiency and impact in their role. The examples provided in this section illustrate how individuals can enhance their performance by managing themselves and their responsibilities skillfully.

Effective personal management not only contributes to individual success but also significantly impacts the wider team and organization.

Cultural Competence With 360 Feedback

Cultural competence is increasingly vital in today’s globalized and diverse work environment. It involves understanding, respecting, and effectively interacting with people across different cultures.

This competency enables organizations to harness a wide range of perspectives and approaches, enhancing creativity and problem-solving capabilities.

Here are examples that illustrate how cultural competence can be assessed and developed through 360-degree feedback.

Diversity and Inclusion

• Actively Promotes an Inclusive Workplace
• Example: Maria consistently advocates for inclusive practices within her team, such as ensuring diverse hiring panels and organizing training sessions on unconscious bias.
• Explanation: Promoting an inclusive workplace not only enhances team cohesion but also attracts and retains top talent from diverse backgrounds, enriching the organization’s culture and output.
• Respects Cultural Differences and Works Effectively Across Those Differences
• Example: During international project meetings, John actively seeks input from global team members and shows consideration for cultural differences in communication styles and decision-making processes.
• Explanation: Respecting and effectively navigating cultural differences ensures productive collaborations and leverages diverse viewpoints, which are crucial for global success.

Global Perspective

• Understands and Considers Global Trends in Decision-Making
• Example: Linda incorporates global economic indicators and trends into her strategic planning sessions, ensuring that her decisions are informed by current and relevant international contexts.
• Explanation: A global perspective in decision-making helps align local actions with worldwide trends, enhancing the organization’s competitive edge on a global scale.
• Adapts Communication Style to Fit Different Cultural Contexts
• Example: Alex, when communicating with colleagues from different parts of the world, adjusts his communication style — whether it’s more direct or indirect — based on cultural norms to enhance understanding and rapport.
• Explanation: Adapting communication styles according to cultural norms prevents misunderstandings and builds stronger, more respectful relationships across borders.

Language Skills

• Learns and Uses Key Phrases in Another Language to Build Rapport
• Example: Sarah took the initiative to learn basic greetings and common phrases in Spanish to better communicate with her South American counterparts, showing respect and effort to connect personally.
• Explanation: Learning key phrases in another language demonstrates respect and effort towards building genuine interpersonal connections, which can significantly enhance working relationships.
• Seeks Cultural Insights to Improve Engagement and Collaboration
• Example: Tom regularly participates in workshops and cultural exchange programs to deepen his understanding of the cultural backgrounds of his team members, using this knowledge to foster a more engaging and collaborative environment.
• Explanation: Gaining deeper cultural insights can improve engagement and teamwork by making interactions more meaningful and adapted to diverse needs.

Cultural competence is not just about awareness but about actively applying understanding in everyday interactions and decisions.

The examples in this section demonstrate how individuals can cultivate and apply this competency to enhance their effectiveness in a multicultural and global workplace.

By fostering cultural competence, organizations not only improve their operational effectiveness but also contribute to a more inclusive and harmonious work environment.

35 Effective 360 Feedback Examples That Promote Team’s Growth

Struggling to craft insightful 360-degree feedback that truly helps colleagues improve? We’ve all been there. Leaving vague comments or sugar-coating strengths doesn’t empower professional growth.

The key lies in providing clear and actionable feedback. But how do you write impactful feedback that resonates with the recipient? That’s where this blog comes in.

Read the proven tips and many 360-degree feedback examples. We have covered feedback for everyone –  from managers to peers and even direct reports.

What are 360-degree feedback examples?

360-degree feedback examples are real-life feedback examples that show how a comprehensive feedback approach can be applied in various workplace scenarios, where feedback is gathered from multiple sources like managers, peers, and subordinates.

These examples help team members understand how 360-degree feedback works in practice and how it can be used to provide a more holistic and well-rounded assessment of an individual’s performance and development areas.

Different 360-feedback examples for more effective feedback

Feedback examples – close and open-ended questions.

These feedback question examples are targeted at the employees and will be answered by their managers.

Close-ended questions

1. How effectively does the employee set and achieve their performance goals? (1 = Ineffective, 5 = Highly Effective)

2. Does the employee actively seek and respond to feedback to improve their performance? (Yes/No)

3. How well does the employee collaborate with team members to achieve common goals? (Poor/Fair/Good/Excellent)

4. Has the employee consistently improved their skills and competencies over the past year? (Yes/No)

5. Does the employee take initiative in identifying and pursuing opportunities for professional development? (Yes/No)

Open-ended questions

1. Can you provide specific examples of the employee’s recent accomplishments or contributions demonstrating their growth and development?

2. What areas of the employee’s performance do you believe they should focus on to further their professional development, and why?

3. Please share any instances where the employee demonstrated a willingness to learn from mistakes or setbacks and how they handled these situations.

4. How have the employee’s collaboration and teamwork skills evolved over the past year, and how has it impacted the team’s success?

5. Describe any mentoring or coaching opportunities that would benefit the employee’s career growth and why you believe these opportunities are essential.

Positive and negative constructive feedback examples

Positive feedback 

“I wanted to acknowledge your excellent communication during the last team meeting. Your concise explanations and open-mindedness encouraged everyone to participate more actively. Keep up the great work!”

“I appreciate the support you provided during the project’s tough phases. Your willingness to listen and offer guidance significantly impacted our team’s motivation and productivity.”

“I wanted to recognize your outstanding teamwork during our recent project. Your dedication to our shared goals, consistent communication, and willingness to go the extra mile were crucial to our success.”

“Your presentation skills have improved significantly, as shown in our client meeting. Your confidence and clarity made a lasting impression, and I believe it will continue to benefit the team.”

“Your creative problem-solving skills during our cross-department meeting were impressive. Your unique perspective and innovative ideas provided valuable solutions to our challenges.”

Negative feedback 

“I’ve noticed that deadlines sometimes get missed, causing delays in our projects. I believe establishing a more structured timeline and prioritizing tasks would help us consistently meet our goals.”

“While I appreciate your feedback, there have been times when the delivery felt harsh. A more empathetic approach would make it easier for the team to accept and act upon suggestions.”

“There have been instances when communication within our team could have been clearer. It would be beneficial to be more proactive in sharing updates and information to enhance our collaboration.”

“During our recent project, I observed that some tasks were duplicated, leading to inefficiencies. Streamlining our collaboration and clarifying roles would help us work more smoothly.”

“In our recent cross-team meeting, it seemed like our goals were not entirely aligned. Clearer communication and a shared understanding of objectives would make our collaborations more effective.”

Feedback examples based on the participants

Peer-to-Peer feedback

“Your willingness to step in and assist with tasks outside your usual responsibilities was a significant help to the team. It demonstrated your commitment to our collective success.”

“In our collaborative efforts, I’ve observed a few instances where your responses to feedback seemed defensive. Embracing feedback with an open mindset could lead to better outcomes.”

Employee-to-Manager feedback

“Your approachability and willingness to listen to employee concerns have created a positive atmosphere in the team. It’s great to know you value our input.”

“While your vision for our department is inspiring, it would be helpful to have clearer long-term goals and objectives to ensure we are all working toward the same outcomes.”

Self-Evaluation feedback

“I actively sought out opportunities for professional development and acquired new skills that have contributed to the team’s success.”

“I sometimes struggle with time management, leading to occasional rush and stress. I plan to improve my time allocation to avoid these situations.”

Cross-functional feedback 

“Your team’s collaboration with ours during the product launch was seamless. The regular status updates and shared resources made it a smooth process.”

“In our cross-functional projects, I’ve noticed that sometimes there’s a lack of clarity regarding roles and responsibilities. Defining these more explicitly would streamline our efforts.”

How do you give effective feedback to your boss?

Providing feedback to your boss can be a delicate task, but it can contribute to a more open and productive working relationship when done thoughtfully. Here are some tips for giving feedback to your boss:

1. Select an appropriate time and setting for the conversation. Avoid catching your boss off guard or during particularly busy periods.

2. Frame your feedback in a positive and constructive manner. Instead of focusing solely on what went wrong, highlight areas for improvement and suggest solutions.

3. Support your feedback with specific examples. This makes it easier for your boss to understand the context and take actionable steps.

4. Watch your tone to ensure it remains respectful and professional. Avoid sounding confrontational or overly

5. Begin the conversation with positive feedback or acknowledgment of your boss’s strengths. This sets a positive tone for the discussion.

6. Address specific behaviors or actions rather than making personal judgments. This helps keep the feedback objective and less likely to be perceived as an attack.

7. Instead of just pointing out issues, provide constructive suggestions or solutions. This demonstrates your commitment to finding mutually beneficial outcomes.

8. Before providing feedback, organize your thoughts and consider the points you want to cover. This

preparation ensures a more focused and effective conversation.

9. After the initial conversation, follow up to check on progress or to discuss any additional thoughts. This shows your commitment to ongoing improvement.

What are some examples of effective feedback to your boss?

Upward feedback, where employees provide feedback to their managers , is valuable for promoting open communication and continuous improvement. Here are some examples of giving upward feedback:

1. Communication

“I’ve noticed that there are times when key information is communicated via email, but it might be more effective if we could have a brief follow-up meeting to discuss and clarify any questions.”

2. Leadership style

“I appreciate your leadership style, especially the emphasis on autonomy. However, at times, additional guidance on expectations for certain projects would be beneficial for the team.”

3. Team collaboration

“I value the collaborative environment, but I’ve observed a few instances where team members may benefit from more structured brainstorming sessions to encourage diverse ideas.”

3. Recognition and feedback

“I appreciate the feedback provided on my recent contributions. Having more regular check-ins or performance reviews would be helpful in understanding my strengths and areas for improvement.”

4. Workload and priority management

“I’ve been handling multiple tasks and projects simultaneously. It would be valuable to discuss workload expectations and prioritize tasks to ensure I’m focusing on the most critical aspects.”

5. Professional development

“I’m enthusiastic about professional development. It would be helpful to have a conversation about potential growth opportunities within the company and how I can align my goals with the organization’s objectives.”

6. Decision-making process

“I’ve noticed that the decision-making process on certain projects is not always clear. It would be beneficial to have more transparency on how decisions are made and the factors considered.”

7. Feedback on projects

“In the recent project, I found that the feedback on deliverables varied. Establishing consistent review points and criteria for evaluation would contribute to more consistent and high-quality outputs.”

How do you ensure your feedback is constructive?

You can use these actionable tips to immediately help your team members be more effective feedback givers and maintain this consistency with the help of regular training and feedback loops within their teams.

You can use these actionable tips to immediately help your team members give more effective 360 feedback and maintain this consistency with the help of regular training and feedback loops within their teams.

1. Use the ‘Feedback Sandwich’ technique

Start and end with positivity while placing constructive feedback in the middle.

Example: “Your presentation skills have improved significantly (positive). However, there’s room for even more improvement (constructive). Overall, your contributions to the team are valuable and appreciated (positive).”

2. Be specific

Provide specific examples and details to illustrate your feedback.

Example: “During the client meeting last week, when you actively engaged with questions and addressed concerns, it positively impacted our client’s confidence in our proposal.”

3. Focus on behavior, not personality

Address actions and behaviors rather than making judgments about a person’s character.

Example: Instead of saying, “You’re lazy,” say, “I’ve noticed that you sometimes miss project deadlines, which affects the team’s workflow.”

4. Ask for permission

Before offering feedback, ask if the person is open to receiving it, creating a receptive environment.

Example: “Would you be open to some feedback on the report you submitted, or would you prefer to discuss it later?”

5. Provide context

Help the recipient understand the circumstances surrounding the feedback.

Example: “Considering the tight project timeline, I understand why you had to prioritize certain tasks over others.”

6. Offer solutions or suggestions

Instead of just pointing out the issue, propose solutions or recommendations.

Example: “To improve our communication, we could schedule regular team check-ins to ensure everyone is on the same page.”

7. Balance positive and negative feedback

Maintain a balanced approach, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement.

Example: “Your attention to detail is outstanding, and if you can enhance your time management skills, you’ll be even more effective.”

8. Actively listen

Encourage a two-way conversation and actively listen to the recipient’s perspective .

Example: “I’m interested in your thoughts on collaborating more effectively.”

9. Give it on a timely basis (use software)

Provide feedback promptly to ensure it’s relevant and actionable. Consider using performance management software to streamline the process.

Example: “I noticed the issue during our latest project meeting, so I wanted to discuss it immediately to address any potential roadblocks.”

10. Maintain privacy and confidentiality

Respect the privacy and confidentiality of the feedback recipient. Discuss feedback in a private setting.

Example: “Let’s find a time to talk privately about your recent performance in the last marketing campaign.”

11. Practice empathy and emotional intelligence

Approach feedback with empathy and emotional intelligence, considering the recipient’s feelings and perspective.

Example: “I understand this project was particularly challenging, and I appreciate your dedication. Let’s work together to make it smoother next time.”

12. Attend the feedback training

It helps you hone your feedback-giving skills and ensure a consistent approach across the organization.

Remember, the most impactful 360 feedback questions and comments target observable behaviors and focus on development. Incorporate the above examples and tips to write helpful feedback for your team members.

Want to take your 360-degree feedback program to the next level? Consider hiring our Performance Management Consultants .

They can help you create a feedback program that aligns with your organization’s specific goals and extract the most impactful insights from your team. Feel free to contact us!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. can i use 360-degree feedback for okrs.

Absolutely! 360-degree feedback provides valuable insights that can be directly linked to OKRs . For example, feedback highlighting communication skills can inform an OKR focused on improving team collaboration.

2. How can I use feedback examples to improve OKRs?

Analyze feedback to identify strengths that can be leveraged to achieve OKRs more efficiently. For example, if feedback highlights strong leadership skills, consider assigning ownership of a crucial OKR task to that individual.

3. What is upward feedback?

Upward feedback flips the script on traditional performance reviews. Instead of managers evaluating employees, it allows employees to provide feedback on their manager’s performance, leadership style, and communication. This two-way street fosters transparency and empowers employees to contribute to a more positive and productive work environment.

4. How to use 360-degree feedback samples?

When using 360-degree feedback samples for OKRs, focus on aligning the behavior described in the example with a specific OKR. Ask yourself: How does this strength or weakness impact our ability to achieve this objective? This connection will help you tailor OKRs or identify areas where feedback can be leveraged for improvement.

5. How do I write 360-degree feedback for my boss?

Focus on the boss’s behaviors directly impacting your work and team performance. Maintain a professional tone and frame feedback constructively, offering suggestions for improvement alongside positive reinforcement. It’s also important to check your company’s performance review guidelines, as some organizations may have designated channels for manager feedback.

Gaurav Sabharwal

Gaurav is the CEO of JOP (Joy of Performing), an OKR and high-performance enabling platform. With almost two decades of experience in building businesses, he knows what it takes to enable high performance within a team and engage them in the business. He supports organizations globally by becoming their growth partner and helping them build high-performing teams by tackling issues like lack of focus, unclear goals, unaligned teams, lack of funding, no continuous improvement framework, etc. He is a Certified OKR Coach and loves to share helpful resources and address common organizational challenges to help drive team performance. Read More

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360-degree feedback ultimate guide | benefits, tips & questions

360-degree feedback is a powerful tool for professional development and for improving the employee experience. In this guide, we look closely at the ins and outs of peer feedback, and share best practices for leveraging 360-feedback in your organisation.

85% of Fortune 500 companies use 360 degree feedback to reduce bias and get holistic reports. 

360 surveys are a powerful tool for professional development, and also for personal development.

In this article, we'll discuss how to give 360 feedback in a constructive way. We’ll also give you some friendly sample questions that’ll kickstart your review process.

What is 360-degree feedback?

360-degree feedback or simply, 360 feedback is a holistic performance review system that includes feedback from bosses, peers, and subordinates to create a comprehensive performance report. 

It highlights employee strengths, clarifies weaknesses, incorporates different points of view, and does all of these anonymously. 

What are the benefits of 360-degree feedback?

As much as it helps leaders to improve themselves, 360-degree feedback also helps employees be at their productive best. According to an OfficeVibe study , 65% of working professionals want more feedback from their managers. For employees, 360 feedback benefits include:

Improved communication: 360 degree feedback encourages open and honest communication among employees, managers and peers.

Increased motivation: As individuals receive feedback from a variety of sources, they are more likely to feel valued and motivated by their peers. It can also boost morale. 

Improved self-awareness: 360 degree appraisals provide individuals with a comprehensive picture of their performance across a range of criteria, allowing them to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

Increased employee engagement: 360 degree feedback encourages employees to be more engaged in the workplace, as they have a greater understanding of how their performance affects the team.

Improved team performance: 360 degree feedback provides an opportunity for teams to discuss and identify areas of strength and weakness, improving team performance.

Enhanced employee development: Individuals can use the feedback to develop an action plan for improvement, target specific areas for development, and measure progress.

Identifying skill gaps: weaknesses can be addressed in a meaningful way and employees can operate on a transparent and level playing field

Tips for providing constructive 360 degree feedback (how to do it right)

1.foster a positive feedback culture.

Promoting dialogue and inviting employees to give their thoughts and ideas in a positive way are key for forming an effective feedback culture. 

By creating an environment where individuals feel comfortable providing honest input without fear of retaliation or negative consequences, organisations can harness the full potential of 360-degree feedback.

Leveraging Eletive’s suite of performance management tools is an easy way to show employees that you are committed to fostering a collaborative work environment that values continuous improvement. 

2. Focus on actionable insights

Providing vague statements is a waste of everyone's time. 

Aim to give concrete feedback that highlights particular instances where improvements can be made. 

This helps individuals understand exactly what they need to work on moving forward.

"You're not a great leader"

"You need to improve your communication skills" 

“Your UX and UI knowledge is really limited”

Point out specific situations where leadership skills were lacking

Mention a particular meeting or email exchange where the person's communication was unclear or ineffective

Provide links to helpful online resources and bootcamps where they can read up

3. Offer praise and recognition 

By acknowledging others accomplishments and positive traits, you not only boost their morale but also encourage people to continue excelling in those areas.

To give meaningful praise during a 360-degree feedback session, focus on specific examples where your colleagues have demonstrated exceptional skills or qualities. 

Some common attributes worth highlighting include:

Effective communication with team members

Maintaining calm under pressure

An eye for detail and accuracy in work output

A willingness to help others when needed

Innovative problem-solving abilities

Tailor your compliments by considering each individual's unique contributions to the team and organisation as a whole.

4. Address areas for improvement tactfully

It’s essential to not only give praise but also address any potential weaknesses tactfully so as to foster growth among staff members. 

Differentiating between constructive criticism and negative feedback is essential. 

Constructive criticism focuses on the behaviour or performance issue at hand, rather than attacking the person directly. 

It should be solution-oriented and aim to help individuals grow professionally by identifying areas for improvement.

Negative feedback: "You always miss deadlines."

Constructive criticism: "I've noticed that some of your projects have been delayed recently. Let's discuss strategies for better time management and prioritisation."

You can also encourage a growth mindset through your constructive feedback in three steps:

Acknowledge the effort: Recognize the hard work put in by your colleague, even if their performance didn't meet expectations entirely.

Suggest specific improvements: Offer clear recommendations based on observed behaviours or outcomes that could lead to better results in future tasks.

Provide resources: Share relevant articles, tools, or training opportunities that can help your coworker develop the skills needed to excel in their role.

5. Write concise and objective feedback

When participating in a 360-review process, it's essential for employees to provide concise, detailed, and objective feedback. 

This ensures that everyone involved receives valuable information without being overwhelmed by lengthy responses or vague statements. 

Try to incorporate the following:

Use simple language without jargon or abbreviations. 

Balance your tone by highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement. 

Edit your review to ensure clarity and coherence, removing any unnecessary words or phrases.

And to keep your feedback objective:

Make sure you avoid biases like recency, halo, and confirmation bias

Try and use facts and examples instead of personal opinions

Avoid comparisons with other team members

6. Utilise 360-degree feedback software

Benefits of Using Specialized Software for Collecting Feedback:

Efficiency: With a centralised platform, HR managers can easily manage the entire feedback process, from sending out questionnaires to analysing results.

User-friendly interface: A well-designed software solution makes it easy for employees to navigate and complete their evaluations quickly.

Data analysis: Advanced analytics features help organisations identify trends, strengths, and areas needing improvement across teams or departments.

Actionable insights: By visualising data in real-time dashboards or reports, decision-makers can make informed decisions about employee development initiatives based on accurate information.

Anonymity: Employees are more likely to provide honest input if they know their responses will remain anonymous.

Eletive’s 360 degree feedback feature helps you automate the entire 360-degree feedback process.

Our platform minimises administration, and aggregates individual results for an organisational overview. Making it a powerful tool for creating a culture of continuous learning and development.

​​Now that we’ve given you our top tips, it’s time to move on to some specific scenarios. We’re going to show you how to give 360 feedback to your boss, peers and employees…

How to give 360 feedback to your boss 

When giving 360 feedback to your boss, you don't simply offer feedback—you deal with egos, relationship complexities, and career prospects. It's important to be honest yet diplomatic. If referencing an incident, do not provide ancillary information that is not needed and if possible, provide a solution to a problem as well. 

360 feedback examples for managers 

1. appreciating their help.

Last week when I was struggling to close the lead over call. X took over, calmed the prospect down, closed the deal, and later explained to me what needs to be done in such situations. I appreciate how X handled the situation and gave me the confidence to move on to the next one. 

2. Pointing out a flaw

I understand X is under a lot of pressure lately but we have made some real progress regarding the website architecture. We rarely brainstorm ideas together these days and it would be great if X can schedule 1:1 huddles with team members to review work at least once a week.

How to give 360 feedback to your peers 

Peer appraisals are a different beast. Many employees feel torn between being an honest friend and a critic. It's important to be honest yet kind and to remember that constructive feedback is valuable to the recipient. Be thoughtful about your wording and use a professional tone to help them gauge their performance. 

360 feedback examples for peers

1. highlighting a strong point.

X has incredible communication skills and often helps other team members to resolve communication issues. It has improved our workflow and productivity. Last week X stayed late to help a couple of us in the meeting and closed a new client.

2. Pointing out a weakness

X is very tolerant of errors when a project is handed over to him. While a certain degree of errors is expected, he'll reach new heights in his career with a more detail-oriented and thorough approach.

3. Appreciating job knowledge

X has a solid knowledge of key job responsibilities that has helped our team deliver quality work on a day-to-day basis. The fact that X often acts as a subject matter expert on new topics is greatly appreciated.

How to give 360 feedback to employees 

When bosses give 360 feedback to employees, it's important to balance the positives with negatives and offer an encouraging view vis-a-vis the job responsibilities of the employee. A constructive and encouraging approach, emphasising strengths and pointing out opportunities for improvement in an empathetic way, will leave ideally employees feeling seen, validated, and inspired.

360 feedback examples for employees 

1. point out the wins.

Last week, X's work under pressure stood out for me. The way X handled the data breach and fixed the SQL query was an example for the entire team. Great job finishing the project before the deadline. 

2. Show how they can improve

X's overall performance and contribution would benefit from better responsiveness and communication from X. An effort to respond to urgent emails quicker will help the team plan better.

3. Highlight their potential

X has great leadership skills that are often visible when their team is under the pump. X stays calm, communicates with their peers, and has an eye for details. 

In the next section, we’re going to give you some closed and open example 360-degree feedback questions. 

You’ll be able to implement them fast, or simply use them as inspiration. 

Closed 360-degree feedback questions [Examples]

Closed questions, which means questions where the respondents choose between the options of "strongly disagree," "disagree," "neutral," "agree," and "strongly agree," are great to include in your 360-degree feedback review. Closed-ended questions enable quantifiable analysis and help you track changes over time. 

Examples of 360-degree feedback questions include: 

[Name] is good at prioritising their workload and meeting deadlines.

[Name] communicates clearly and efficiently with other coworkers and me.

[Name] has strong leadership skills and is a good leader.

[Name] exhibits strong interpersonal skills and helps people feel welcome and at ease.

[Name] provides timely and clear feedback.

[Name] prioritises teamwork and puts the team first.

[Name] takes the initiative in problem-solving and is solution-oriented.

[Name] is open to receiving feedback, both when it's negative and positive.

[Name] embodies our company culture and values.

[Name] values different perspectives and welcomes diverse opinions. 

Open-ended 360-degree feedback questions [Examples]

To get more qualitative information, including open-ended questions in your 360-degree feedback is also essential. These questions should focus both on an employee's strengths and their areas for improvement. This will help ensure that each 360-degree review includes a balance of positive and constructive feedback. 

Examples of open-ended 360-degree feedback questions include: 

What would you say are the strengths of [Name]? 

What is one thing [Name] should do more?

What is one thing [Name] should continue doing?

What is one thing [Name] should stop doing?

How well would you say [Name] manages their time and workload?

Can you share an example of a company value that [Name] has brought to life?

What three words would you use to describe [Name]?

[For leadership roles] If you were [Name], what would be the first thing you would do?

How well does [Name] adapt when priorities change?

Can you name an area where you'd like to see [Name] improve? 

5 things to keep in mind

Several factors play into the effectiveness and usefulness of feedback questions. The type, length, timing, frequency, phrasing, and structure can all impact how well participants receive them. That's why it is essential to choose carefully when designing these types of surveys for your organisation, and when choosing a 360 feedback tool.

An organised and structured approach to peer feedback is necessary if employees are to develop from the feedback over the long term. A 360° feedback tool enables HR and managers to create actionable feedback loops, to increase engagement and productivity in the workplace. 

1. The purpose is to evolve, not to be evaluated 

During the 360° feedback process, it's essential that the employees understand and feel like the goal is to evolve, rather than be evaluated. 

Otherwise, the feedback can cause stress. 

Remember: 360° feedback tools should be employee-centric and take other things than numbers into account, which is what makes them very different from regular performance measurement tools. 

2. Focus on strengths and opportunities

When thinking of employee development, it's a common mistake to start pointing out all the negatives you'd like to see removed. 

Instead, focus on the positive aspects of the employee, and try to reproduce the productive behaviour. 

However, there is always room for growth, both on an individual and organisational level. Combining questions about the employee's strengths with questions about areas where they can grow and evolve, will help you avoid scenarios where people feel overwhelmed or unfairly assessed. 

3. It's all about the employee

Self-leading individuals who take responsibility for their growth and career development are every employer's dream. Allowing employees to take their own initiative and receive feedback whenever they want, from whomever they want, is empowering. That's why it's essential for 360-degree surveys to be employee-centric.

4. Numbers are important, but not everything

Moving beyond numbers is vital to achieving actual change from the feedback given to the employee. 

Many factors in the workplace aren't quantifiable, at least not in a way that makes employees feel motivated. 

Instead, your 360 feedback tool is a great complement to other performance appraisal methods, as it adds the qualitative and interpersonal aspects of performance.

5. Effective surveys keep the employee engaged 

Although often neglected, the length of your survey has a big impact on its effectiveness. If it's too long, people may not put the same effort into each answer. 

It can also be challenging for the person being reviewed to handle too much data. It's usually best to keep your 360 surveys short and sweet, focusing on the most important questions.

For more information about which style might best suit your needs or how we could help you with this process, please reach out to our team.

What to do after receiving 360-degree feedback?

After receiving 360-degree feedback, it's essential for individuals to reflect on the input provided and create an action plan for implementing changes or improvements in their performance. 

This demonstrates a commitment to personal growth and enhances overall team dynamics.

Step 1: Analyse received feedback objectively

Embrace different perspectives with an open mind to maximise the value of 360-degree feedback and leverage it as a learning opportunity. 

Do not let constructive criticism affect your self-esteem; rather, use it to identify areas of improvement and grow professionally. Instead, use this opportunity to learn from others' insights and identify areas where you can grow professionally.

Review each piece of feedback carefully and look for recurring themes or patterns.

Acknowledge both positive comments as well as suggestions for improvement.

Consider discussing your findings with a trusted colleague or mentor who can provide additional guidance.

Step 2: Create actionable steps for improvement

The next step is developing a concrete plan to address identified areas of development based on the received 360-feedback. 

By setting specific goals, you'll be able to track progress over time while also demonstrating your commitment towards self-improvement within the workplace:

Prioritise key areas of improvement by considering their impact on your job performance and professional growth potential.

Create SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) objectives that outline how you will tackle these challenges head-on. Note: For more information about SMART goals, check out this helpful resource .

Develop a timeline for achieving your goals, including milestones and deadlines to keep yourself accountable.

Consider seeking additional resources or support, such as professional development courses or mentorship opportunities within your organisation.

Incorporating the feedback you've received from your 360-degree evaluation into an actionable plan is crucial for driving personal growth and enhancing team dynamics. Embracing feedback and striving to grow will aid you in becoming a more productive worker, thus aiding the organisation's success.

There you have it!

Our complete rundown on 360-degree performance reviews. Use our tips to improve your processes and give better feedback to your peers.

We’re here to support you on your performance management journey. 

So if you’d like to discover how Eletive can help you collect feedback more effectively, then book a demo here.

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360 (degree) feedback examples for an empathetic review culture.

When Google introduced peer-based reviews and simplified its feedback process,  75% of employees  found the new system useful compared to just 49% before the switch.

But Google isn't the only company to recognize the benefits of using this type of review system. 360-degree feedback is all the rage as employers look for alternatives to the stale and outdated annual review process. 

So, how does  360 feedback  work, and what exactly should coworkers be sharing? This guide provides 51 helpful 360 feedback examples. Use them as part of an action plan to show peers, managers, and leaders how to deliver  effective feedback . 

🔄 What is 360 feedback?  

360-degree feedback surveys collect opinions from respondents, including employees' peers, managers, and direct reports. The goal is to provide a well-rounded perspective of an individual's strengths and weaknesses, so they can identify areas for improvement.

"As a founder and director of KPS UK, I had the results of my first 360-degree feedback. This was led by our Head of People and Culture and involved asking for anonymous feedback and a score from a number of senior colleagues on 7 core competencies. I was quite nervous going into it, but I am glad we did this. While some of the feedback was a little uncomfortable, it was all honest, and I can't really argue with any of it. There was also a lot of good stuff, but the important parts are where I need to improve. I would strongly encourage all leaders to do this if you haven't already. To be an effective leader, you need to be strong across a broad range of competencies, and knowing where you need to improve is only going to make you better."  ‍ -  Branwell Moffat  - UK Director of CX Consulting at KPS Digital. 

360 feedback systems differ from traditional employee performance reviews that focus solely on an individual's manager sharing their observations. While this process has its benefits, it can be one-sided and leave out important perspectives. 

➡️ Check out our article on how to conduct a performance review meeting .

➡️ How to use these 360 feedback examples

The 51 examples of 360 feedback listed below should guide and inspire your own survey questions and responses. The samples we've created will deliver your points clearly while being empathetic to the person receiving your thoughts. They'll also speed up your feedback delivery as you'll know exactly what (and what not) to say. 

📝 360 review feedback examples

The downloadable template below will help you create your 360-degree feedback system, including potential question types. 

Feedback questions examples 

Closed-ended questions prompt a Yes/No response or a score as part of a rater system.  They're more structured and provide less room for interpretation. This style is also better for quickly gathering large amounts of data for analysis.

Open-ended questions encourage employees to provide more detailed explanations for their responses.  Use these answers to better understand an individual's thought process and motivation behind their actions.

Here are some examples of both types of 360-degree feedback questions. 

Closed-ended

• "Do you feel your manager gives you the opportunity to improve your skills?" (Yes/No) 
• "Rate your level of satisfaction with your current workload from 1-5."
• "Do you feel your feedback is taken into consideration?" (Yes/No) 
• "What obstacles do you see in your way to achieving your goals?"
• "How well does collaboration work within your team?"
• "What motivates you at work?"

Both types of questions have their merits, and we recommend using a mix to get a well-rounded perspective of an individual's thoughts and feelings.

Feedback forms examples

This 360-degree feedback example is for a peer-based review. You’ll include a question or statement in the left-hand column and invite survey respondents to complete the right-hand column. Feel free to adjust the categories or question types to your specific requirements.

➡️ Make sure to check out our article on 360 leadership assessments and learn how to obtain meaningful insights.

🙋 360 feedback answer and comment examples by category 

Feedback will encompass several categories to cover soft skills, such as communication, while ensuring your team members are engaged and aligned with company values. Note: the examples in this section include both positive (reinforcing) and negative (redirecting) feedback.

Communication 

Communication skills are essential in the workplace. If your team member cannot communicate their ideas clearly, it will reflect poorly on them and the company as a whole. 

• "You seem to have trouble communicating your ideas in our team meetings. I think it would be helpful if you wrote down your thoughts before the meeting to share them more effectively."
• "I've noticed you're always actively listening to others when they're speaking. Great job letting others make their point so we can all understand the idea."
• "I feel like you're not listening to me when we speak. It would be helpful if you could make more eye contact and nod to show you're following along."

Interpersonal 

Interpersonal skills help individuals interact effectively with others. These skills are important in both personal and professional relationships. 

• "I think you could improve your interpersonal skills by being more patient with people. You often become impatient when people don't understand what you're saying."
• "There have been a few instances where you've been abrupt with people. It would be helpful if you softened your approach so your colleagues don't feel you're attacking them."
• "Your interpersonal skills have really improved, and you've definitely become more assertive. You're showing a more dominant side with the potential to become an effective leader."

Problem-solving 

Problem-solving skills are crucial in every industry. Whether your employee is finding solutions to customer issues or resolving conflicts within the workplace, their ability to problem-solve will be key to their success. 

• "I think you could improve your problem-solving skills by looking at the situation from different angles. I've noticed that you tend only to see things from one perspective."
• "In our latest project, you reacted impulsively to problems instead of taking a moment to think about the situation. It would be helpful if you took a step back and assessed the situation before responding."
• "The way you brainstorm with others has accelerated your problem-solving skills. You clearly understand that trying to solve problems independently doesn't always produce the best solutions."

Every organization needs employees who are aligned with company values. When misalignment occurs, you might have team members who want to leave their roles or aren't positive ambassadors for your brand. 

• "I've noticed that you haven't been meeting your deadlines. This is causing problems for the team and doesn't align with our company value of being reliable."
• "I've noticed that some of your posts on social media don't align with our company values. You must represent our brand in a positive light."
• "Some of your teammates have expressed concern you're not committed to our company's mission to help people. You must be on board with our vision so we can all work together towards a common goal."

Motivation 

Engaged and motivated employees are more productive and can drastically improve profit lines. Take the temperature of your team to ensure they're in the right role and feel challenged in their work. 

• "I don't feel you're at your most productive recently. It's important to be motivated in your work to produce quality results."
• "I'll talk to your manager about giving you assignments outside of your comfort zone. I think you would be more motivated in your work if you had more challenging tasks."
• "You might be more motivated in your work if you felt like you had more autonomy. Let's chat about ways to give you more independence in your role."

Efficiency 

Efficient employees get the job done with minimal wasted time and resources. If your team member is inefficient, they might lack resources or need more training to complete their tasks. 

• "I think you could be more efficient in your work if you had more resources. I'll talk to your manager about getting you the supplies you need."
• "The training you've received recently has made incredible changes to the efficiency in your role. Reach out if you want to explore other training opportunities to enhance your skills and competencies."
• "Do you feel you have an excellent understanding of the task? If not, I'll talk to your manager about getting you more information and providing greater role clarity."

🚥 360 Feedback start, stop, continue examples

In this process, ask employees to identify which behaviors their peers should start doing, stop doing, and continue doing. 

360-degree feedback start doing examples

• "It would be great to see you step up to the plate and take the lead. You have some great ideas, and it would be a pleasure to see your team inspired by your enthusiasm." 
• "As a long-term and respected member of the organization, it would be fantastic if you could take more of an interest in our new team members. They often feel a little lost and could benefit from your wealth of knowledge."
• "I've been noticing that you do not own up to your mistakes as much as you used to. It's okay to make them, we all do, but you must learn from them. Can we work on this together so you can become more accountable?"

360-degree feedback stop doing examples

• "I know you're very passionate about your ideas, but everyone must have a chance to contribute in meetings. Can you please try to wait your turn before speaking?" 
• "I've noticed you've been booking meetings with managers and teammates to discuss topics you could have covered in an email or Slack message instead. Please try to be more respectful of your colleague's diaries and the various time zones we cover."
• "I know you work best under pressure, but it's putting a lot of strain on the team when we leave projects until the last minute. Can we agree on a plan to get projects started sooner?"

360-degree feedback continue doing examples

• "You're always so positive and upbeat, and it really helps to set the tone for the team. Keep up the great work!"
• "We love the way you think outside the box and develop such creative solutions. It's super refreshing."
• "You always seem to be one step ahead of the game, which is incredibly valuable for us. It's great to have someone we can rely on in that way."

360 feedback examples by rank 

Be aware that the feedback you provide in 360 review feedback forms may differ depending on the level of the employee and the area they operate in. Some soft skills like communication and friendliness may be required across your entire organization. Whereas the ability to be assertive or set an example may be more crucial when developing leadership skills. 

Here are some examples of feedback depending on their rank. 

360 feedback examples for managers 

• "I think you need to be more proactive in your management style. Try to check in with your direct reports more regularly, so they feel supported." 
• "There were a few instances where I felt you could have been more in control of your team. In the future, I would like to see you take a more active role in setting an example for them to follow." 
• "Your team looks up to you, and I think you have a lot of respect from them. You're doing a great job!" 

360 feedback examples for leaders 

• "I would like to see you being more of a thought leader within the organization. Try to share your ideas and blog posts with the wider team." 
• "I think you need to be more visible within the organization. Make an effort to attend more events and meetups, so people get to know who you are." 
• "It's important to consider the succession plan for your team. I would like to see you consider who to develop to join our leadership ranks in the future." 

360 feedback examples for peers

• "I think you need to be more open to feedback from your peers. Try to listen to their suggestions and take them on board." 
• "You've done such a great job welcoming new hires into the team. They always have good things to say about you!" 
• You've settled into the company so quickly and have such a bright future here. It would be great to catch up about your goals and how we can help you achieve them."

💬 For 50 more examples, and tips and tricks, check out our article Peer Review Examples: 50 Effective Phrases for Your Next Performance or Skill Review.

💬 Examples of positive reinforcing and redirecting constructive feedback

Feedback can be loosely divided into two main categories: positive and negative. Humans thrive on being told they're doing well. But at the same time, employees need to hear constructive criticism when their work isn't meeting the mark.  Surprisingly,  57% of employees  prefer to hear corrective feedback rather than praise, but there's a skill to delivering both in a respectful and actionable way.

Positive (reinforcing) feedback 

Reinforcing feedback encourages the employee to continue exhibiting behaviors or skills they're already displaying.  Here are some examples of how to reinforce great work with positive feedback:

• "You really kept your cool during that difficult customer call. That's a great example of how to provide the exceptional service our brand is known for."
• "I saw that you took the initiative on that project and came up with some great ideas. I like the way you think outside the box. Keep it up!"
• "Your idea to improve the sales process was fantastic, and it's massively increased our conversion rate. I'm so glad you thought of it, and I know that the whole team appreciates your contribution. Great work!"

Negative (redirecting) feedback 

Redirecting feedback is more challenging to deliver. It centers on what the employee could be doing better and how they can make those changes.  Keep in mind this type of feedback must never come as a surprise to the employee. They should know about the issues beforehand so they have time to process and reflect on the situation. Here are some examples of how to deliver redirecting feedback. 

• "It's a shame your work was late on this project as it held up the team. Can we agree on a plan to make sure this doesn't happen again in the future?"
• "I've noticed you don't seem as engaged or focused as usual, which, unfortunately, impacts your work and team morale. Please let us know if you're facing any challenges we can help with."
• "Your independent work is great. But as one of the quieter members of our team, there have been a few occasions where we've needed more input from you. Can you try to make sure you're vocal in team meetings or follow up with an email afterward if you think of something later to contribute?"

🏢 Examples of companies using 360 feedback 

You don't have to take our word on 360-degree reviews being the next best thing. Check out these top companies that have already achieved impressive results from their peer feedback systems.

Adobe replaced its traditional annual performance reviews in 2012 when it moved to a  "Check-in" strategy  instead. What prompted the switch? Employees had found formal reviews to be too bureaucratic which negatively impacted teamwork. Additionally, these infrequent annual reviews didn't motivate employees to do their best work. 

Instead, the Check-in process encourages meaningful two-way conversations between employees and managers. Feedback is exchanged in real-time to drive business impact and career development. Check-ins occur monthly, but stakeholder feedback may be exchanged with anyone at any time and can be accessed from a centralized location. 

An Adobe employee describes their experience.

" So excited that we now have a centralized system to keep track of our performance, career growth, and feedback in one place! This will help spur new ideas for my career growth and add depth to conversations with my manager." 

Deloitte reinvented its approach to performance management after discovering they were wasting 2 million hours per year delivering feedback. Even worse, this wasn't time well spent, with employee engagement and performance levels dropping significantly. 

After identifying 60 high-performing teams across their company, Deloitte realized they had one thing in common: the chance to use these employee strengths every day. Deloitte scrapped its annual performance review and replaced it with more frequent weekly check-ins to recreate this across all teams. 

Netflix embraces the Stop, Start, Continue process as part of the company's 360-degree review system. Originally, the company collected anonymous feedback , but more recently, Netflix has opted for a transparent approach where all employee feedback is signed. 

360 feedback reviews are just part of the traditional performance appraisal system, which focuses on professional development.  

🚀 Run 360-degree feedback processes on autopilot

Zavvy offers intuitive 360 feedback software that fits your organization like a glove.

Our software is perfect for:

• performance reviews ;
• development talks and check-ins;
• (remote) engagement surveys;
• recurring 1:1 check-ins ;
• leadership development surveys
• feedback template gallery ;
• and much, much more.

📅 Ready to learn how to start with 360-degree feedback? Take Zavvy for a test drive by booking a free demo today.

Alex is a marketer at Zavvy. On this blog, he mainly shares insights gained from discussions with selected experts and from helping our customers set up and improve their onboarding or learning programs.

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Your pain-free guide to 360-degree feedback

There’s no “single source of truth” for how you’re perceived in the workplace. 360-degree feedback might be the next best thing.

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Feedback is a powerful tool to help you improve. But it can also feel like “just one person’s opinion” – and that makes it tough to trust or attach too much credibility to.

“Feedback from others should not be treated as an objective data point,” says Marta Michaliszyn, an organizational psychologist designing the strategy for continuous feedback practices at Atlassian. “But the value of collecting perspectives from a variety of coworkers lies in the reality check it gives us: how others perceive me and my work matters, regardless of whether I agree with their feedback or not. The perceptions of others impact their behavior towards us, and this behavior can have very real consequences.”

360-degree feedback is designed to give that well-rounded perspective, digging deeper than constructive criticism from a single source. Done well, it will give you a better understanding of your perceived strengths and weaknesses, so you can not only build self-awareness , but also better relationships with your entire team. 

What is 360-degree feedback?

How to give honest feedback that builds your work relationships

360-degree feedback means receiving feedback from a variety of sources. Think of it like being at the center of a circle and collecting insights from all around you. 

While a traditional feedback approach focuses on observations from your direct manager, 360-degree feedback taps other people you work with regularly – usually anywhere from three to eight individuals – to offer input on your capabilities and performance. 

What makes the 360-degree approach so thorough and helpful is that it encompasses each type of feedback:

• Supervisor feedback from your direct manager
• Peer feedback from close colleagues on the same level as you 
• Upward feedback from people who report to you
• Customer feedback from customers you directly serve

360-degree feedback collects perspectives from all of those sources (and sometimes more) at once to get a more holistic view of your strengths, weaknesses, and performance.

And though “feedback” often feels synonymous with a performance review, it’s important to differentiate between the two. 360-degree feedback is simply about gathering insights in order to learn and improve, while a 360 review attaches those insights to decisions about promotions, compensation, and other employment factors. 

And, according to Marta, “it simply makes sense to ask for feedback in a continuous way, throughout the year. There’s a growing body of research that shows that the mere fact that feedback is being given in the context of assessment dramatically decreases its effectiveness.” Even more reason to decouple feedback from performance review , psychologically speaking.

How 360-degree feedback works

There isn’t one “right” way to manage the 360-degree feedback process.

Some companies offer consistent, self-serve opportunities to provide feedback to people they work with, like through an employee recognition platform or readily accessible form. Other companies roll out 360-degree feedback as a more formalized and scheduled initiative that happens once or twice per year.

Feedback at Atlassian

Marta says, “one of Atlassian’s key values is Be the Change You Seek. In this spirit, every Atlassian has an individual responsibility to determine the right time for them to ask for feedback, and are encouraged to do so, at minimum, at key milestones in their work. That way, when they prepare for their Quarterly Check-In, they can include the perspectives of their key collaborators – stakeholders, peers, customers – and get feedback from their managers as well.”  Managers at Atlassian also have the tools to get the pulse check-in from their teams on a regular basis, and are encouraged to model good feedback behaviors on their teams, including asking for feedback for themselves. “At the end of day, the primary goal of feedback is to help folks adjust and develop quickly – not to inform anyone about how they did months ago when they can’t change anything about that situation anymore.”

The cadence and methods can vary. But generally speaking, 360-degree feedback typically works like this:

1. Choose the right people

This isn’t about collecting feedback from absolutely everybody . It’s about getting it from people who have firsthand knowledge of what a person is like to work with.

Usually, the feedback recipient, their direct manager, and the human resources department can collaborate to identify the appropriate people – whether they’re fellow team members, customers, or other leaders – who have the most hands-on experience and can provide the most helpful perspectives.

2. Ask for feedback

Need more help getting started.

Here are a few free 360-degree feedback templates you can use: 

• SHRM’S 360-degree feedback template focused on leadership behaviors
• Typeform’s 360-degree feedback form template
• Culture Amp’s 360-degree review template

Those chosen people are contacted with a request, deadline, and instructions for providing feedback. This usually involves a survey or questionnaire with a combination of quantitative and open-ended questions.

For example, respondents could be prompted to rate their agreement with statements like:  

• This person effectively carries out their job responsibilities.
• This person manages their time effectively.
• This person is trustworthy and reliable.
• This person is a clear and effective communicator. 
• This person lives and breathes our company values.

But they might also be asked to write out answers to questions like:

• What are this person’s greatest strengths?
• In what ways does this person demonstrate leadership? 
• What challenges have you encountered when working with this person?

Along with your request for feedback, remember to clarify upfront whether responses will be anonymous or if names will be attached to the comments. 

3. Get feedback in the right hands

Companies have different processes for relaying feedback to the recipient. Some have feedback sent directly from the respondent to the intended person so they can review all of the comments and draw conclusions themselves.

Others send the feedback to the person’s direct manager who can parse through the responses, identify common themes, and relay the most helpful insights – without the person feeling buried under an avalanche of criticisms (particularly ones that could potentially be contradictory). 

4. Talk it through

Feedback can be hard to hear, and getting it from all angles can be overwhelming. That’s why it’s helpful to set up a conversation when the person can review the comments with their manager, ask clarifying questions, and develop a plan to move forward. After all, feedback is really only helpful if you act on it. 

Is it worth it? The benefits of 360-degree feedback

One of the biggest hangups about 360-degree feedback is that it can be a fairly tedious and time-consuming process for everyone involved.

Employees might have to complete surveys for several different team members. Leaders need to field a lot of feedback, aimed at both them and their direct reports. HR may need to nudge people to complete the questionnaires on time. 

While this more thorough approach to feedback does require a little more time and elbow grease, the benefits make it more than worth it. 

Gain a more thorough understanding of performance

One person’s opinion can feel biased and subjective. But pulling out common threads from a variety of different perspectives is far more credible and meaningful. 

That’s one of the biggest advantages of 360-degree feedback: It provides a more comprehensive understanding of the work you do – and how it’s perceived by the people you work with. 

Similarly, managers get a more exhaustive view of the performance and behaviors of their direct reports, which is valuable information to have as they support their growth and improvement. 

Minimize the impacts of office politics

Empathy is the antidote: conflict resolution at work

Work relationships aren’t always smooth sailing. Anything from a small misunderstanding to clashing personalities can intensely color people’s perceptions of each other.

And those emotions inevitably find their way into feedback, which can sometimes make a singular point of view feel unfair, accusatory, or even like revenge.

360-degree feedback relies on a variety of perspectives. In addition to a more complete understanding, it also helps to minimize the role that hard feelings, tensions, and office politics can play in the quality of feedback. 

Fuel productive conversations

This type of feedback is about supporting growth and development – it’s not about dishing out reprimands or rigid performance improvement plans.

Managers and direct reports should use the points highlighted in 360-degree feedback as a launching point for candid, productive discussions. People should also be encouraged to ask clarifying questions to better understand the insights. 

360-degree feedback equips employees with honest observations, but this well-rounded approach is helpful for leaders too. By collecting comments from a variety of sources, they might uncover cultural problems, process issues, or other snags that need to be addressed at a higher level. 

Increase self-awareness

The Johari window: a fresh take on self-reflection

Traditional feedback doesn’t necessarily boost self-awareness – it simply loops you in on one person’s viewpoint. That’s not always so enlightening, especially when different people can have vastly different experiences working with you.

360-degree feedback relies on broader sources and challenges you to evaluate remarks, identify themes, make connections, and draw your own conclusions. As a result, it can illuminate aspects of your behavior, interactions, and performance that might not have bubbled to the surface if you had asked for one person’s opinion. 

This more profound feedback gives you a much deeper understanding of yourself, but that more solid grip also means you’ll have increased awareness and sensitivity as you move forward. 

Cast a wide (feedback) net

Feedback is powerful, particularly when it feels authentic, relevant, well-intended, and trustworthy. But that breadth of feedback can be surprisingly tough to collect from a single source.

360-degree feedback curates perspectives from different people so that you can get a deeper understanding of what you’re really like to work with — and how you can become even better. 

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What Is 360-Degree Feedback? 7-Step Process + Free Template

360 degree feedback is a great way to gather rich insights to aid with employee development. Here's how you can utilize it in your organization to boost employee development and nurture a feedback culture.

360-degree feedback is a method of gathering feedback from multiple sources to aid in employee evaluation and development.

With the help of 360-degree feedback software , it's possible to collect rich, unbiased feedback about each employee in your organization.

This article will help you understand what 360-degree feedback is, why it's valuable, and how to run a 360-degree feedback process.

What is 360-Degree Feedback?

360-degree feedback, also known as multisource, multi-rater feedback or 360 review, refers to feedback about employee performance or observed behaviors gathered from various sources. 

It’s used to provide a deeper assessment of performance and guide decision-making around promotions, potential roles, and training and development.

Sources of feedback include:

• The recipient (by self-rating)
• Subordinates (if applicable)
• Customers (internal and external).

360-degree feedback is most often used for leadership development, but it can and should be used for regular employees too. 

Feedback is usually collected via surveys, questionnaires, and interviews (you can use employee survey tools to help).

It’s also typical for managers themselves to evaluate their performance as part of the 360-degree feedback process, but take this into account when considering bias as we all have bias towards ourselves and blind spots (more on this later).

How is 360-degree feedback different from regular feedback?

The fact that feedback is multi-source is the primary differentiator from other feedback processes. 

Traditionally, managers are the sole source of feedback as part of annual performance appraisals (or performance reviews ) and more frequent feedback discussions.

The information gleaned from an effective 360-degree feedback process is more holistic and can paint a more complete picture of the recipient’s performance and development. 

Having multiple input sources also allows for a broader range of competencies to be measured based on who is being asked to offer feedback. 

The who is very important in this process. 360-degree feedback carries huge risk of bias based on who provides feedback.

The other significant distinction from other forms of feedback revolves around anonymity. 

Recipients of 360-degree feedback are typically given summary data of their feedback, but they do not get specific information about what each reviewer said about them.

360-Degree Feedback Example

The following 360 feedback survey example is of a Customer Experience Manager seeking to grow within the organization (as described in the steps above). 

The survey will measure this manager on a series of core competencies identified as critical to the organization’s success. 

Prospective sources from which to collect this feedback could include direct reports, direct managers, peers within the same department/role, and other organization members with whom this manager frequently interacts (i.e., HR, sales, etc.)

This particular sample survey is designed to be filled out by a colleague to the Customer Experience Manager being evaluated.

Multiple versions of a survey could be created for the different stakeholders assessing the individual in question (i.e., surveys for managers, direct reports, etc. may have differently phrased questions and measure information that the group would be privy to). 

360-Degree Feedback Benefits

360-degree feedback helps to evaluate job performance and identify areas of improvement regarding employee relationships.

• Comprehensive performance insight : This multi-perspective approach offers a more holistic and balanced view of an employee's performance, strengths, and areas for improvement.
• Personal and professional development : For employees, receiving feedback from multiple sources can be eye-opening, revealing blind spots in their self-assessments. It helps them understand how their behavior and work are perceived by others, guiding them in their personal and professional growth.
• Enhanced communication : The process fosters open communication within the organization. It encourages a culture where constructive feedback is shared and received positively, leading to better interpersonal relations and teamwork.
• Performance management : For managers, 360-degree feedback provides a broader perspective on team dynamics and individual performance. It can inform more effective management strategies, talent development, and team building.
• Accountability and recognition : This system can make employees more accountable, knowing that their performance is being evaluated from multiple angles. It also provides an opportunity for employees to be recognized by a wider range of colleagues, not just their direct supervisors.
• Leadership development : For managers and potential future leaders, 360-degree feedback is invaluable in understanding their leadership style's effectiveness and impact on others. It helps in honing leadership skills by identifying strengths and areas for improvement.

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360-Degree Feedback: Pros And Cons

When considering 360-degree feedback, it's essential to recognize the merits and disadvantages of using it for employee development only versus using it for both employee development and performance evaluation. 

Though the efficacy of 360 feedback depends on the way it’s facilitated (how reviewers are selected, what questions they answer, etc.), limited disadvantages arise when considering using it for development purposes only.

The following table summarizes the critical pros and cons of using 360-degree feedback for more formal uses, such as performance appraisals (and thus things like promotions and raises).

360-degree feedback pros and cons

In sum, there are many clear advantages to using 360-degree feedback for employee development and keeping the performance appraisal process completely separate.

If considering using 360-degree feedback for formalized performance appraisal, it is expected that employees would exhibit hesitation and discomfort, especially at first. 

It would be wise to allow folks to engage with 360-degree feedback for the first time in a “safe” setting focused on their development rather than being tied to compensation and other employment decisions.

Doing so allows organization members to understand better what this process will look like and enables them to become more comfortable with the process. The decision to make it part of the performance appraisal process can be piloted and incorporated over time, in alignment with the organization’s culture. 

I recommend leveraging an effective 360-degree feedback process as a developmental tool.

360-Degree Feedback Process

Step 1: Identify and communicate the purpose

For the 360-degree feedback process to work, it’s necessary to educate all team members on how the 360-degree feedback process facilitates professional development and clearly articulate if it is tied to formal appraisal and compensation.

All participants should understand the benefits of feedback more generally, understand the benefits of using a multisource feedback process for development, know what the process looks like in practice, and understand how the results from the process will be used.

A communication plan should include other important features of the 360-degree feedback process like confidentiality, anonymity, process timeline, and the kinds of things included in the feedback survey. 

Step 2: Identify who will provide input

WARNING: This step is high-risk!! This is where 360-degree performance evaluations go from helpful to completely unhelpful and biased.

When an organization begins preparing to conduct 360-degree feedback, managers often ask their employees to identify a handful of people that they feel would be able to provide feedback about their performance at work.

This is where the entire process can be derailed. When you ask people who should provide feedback about them, you immediately invite significant bias into the evaluation process.

Instead, managers should seek to identify a handful of people that each of their employees actively collaborates with at work . Who do they serve? Who relies on them for effective work outcomes? Who are their stakeholders? Who is impacted by their work? 

Author's Tip

Consider looking at your direct reports’ work calendars to see who they’re actively collaborating with, what projects they are working on, and who those projects impact.

Also, try to include people from outside of the immediate team, especially when an employee is in a leadership role.

If the feedback recipient, for example, is a Customer Experience Manager with aspirations to continue growing within the organization, valuable sources of feedback may include: 

• The Customer Experience Manager (self-review)
• Members of this manager’s team
• The Customer Experience Manager’s manager
• Peer Customer Experience Managers
• Customer feedback (especially in cases where this manager directly interacts with specific customers)
• Other individuals/departments from across the organization with whom this manager interacts somewhat frequently (i.e., sales, operations, and HR).

Step 3: Define what gets evaluated

The third step in soliciting and administering 360-degree feedback is to define the relevant areas of performance the feedback is meant to address. 

These performance dimensions should be derived from current job analyses, or based on top management’s beliefs about the behaviors they want to develop and reward in the future.

A helpful question to ask yourself when defining these dimensions is “What behaviors should we expect from a high-performer in a given competency , and how often should we expect these behaviors?”

In the case of the Customer Experience Manager from Step 2, we might consider performance dimensions related to team management and the performance of the whole department.

We might also consider behaviors we would expect from a high-performing Customer Experience Manager preparing for an increase in the scope of their responsibilities. 

It is important to note that ratings are based on evaluations (e.g., 1 = Poor Performance, 5 = Excellent Performance) or on the frequency of behavior (e.g., Never does this, Sometimes does this, Always does this, etc.).

Step 4: Decide on how feedback is measured

The fourth step in preparing to deliver 360-degree feedback involves the design of the multisource feedback process. 

This covers the survey’s scale format (how behaviors and performance are measured) and the availability of commentary to supplement ratings.

A commonly used format is the Likert scale, which asks for a rating on a set of performance dimensions on a numeric scale e.g. 1-5 (1—strongly disagree, 6—strongly agree) as this is simple but provides enough flexibility for the rater to distinguish between merely average performance and high performance.

In the case of the Customer Experience Manager, let’s assume a number of the items asked on the feedback survey relate to this manager’s leadership. We’ll use a 6-point Likert scale like so:

• Completely disagree/Hardly Ever
• Disagree/Mostly not
• Somewhat Disagree/Usually not
• Somewhat Agree/Usually yes
• Agree/Most of the time
• Strongly Agree/Almost Always

Usually, 360-degree feedback presents different questions to different reviewers, based on their relationship to the person being evaluated. 

Often the split is by whether someone is a direct report of the person being evaluated, if they are a customer of the person being evaluated, if they manage the person being evaluated, or if they are a co-worker peer to the person being evaluated. 

Items one might expect on the survey could include:

• This individual supports me in meeting my personal and professional goals (DR)
• This individual provides helpful, ongoing feedback to help my performance (DR)
• This individual is responsive to my requests when I need to escalate a concern (CX)
• This individual takes time to support their direct peers and help mentor new managers (PR)
• This individual contributes value to team meetings (MGR, PR)
• This individual demonstrates accountability for their teams’ results (MGR)

In addition to submitting numerical ratings on the feedback form, it could be helpful to include room for additional commentary or feedback. This is so raters can provide specific information leading to the score or offer feedback not measured on the survey. 

Step 5: Analyze feedback data

Once surveys have been submitted, the data can be compiled, organized, and analyzed. 

One way of doing this is to provide the recipient with normative data to compare their results with summary data of other participants in the process (i.e., the average scores across the items measured by the other Customer Experience Managers who were rated).

However, while this might be motivational in some highly competitive teams and cultures, be careful not to discourage people too much when they compare their scores to those of their peers. It can backfire, so read the situation carefully! 

The various feedback sources can be separated by source type or relationship to the reviewee. This split can be very helpful when used as a basis for comparison. Knowing these differences could prove very insightful for the person receiving the feedback.

Step 6: Deliver the feedback

The sixth step in implementing and using a 360-degree feedback process involves the delivery of said feedback. There are several considerations relating to feedback delivery:

• The shape and feel of the delivery itself
• Who gets to deliver it.

How to deliver feedback

Feedback ought to be objectively and holistically explained and internalized so that the recipient pays attention to both areas in which they ranked more highly and areas noted for improvement. 

One way to do this is for the feedback deliverer to support the recipient in identifying whether areas for improvement (i.e., the presence of undesirable behaviors or the absence of desirable ones) highlighted in the feedback summary are related to motivation or ability.

To address areas for improvement stemming from motivational issues, feedback can involve the inclusion of rewards to reinforce the desired behavior change.

To address areas for improvement related to ability, constructive feedback might involve training, mentorship, or other ways that encourage the recipient to learn how to behave in the desired way. 

Who should deliver feedback?

The next concern consists of selecting the person (or people) delivering the feedback. 

Who, then, should deliver the feedback collected and serve as this support source? Here are several potential options:

• A hired coach, consultant, or HR Business Partner . Using a consultant may help minimize perceived risk to the recipient and allow the recipient to consider the feedback in full.
• Immediate supervisor . This requires that the supervisor review the feedback objectively and tie the survey results directly to tangible steps toward improvement.
• Group sessions . Feedback recipients can receive their results and have a general discussion on how to use the results and seek clarity on results and what to take away from them.

Performance evaluation software can also be utilized to help you analyze and administer more effective feedback.

Step 7: Supporting development

Throughout this article, I've focused on using 360-degree feedback for developmental purposes (rather than performance). 

Therefore, it’s imperative that the recipient co-create and commit to a series of actions supported by the recipient’s team, manager, and organization that aid their professional development.

Here are tips and techniques one can use to support multisource feedback recipients in making progress toward their commitments to growth.

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The deliverer of the feedback ought to work with the recipient on identifying the next steps based on the collected feedback data. This can include:

• Planning for future check-in meetings to discuss progress (with any of the relevant stakeholder groups, as appropriate)
• Identifying sources or opportunities for the recipient to learn more about and practice behaviors and skills they would like to gain or strengthen
• Having the recipient explain specific ways they intend to make the relevant adjustments
• Identifying timelines and milestones to measure progress.

Summarize key takeaways from the feedback session and action items 

Have the recipient help you summarize the actions and timelines they have agreed to.

It would be helpful for this information to be made readily available to the recipient and any relevant stakeholders (e.g., their direct supervisor) for whom it makes sense to follow up on these action steps. 

Performance management software with this functionality would help secure the survey data while offering easy access. 

360-Degree Feedback Template

Use this template to help you collect 360-degree feedback in your org.

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360 Degree Feedback: Examples of Positive and Critical Reviews

Qualitative feedback is an excellent value of performance review in any organization. Constructive criticism and positive voices from other team members are effective methods of recognizing your employees’ strengths and weaknesses . In this article, I will show you how to provide 360 Degree Feedback and many benefits this study can bring to the table.

What Is 360 Degree Feedback?

The Definition of 360 Degree Feedback explains that it is a form of collecting feedback on the effectiveness of the employee’s work. Such feedback may concern the following areas: interpersonal skills, practicing company values, communication skills, professional development, employee engagement, problem solving, or leadership skills.

The employee, their superiors, subordinates, and colleagues (sometimes clients) provide feedback in the study. It is a process of comparing a self-assessment of specific skills with the assessment of those skills by other people who observe the performance of the assessed person daily from different but still very important perspectives.

360 Degree Survey

If you want to be a good leader, you have to be open to criticism. Without knowing your strong and weak sides it will be extremely difficult for you to develop and make your company achieve success.

Types of the Constructive Feedback in the Study

Before we move on to the examples of 360 Degree Feedback, it’s worth learning more about the two types of peer insights we can get during the survey.

360 Degree Evaluation Method distinguishes two types of feedback: reinforcing and redirecting. The first one concerns situations when we want to praise someone for the high quality of performed duties and positively impact employee motivation. Contrarily, we use redirecting feedback when we want constructive criticism to translate into improved commitment and quality of work.

Let’s see examples of what such honest feedback can look like in open ended questions.

Reinforcing (Positive) Feedback Examples

Employee feedback from a specific team member is essential to performance reviews ( Pulse Surveys are another useful tool for collecting feedback) Not only is it a tool for assessing core competencies but also an effective way to solve problems, improve the atmosphere in the team, and “build” a committed employee. Try to highlight other team members’ accomplishments or attitudes in case of:

Completing a Specific Project

Management based solely on rebuking subordinates for inferior results is a thing of the past. Praising employee performance is a part of leadership skills and an excellent opportunity to strengthen the team’s motivation. The same goes for praising your colleagues. Don’t spare praise if someone has earned it.

Feedback Example For Performance Review:

Congratulations, Lindsay! Because of your great work and commitment, our latest marketing campaign has attracted many new customers to the company. Fantastic job, thank you!

New Ideas & Creative Solutions

Appreciate the employee who takes the initiative in team meetings and submits exciting ideas. Refrain from quenching your people’s enthusiasm. Such positive approach can help solve problems, or come up with a new solution for the product to help increase profits.

Good Feedback Example for 360 Degree Survey:

Josh, thank you for your curious questions during the last product demo meeting. I also like your great ideas regarding our company’s podcast. Very inspirational for all of us.

Both positive and negative feedback can be good for any organization. The 360-degree evaluation is an excellent tool for appreciating a colleague (subordinate or superior) and communicating constructive criticism.

Helping Others At Work & in Employee Development

A good team spirit is the treasure of every organization. It is a person who cares about a good atmosphere but also cares for others. Someone willingly helped with your problem, even though it was beyond their responsibilities? Or they made sure that new hires did not feel bad at work? Appreciate their attitude in coworker review.

Colleague performance feedback example:

Rachel, I can express how grateful I am for your help with new employees. It was very kind of you to show them what our company’s culture is all about. I bet you make the onboarding process for them as smooth as possible. Thank you!

Strengthening Employee’s Motivation and Confidence

We all have a bad day at work, a failed project, or a nightmare speech at a conference. Do you need to meet deadlines but fail from time to time? Well, that’s life. Keep it in mind if you find someone on your team who needs support. Provide employee feedback to help the person get back on their feet.

In the end, you’d expect the same thing in their shoes, wouldn’t you?

360 feedback examples for peers:

I know you put a lot of effort into preparing the presentation for the conference. Performing on stage is highly nerve-wracking. Don’t worry if not everything went your way. Your presentation is excellent material that our marketing department will surely use. If you want, I will talk to the HR department about the budget for public speaking training. Thanks again for your outstanding work.

Employees Performance Outside the Job

In a 360-degree feedback survey, we can focus on more than just performance management and direct reports regarding employees’ career development. Moreover, such a review system is also a unique opportunity to highlight co-workers that engage in social issues or help local communities.

Positive Appraisal Example For The Survey:

Marie, thank you for organizing the collection of food and warm blankets for the animal shelter in the company. You are an inspiration to me and proof of how the big heart of an individual can change the fate of dozens of stray dogs and cats. You can count on me for next fundraisers. Thanks!

Redirecting (Negative) Feedback Examples

Similarly to employee recognition, in the 360-degree feedback survey, we express criticism.

Evidently, it is much easier to give anonymous feedback, but when we do it constructively and gently, we can try to do so openly. Remember that the purpose of such feedback is not to offend the coworker but to resolve conflicts and indicate areas that should be improved so that your cooperation returns in the right direction.

Here are negative feedback examples for colleagues.

Employee Missed Deadline or Failed Project… Again

Hand up; who has never missed a deadline at work? I thought so.

The problem begins when an employee regularly fails to meet deadlines, neglects their duties, doesn’t conduct their tasks effectively, or does not give high priority to the most critical projects.

Negative 360 feedback example:

Mike, I’m sorry to write this. Because of your design delays, we lost our chances of winning the tender. If you know you will miss the time, please report it in advance so we can organize the tasks differently.

Constructive criticism and positive voices from other team members are effective methods of recognizing your employees’ strengths and weaknesses.

Quiet Quitting & Disengaged Coworker

We value work-life balance. However, this idea does not mean a low commitment to our duties’. On the contrary, in an ideal scenario, the idea is to deliver what we have committed to during working hours in a good atmosphere, and after hours to devote ourselves to family, hobbies, and everything unrelated to work.

Is every employee motivated? Of course not! But the negative attitude of an individual can destructively affect the team’s work. Therefore, it is worth monitoring employee engagement and satisfaction and investing time and resources in problem-solving.

Example of redirecting feedback:

Sarah, I have recently noticed an apparent decrease in motivation, which translates into the results for the entire sales department. Is everything OK? Remember that you can always talk to me. Let’s find a solution to this situation together.

Employee is Not a Team Player

Only some people are predisposed to act like a group leader (it’s related to individual interpersonal skills). But the way each employee collaborates with another has a significant influence on the team. Suppose a coworker does not play for the group’s success, disregards the cooperation and responsibilities of other participants, and ultimately claims the project’s success.

You can enjoy watching Colin Robinson, a brilliant energy vampire in the “What We Do In The Shadows” tv series, but you don’t want to see such a person daily at work. The same applies to people with low personal culture or those who create new ones instead of resolving conflicts.

360 Degree Feedback Example:

I know that you are a good programmer and fulfill your duties, but disrespectful and unpleasant comments towards colleagues have a terrible effect on the atmosphere in the group. Don’t focus solely on your tasks. Let’s work together to develop not only individually but as a team.

Lack of Communication Skills

In mature organizations, the culture of feedback matters. It applies, among other things, to development work and meetings. If we know our coworkers well, we know which of them have many exciting ideas.

Do they sit quietly at meetings? Let’s mention it in the peer review to encourage them to take the floor.

Examples of Team Members Opinions:

Hey Rick, I love your latest direct reports on market research. Great job! You have plenty of insights to share during our meetings. What makes you stay silent? We’d love to hear your voice; if communication is a challenge for you, PM me. Can we organize a workshop for you?

The Employee Is Constantly Late

Getting started at a specific time can be troublesome. Sometimes our bus misses, in the winter, the battery in the car will run out, or we will be stuck in kindergarten for a long time, taking the children off in the morning.

We can explain everything. But it’s hard to justify a coworker who is notoriously late for work and shows up at meetings when they started already. It’s just disrespectful to everyone.

Example Way to Communicate Negative Feedback:

I appreciate the fulfillment of your responsibilities and willingness to help others at work, but I have serious reservations about your approach to punctuality. Everyone would be better off if you came to work on time, and the atmosphere at meetings would only benefit if you didn’t go in there with your coffee five minutes after starting. Please, keep it in mind.

A Checklist for Thoughtful 360 Degree Feedback

Both positive and negative feedback can be good for any organization. The 360 degree evaluation is an excellent tool for appreciating a colleague (subordinate or superior) and communicating constructive criticism.

We have prepared a checklist of how to proceed, so that performance reviews bring the most significant value to the company and repair interpersonal relations.

How to Give Positive and Critical Reviews:

• Be respectful of the other person, even if you want to express only criticism
• Peers review is not racing. Think about and plan your answer carefully
• Speak for yourself. It is your feedback and your emotions, not the feelings of the group
• Give precise answers to specific questions, control the chaos of thoughts
• Be honest. Remember that openly speaking is better than anonymous feedback
• Don’t forget about diplomacy, but be firm when necessary

Ready to give or gather impactful employee feedback?

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Author: Dariusz Jaroń

Updated: 06 April 2023

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Qualitative Survey Questions with Some Examples

Understanding your customers' experiences and perceptions is crucial for enhancing your products and services. While quantitative research provides numerical insights, qualitative survey questions dive deeper, exploring the "why" behind customer behaviors.

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How to Request 360 Feedback From Your Colleagues + Examples

Are you looking for ways to request actionable feedback from your colleagues? Do you want to improve your work performance and reach your goals? If so, then 360 degree feedback cycles are a great opportunity to do just that.

At Pearl, we understand the importance of eliciting and receiving meaningful and actionable feedback in order to foster growth in both yourself and those around you. In this blog post, we’ll provide detailed examples of how to elicit productive 360 feedback as well as tips on how to request it from others. So read on if you want some helpful advice about providing valuable insights into your coworkers’ development!

What is 360 Feedback?

360 feedback is a process in which an individual receives feedback from their peers , supervisors, and/or subordinates. This type of feedback can offer a more comprehensive view of an individual’s performance and capabilities than other traditional employee feedback tools . It provides multiple perspectives on performance, which can be particularly useful for self-reflection and development.

By taking into account the opinions of various stakeholders within an organization, 360 degree feedback can help identify areas that need to be improved upon, as well as potential career growth opportunities. At an organizational level, it can provide valuable insight into how collaboration works and help to foster a culture of open communication and trust.

How to Request 360 Feedback?

Some companies have formal 360 feedback programs, while others do not. It depends on the organization's size, operating rhythm, management style, and probably a hundred other factors.

360 performance review programs can vary in their flexibility and customization options. While some programs provide pre-defined templates with fixed questions, others allow employees to add or modify questions based on their specific needs and goals.

Here are a few program types you might encounter:

Fixed Template 360 Feedback

Some 360 performance review programs provide a standardized template with a set of questions that are designed to evaluate various aspects of an employee's performance. In such cases, employees may not have the flexibility to add or modify questions. This approach ensures consistency across the organization and helps facilitate easier analysis and comparison of feedback. In this case, you'll have to accept the questions and feedback as designed.

Customizable 360 Feedback

Other programs offer a customizable template, allowing employees to add or modify questions within predefined guidelines. This flexibility enables employees to tailor the review process to their specific roles, responsibilities, and development areas. It can be particularly useful when different teams or departments have unique performance evaluation criteria.

Open-Ended Feedback Customization

Some organizations use more flexible systems or manual processes that allow employees to create entirely new sets of questions or modify existing ones without significant restrictions. This approach provides maximum customization, but it will require additional coordination and alignment with the organization's performance management guidelines.

It's essential to consult your organization's policies and guidelines or engage with the HR department to understand the specific rules and options available within your performance review program. This will help you determine the extent to which you can add or modify questions to gather feedback that aligns with your goals and objectives.

Personalizing Your 360 Feedback Questions

If your company has a formal 360 feedback system in place and allows for partial or entirely customized questions, you have an opportunity to find out some truly valuable, personalized feedback. Start by having a clear goal of what you are looking for in the feedback. Knowing what you want to achieve with it can help guide the process and ensure that you get the most out of it.

When making a request, try to be as specific as possible about what kind of comments or insights you would like to receive. If you’re looking for ways to improve a specific area of work performance, be sure to explain what you're working toward and what feedback would be most helpful. Additionally, make sure your reviewers are aware of how their comments will be used and who else will have access to them.

A good question should be clear and specific, so that the person being asked can understand your objective. It should have a purpose in mind, such as gathering information or verifying facts. Additionally, it should avoid using leading language or making assumptions to ensure unbiased responses. Finally, it should be open-ended enough to allow respondents to explore their own thoughts and feelings when answering them.

These types of questions can help provide more detailed and actionable insights into how well you're performing in your role, how you're showing up and representing yourself, etc.

Overall, providing meaningful 360 degree feedback requires some preparation and thoughtfulness but can be an extremely valuable tool for fostering growth and development among employees. By taking the time to ask thoughtful questions and craft clear requests, individuals can gain invaluable insight into their own skillset while also helping others get better at what they do best!

360 Performance Review Example Questions

In order to elicit useful responses from those giving feedback, consider including evocative questions. Here are some 360 performance review example questions:

• What do you think I could do differently to improve my performance in my role?
• Do you think I'm effectively communicating with colleagues and other stakeholders?
• What are your thoughts on my ability to work in a team environment?
• How do you think I'm contributing to the team's overall success?
• What specific skills or qualities do you think I bring to the team that have had a positive impact?
• What areas or skills do you think I could further develop to enhance my overall performance?
• Have you witnessed any specific actions or behaviors that support my career development?
• Have I demonstrated a solid work ethic and commitment to the job?
• Are there any areas of skillset that you feel I need to further develop or strengthen?
• Do you feel that I am sufficiently using my initiative and taking on new tasks or projects when they arise?
• How would you rate my problem-solving skills and ability to troubleshoot issues quickly and accurately?
• Are there any organizational objectives that, in your opinion, I could better contribute towards achieving?
• What areas of collaboration do you believe have been successful between us, and what could be improved upon?
• Are there any changes or improvements that you'd like me to make with respect to our working relationship together?
• Have there been any particular instances where I have handled a situation particularly well or poorly from your perspective?
• How can I further demonstrate leadership qualities within our team environment?
• In terms of interpersonal relationships with colleagues, how do you think I am performing overall?
• From your perspective, are there any weaknesses that should be taken into consideration when evaluating my progress over time at work?

By taking the time to ask thoughtful questions and craft clear requests, individuals can gain invaluable insight into their own skillset while also helping others get better at what they do best! Having a comprehensive understanding of the feedback received from colleagues can help provide a strong foundation for career growth. With this knowledge, you can take informed steps in improving your performance and fulfilling your professional goals.

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Learn more about leadership and management

Example Weekly Check-In Questions

Examples of Well-Written Performance Reviews: A Guide to Effective Evaluation

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30+ 360 Feedback Examples for Peers & Managers by Skills

• 360 feedback examples for peers and managers by skills
• Communication
• Attention to detail
• Problem-solving
• Collaboration
• Organization

‍ Did you know that employees who receive great recognition are 20 times more likely to be engaged than those who don't receive it?

Regular feedback is not only essential for improving engagement and strengthening professional relationships. It also positively impacts employees’ performance and could even reduce employee turnover because it enables you to address issues before they escalate.

Many employees stated lack of opportunities for career advancement as the main reason for quitting a job , but guess what – 360-degree feedback is the best way to get a complete picture of an employee's strengths and weaknesses, which can help create a career advancement plan.

Gathering feedback is not an easy task because people often don't know what to say. That's why we've created this guide with both positive and negative 360 feedback examples for peers and managers to inspire you the next time you have to provide employee feedback.

Here are some ideas to help you speed up the feedback process and complete those performance reviews on time.

We like to reframe negative feedback into constructive criticism. Yes, it's important to give honest feedback even about things you don't like, but if you want to keep an employee motivated, it's essential to provide actionable tips on how they can improve instead of criticizing them.

Keep reading to dive into 360-degree feedback examples.

Source: Freepik.com

Positive 360 feedback examples

• Your outstanding communication skills always shine brightly when you have to handle a challenging situation with a client. Your patience and empathy always lead to a mutual understanding and finding a win-win solution.
• Your communication skills are starting to rub off on the whole team and create a harmonious environment. Your inclusive approach makes everyone feel valued, increases employee engagement, and creates a sense of belonging.

Negative/constructive 360 feedback examples

• Your emails sometimes get a bit fuzzy, causing confusion among team members. We value your opinion, but we'd appreciate it if you could work on expressing yourself more clearly and making sure you're understood.
• Your responses are sometimes delayed, causing hiccups for the team. We'd appreciate getting quicker and more proactive answers during work hours as it could speed up the work and increase everyone's productivity.
• Your innovative approach to designing our new marketing campaign demonstrated exceptional creativity. Your unique ideas not only brought new leads but also significantly boosted engagement and brand awareness.
• Your creative solutions improved our user interface, which had a dramatic impact on user experience and satisfaction. The new version of our app received a lot of positive feedback, thanks to you!
• Your designs are solid but could benefit from a more creative touch. I encourage you to explore new ideas and experiment with different styles until you find something that will make our brand stand out.
• We believe our team-building activities could use a more creative spark. As an HR, could you try to think beyond traditional activities and come up with some fresh ideas that will boost employee engagement?
• Thank you for debugging the software code with such attention to detail. Your meticulous code reviews and thorough testing led to a bug-free product and increased customer satisfaction.
• Your attention to detail when handling employee records and other administrative tasks has been impeccable. It ensures that all departments run smoothly and can focus solely on their job, knowing that our excellent HR manager has taken care of everything else.
• We've noticed that our reports need more attention to detail. We'd appreciate it if you could review them more thoroughly from now on.
• We've noticed some inconsistencies in our recent presentation slides. Could you please double-check in the future to ensure that the colors and fonts are uniform throughout the whole presentation?
• You've shown exceptional problem-solving skills when resolving customer service issues on your own. Your analytical approach and unique ways to solve problems make sure all our customers are satisfied.
• Thank you for the swift action in switching to another email marketing platform during the system bugs and coming up with a way to keep our subscribers. I know we can always count on your problem-solving skills, even in moments of crisis.
• We'd appreciate it if you first tried to solve the minor issues on your own instead of seeking help immediately. This will not only stimulate your professional growth, but it'll also allow others to finish their own tasks effectively.
• We encourage you to engage in individual problem-solving before our team meetings. We're sure you'll come up with some great ideas that can contribute to the development of our product.

• Your leadership qualities are undeniable, and it's evident you're on the path to becoming a manager. Your effective communication skills and decision-making are setting a standard for everyone around you, even more experienced team members.
• The recent crises have revealed your exceptional leadership skills. Having a clear vision and acting upon it inspired other team members to overcome challenges and achieve our targets despite going through a tough period. You're such an inspiration!
• Instead of waiting for a group leader to make the final decision, you could be more proactive by trusting your instincts, taking initiative, and asking open-ended questions to identify areas where you could contribute without being asked to.
• You should develop your potential when it comes to leading work groups. Don't be afraid to trust your own judgment and make decisions confidently. Even if you make some mistakes in the beginning, don't worry, as it's all a learning experience.
• Your collaborative spirit in sharing knowledge with new hires sets an example for the rest of the team. Your willingness to help has streamlined our onboarding process and enabled us to create a culture of mutual support.
• The approach you have to resolving conflicts is commendable. Your active listening and tactful communication have helped to transform conflicts into opportunities for growth and team bonding.
• There's room for growth when it comes to collaboration and interpersonal skills. Consider actively engaging with other team members’ opinions and offering help when they need it.
• Being an excellent team player is one of the central company values and an essential part of our organization's culture, so we'd appreciate it if you could work on fostering cooperation and teamwork instead of doing everything on your own.
• We are so glad to have you as our new office manager! Your systematic approach to organizing paperwork has transformed our operations, streamlined our workflows, and created a lot of extra time for other team members.
• Your excellent time management skills led us to complete the project ahead of schedule. Your meticulous planning and prioritization not only met but exceeded my expectations. Thank you!
• We've noticed that you've been late almost every day recently, which could add negative points to your performance review. It's not too late to work on this, so let's agree to prioritize timeliness and punctuality from now on.
• Disorganized documents negatively impact the performance levels of the whole team. Therefore, we'd urge you to label the files properly so everyone can easily find them.

• Congratulations on surpassing our sales target! Your strategic approach, focus, and efficiency have been crucial for making the fourth quarter a financial success.
• Great job in exceeding our marketing goal for growing our company page! Your efficiency and persistence to stick to the content schedule even when you had many things on your plate have significantly boosted our online presence.
• I noticed you've fallen short of achieving your sales target for the last few months. I am here to assist employees in boosting their performance so if you're ready to work on your goals, I am here to support you.
• It looks like you haven't completed the project on time. How about we sit down and talk about project and performance management and see whether you could do anything differently?

We hope that this article provided some important perspectives on improving employee performance either by praising them or providing constructive criticism.

360-degree feedback might be the best way to gather objective qualitative feedback, as it allows you to see employee performance from different angles.

You can use these 360 feedback examples for managers and peers as a template when creating your own performance review system in your company.

Just like with anything else, giving feedback is a skill that you and your employees can learn, so start practicing today!

What is an example of good 360 feedback?

The best 360 review feedback examples provide a well-rounded perspective of employee performance. They praise employees for their strengths and achievements and provide constructive feedback on core competencies or areas team members could improve.

How do you write a good 360 feedback?

Add specific examples highlighting the strengths and areas with room for employee development. Instead of criticizing, provide actionable feedback with insights on how to improve. If you're unsure what's good feedback, you can use performance management software to help you.

What is an example of 360 feedback for leaders?

360 review feedback examples for managers should include input from their peers, subordinates, direct reports, and supervisors. It should address various leadership skills, such as communication and decision-making, but don't be afraid to add some constructive criticism if necessary. People are often more comfortable when they can provide anonymous feedback to their leaders and supervisors.

What should I ask in 360 feedback?

Here are some questions to include in your 360-degree feedback form for each employee:

• What are their key strengths?
• In what areas could they improve?
• What action could have the highest impact on this person's performance?

How to give 360 feedback to your boss examples?

If you are giving 360 feedback to your boss, keep in mind these aspects:

• Start on a positive note, meaning begin with positive feedback.
• Give concrete examples.
• Be as objective as possible.
• Plan the feedback and your comments in advance.
• Be empathetic to reviewees.
• Finish the feedback with an action plan on how you plan to address the issues discussed.

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10 360 Degree Feedback Examples for Coworkers and Teammates

Kate williams.

Last Updated:  

31 May 2024

10 min read

Table Of Contents

• 360 Degree Feedback Examples
• Reinforcing Examples
• Redirecting Examples
• 360 Degree Feedback: Definition
• 360-Degree Feedback Examples: Need
• What to Include in 360 Feedback
• Checklist for 360-Degree Feedback

Looking to conduct your own 360 degree feedback surveys ? Need some helpful 360 degree feedback examples ?

One of the most powerful things any community can do to improve itself is to give and receive honest feedback. When we live together or work together, we notice things about each other.

Often, there is no structural support to communicate these insights. Thankfully, organizations can solve this problem using a simple tool: 360 degree feedback. 

In this blog, we will discuss:

• 360 degree feedback examples that will help you give healthy feedback to your co-workers
• The definition of 360 feedback
• The need for 360 feedback examples
• What to include in 360 degree feedback
• Checklist for writing thoughtful 360 degree feedback

The Most Effective 360 Degree Feedback Examples

It has been known for a while now that 360 degree evaluation is an exercise any organization should conduct regularly.

There are many benefits to 360 assessments. Concretely, these exercises have been shown to improve employee engagement and reduce employee turnover. Imagine getting a feedback like this:

Your contribution to the team is immense and wholesome. The passion you put into everything you do is a source of inspiration to us. Keep inspiring! 

Won’t you be excited? First things first, you’ll need a 360-degree feedback software that works right for you. Worry not, we come with a solution. 

From new hires to management, sign-up for FREE to set up a 360-degree feedback system with ThriveSparrow.

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Like in life, there are two kinds of feedback you can give in 360 degree feedback surveys. Usually, feedback is categorized as positive or negative. A better way to categorize feedback, though, is as reinforcing or redirecting employee feedback.

This removes the stigma around feedback and helps you focus on the intended consequence of the feedback. Here are some examples of both kinds of feedback. 

• Reinforcing 360 Degree Feedback Examples 
• Redirecting 360 Degree Feedback Examples

#1. Reinforcing 360 Degree Feedback Examples 

Like you must’ve guessed from the name, reinforcing feedback is given when we want the manager or employee to keep up the work they’re doing.

Reinforcing feedback is powerful, and often motivates employees to turn in high standards of work. 

Here are a few different kinds of reinforcing employee feedback –

1. A Coworker Passed A Big Milestone

Has your manager or employee just passed a big milestone at work? Have they surpassed a goal or met a difficult challenge? It’s important to turn that into an opportunity to appreciate that and congratulate them. 

As a 360 degree feedback example, you can write,

“Congratulations on passing [insert milestone]! Because of your great work, we have been able to achieve [insert business goal]. Your passion and commitment are greatly appreciated.”

Remember, if there are any concrete examples you can give about how their achieving this goal has helped you, insert them. Example-driven feedback is the best kind.

2. A Coworker Takes Initiative

Few things are more important to an organization than employees who take initiative. Too often, employees start off with a lot of drive. Over time, though, their engagement levels start to stagnate. 

One way to encourage employees to take initiative is to appreciate them when they do. 360 degree evaluations are a great place to do that. As a 360 degree feedback example, you can say – 

“Thank you for taking the initiative recently to [insert initiative]. Your leadership really helped us get ahead in this project. Keep it up!”

When you specifically tell managers or employees that their initiative-taking approach is great, that will reinforce that behavior. It’s a great idea to use a 360 degree assessment to make this effort. 

3. A Coworker Helps You Or Other Employees

One of the best things about working in an organization is that you get to be part of a team. But in a good team, teammates actively help each other get better and achieve things. Encouraging good behavior is hence very important. 

When you notice that an employee went the extra mile to help you or someone else, point that out. As a 360 degree feedback example, here’s what you can write – 

“Thank you for going the extra mile and helping Tim with his orientation process. You made him feel like part of the team. Your efforts help us do great work together!”

Once your coworker gets this feedback, they will feel proud of their behavior and try to replicate it whenever possible. That’s the magic of reinforcing feedback. 

4. A Coworker Needs A Confidence Boost

Sometimes, we mess things up. It’s inevitable, and it happens to everyone. You might think that that’s a situation where you need to give redirecting feedback. Sometimes, that’s a mistake. 

When an employee clearly knows they made a mistake, it’s no use repeating that to them. What they might need instead is a confidence boost. Use this opportunity to point out something positive. In your 360 degree feedback survey, here’s what you can say –

“You had a really great presentation prepared for our client meeting. It’s okay that you got nervous and forgot some details. Everyone could see that you had put in effort into that presentation!”

Offering such a boost when an employee needs it will go a long way. It shows that you care about the well-being of your employees, not just results. 

5. A Coworker Comes Up With A Great Idea

One of the most fulfilling things about a job for any employee is to make a unique contribution to it. It takes a lot of courage for employees to trust their ideas and advocate for them. Support them when they do. 

If an employee makes the effort to research and brainstorm a good idea, compliment them regardless of whether it gets implemented. Here’s an example of how you can do it in a 360 degree evaluation – 

“Your idea at yesterday’s meeting was great, and it might just help us boost our sales this quarter. Thank you for putting in the research and engaging so creatively with our problem. You inspire others to do the same.”

This is great reinforcing feedback. It will create a culture in your organization of employees engaging with challenges and coming up with good ideas.

Related:   How to create a thriving workforce with 360 assessments

#2. Redirecting 360 Degree Feedback Examples

Appreciation is powerful and helps maintain thriving workplace culture. But sometimes, we need to have hard conversations. 360 degree feedback surveys do a great job of facilitating that. 

While the feedback is anonymous, you are still talking to another human who has feelings. It’s important to respect them while giving feedback. Here are some redirecting 360 degree feedback examples to help you out. 

1. A Coworker Missed An Important Deadline

For an organization to work efficiently, people need to do their work on time. Sometimes there may be challenges in their way, but employees can also get complacent to deadlines. 

If it’s your suspicion that a team member or manager is routinely late without excuse, it’s worth pointing it out. Here’s a 360 degree feedback example of how you might do that – 

“Your delay on this deadline really caused us problems in finishing the next steps. We weren’t planning on taking so long with this. Could you make sure you follow the deadline in the future or let us know beforehand if you can’t?”

There’s no harm in leaving such feedback. It’s focused on the future, and it aims to redirect your coworkers’ behavior. The part about focusing on the future is critical. In your 360 degree feedback, want to make sure to focus not on negative traits but on how to overcome them. 

2. A Coworker Seems Disengaged

Good work happens when employees are invested in their work and pay attention to getting it right. When they get complacent and are increasingly disinterested, that can be a problem. 

You don’t have to jump the gun if that happens. Employees may be going through problems in their personal life that make them disinterested in work. But if it’s a pattern, it’s important to draw a line somewhere.

If you do have to tell them to be more involved at work, a 360 degree feedback example would look like this –

I’ve noticed that you’re not engaged lately. It’s important to us that you are motivated and enjoy your work. Your low morale is impacting the team as well. I hope everything is okay. It would be great if we can all try to be more engaged if possible. Please reach out to us if you need help with any challenges you’re facing.

This is an empathetic yet firm response. If an employee is facing personal challenges, they will be reminded to deal with them more actively. Else, it’s a good wake-up call.

If low engagement is a pattern within your organization, it might be worth conducting a full-blown employee engagement survey as well.

3. A Coworker Is Not A Team Player

Some employees don’t naturally work well in teams, while others seem to thrive on teamwork. It’s important to respect each person’s preference. At the same time, we should emphasize the need for some flexibility. 

If an employee insists on working alone and doesn’t reach out for help nor offers it, they’re not being part of the team. That’s not good for the employee or the organization. Here’s how to bring it up as a 360 degree feedback example

“It’s great that you solve problems by yourself and move ahead! But sometimes, we all need some help, or we may be in a position to help others. It’s important to grab these opportunities to seek or give support. That’s how we can all thrive as a team.”

This 360 performance review helps by explaining to the employee that they need to adapt, without saying that their tendency to work alone is a negative trait. That’s what makes it a great redirecting 360 degree feedback example. 

4. A Coworker Does Not Communicate Enough

Communication is just something that comes more easily to some than to others. While it’s healthy to accept that, teams need to keep pushing all employees to communicate their ideas. 

When an employee routinely does not speak at team meetings, organizations lose out on important perspectives and suffer as a result. A 360 performance review is a great time to bring this up. Here’s a 360 degree feedback example for this situation –

“You’re doing great work! But I’ve noticed that you tend to stay silent in all our team meetings. Are you facing challenges with communicating? Please reach out if you do. Your perspective is important to us and we want you to feel free to contribute.” 

If a criticism can be framed as a personal development goal, do that! Often, employees’ interests are aligned with the company’s in this manner. Overcoming such hurdles helps the employees personally as much as they help the organization. 

5. A Coworker Is Routinely Late

There’s a reason that employees are asked to report to work at a certain time. It’s just easier for teams to start work if everyone’s around when they need to be. 

Of course, personal life can, at times interfere with employees’ ability to show up on time. But if it’s a routine thing, it’s important to bring it up. It’s possible to do this in a 360 performance review without sounding petty. Here’s a 360 degree feedback example to help out – 

“You’ve been doing some great work recently! I do feel though that it would help us all out if you could come for work sooner. As a team, it’s easier to coordinate if everyone is here on time. Plus, it’ll also help you maintain better work-life balance!”

It’s a slight nudge, but bringing this up in a 360 performance review is enough to create a huge impact. 

How to use 360-degree feedback examples?

Remember, the example comments in this article serve as a reference and source of inspiration.

• Use them as a starting point to craft thoughtful and customized feedback.
• Adjust the sample comments based on your relationship with the recipient.
• Use these comments as conversation starters during feedback discussions.
• Use the comments to suggest resources or strategies for employee development.

What Is 360 Degree Feedback?

Before we get to the 360 degree feedback examples, it’s important to understand what this online survey tool is all about. 360 degree feedback is a process in which employees get together to give feedback about their coworkers’ behavior and performance. It can also involve employees submitting self-assessment reports. 

360-degree evaluations usually include questions with rating-format answers. They also allow space for descriptive feedback. The results of the online survey are then compiled and presented to the employees. 

• Each employee gets to know roughly what the people they work with think about them.
• Anonymous Surveys: Employees can know how they’re performing without any individual having to offend them with critical feedback.
• 360-degree evaluations offer a powerful solution to the tricky challenge of getting employees on the right track.
• Managers can use this tool to get a 360-degree assessment of their performance and the impact they have on their coworkers. Usually, a single manager or employee will get feedback from eight to twelve other employees.
• They will also be able to access their own self-assessment.

First things first, you’ll need an employee management software like ThriveSparrow to create employee 360-degree feedback surveys.

Why The Need For These 360-Degree Feedback Examples?

Employees are almost always invested in improving their behavior and quality of work at the workplace. There is nobody better at identifying their problem areas than the people they work with.

So it’s simple, right? They should just ask around? No.  Giving and receiving good feedback is a very tricky exercise.

People get overly critical while giving feedback or defensive when they get it. This is not something we’re equipped to deal with in a healthy way. 

Online survey tools like SurveySparrow solve this problem by facilitating 360-degree evaluations.

Employees are allowed to give feedback anonymously to their peers. But there’s a right way to participate in 360 degree feedback surveys and a wrong way. That’s where these 360 degree feedback examples come into play. 

Usually, 360 degree evaluations are conducted only for senior managers within an organization. After all, they are the ones engaging with multiple employees who can give useful data on their performance. 

The evaluations received as part of the 360 degree feedback are very influential for employees. They often lead employees to change their behavior in a positive direction.

For this to happen, though, employees need to give feedback effectively and in a healthy, positive spirit. That’s why it’s important to go through some 360 degree feedback examples.

What should I include in 360 feedback?

• Start by recognizing their strengths and positive qualities, highlighting specific areas of excellence.
• Identify specific areas for improvement and offer constructive feedback for their development.
• Provide behavioral examples for your observations.
• Discuss the impact of their actions on the team and work environment, emphasizing both positive contributions and areas for growth.
• Offer actionable suggestions for their improvement.
• Express support, confidence, and encouragement for their growth.
• Foster a two-way conversation by inviting their perspective and openness to ongoing feedback.

Checklist for Writing Thoughtful 360-Degree Feedback

• Get all the info : Make sure you have enough details about the person’s performance, skills, and behaviors. Talk to others, observe them firsthand, and gather all the necessary information.
• Be specific and fair: When giving feedback, be specific and give examples to back up your points. Stay objective and avoid making general statements.
• Balance the good and the areas to improve : Recognize their strengths and achievements alongside the areas where they can improve. Give constructive suggestions on how they can grow and develop.
• Keep it respectful and clear : Use language that is clear, respectful, and easy to understand. Don’t be harsh or attack them personally. The goal is to motivate and encourage growth.
• Offer actionable advice : Give them practical recommendations they can act on. Provide resources, strategies, or suggestions for development.

By following these steps, you can ensure your 360-degree feedback is thoughtful, helpful, and supports the individual’s growth.

Wrapping Up

Those were some reinforcing and redirecting 360 degree feedback examples. We hope they showed you that 360 degree feedback is a great opportunity for communication. With a little tact, you can nudge your team members in the right direction. 

The problems we looked at are not trivial issues. They are critical problems that can make or break your workplace culture. It’s important to develop healthy habits and root out problem areas. That’s how organizations grow and thrive. 

Online survey tools like ThriveSparrow offer great 360 performance reviews to facilitate this communication exercise. With ThriveSparrow’s templates and easy UI, creating and sharing 360 performance reviews takes a few clicks. To add to that, surveys created on this performance management software even get 40% more responses. 

Back to the point, though. A 360 performance review is simply an exercise every organization must conduct. It goes a long way in improving your internal communications and consequently increasing employee engagement. 

Make 360 degree feedback a regular part of your work culture, and help your employees and your company reach greater heights!

Product Marketing Manager at SurveySparrow

Excels in empowering visionary companies through storytelling and strategic go-to-market planning. With extensive experience in product marketing and customer experience management, she is an accomplished author, podcast host, and mentor, sharing her expertise across diverse platforms and audiences.

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360-Degree Feedback vs. Performance Review

Different types of 360 feedback.

• 360 Feedback Examples

Feedback Examples for Different Roles

• Constructive Feedback and Development
• 360-Degree Feedback Templates

360 Feedback Examples: Navigating Growth and Excellence in Action

Acknowledging the power of 360 feedback, onlookers often have insights that participants might miss. It’s these external perspectives that play a pivotal role in shaping your professional journey. Without valuable input from your colleagues, the path to improvement can become unclear. On the flip side, consistent feedback, as showcased in 360 feedback examples, becomes a cornerstone for nurturing your career growth. It serves as a perpetual guide, making sure you’re always in top professional form and fueled with the ambition to reach new heights.

Constructive criticism and fair praise from your manager, peers, and other collaborators provide useful insights into your strengths and weaknesses, so you can identify areas of improvement. The trick is to master the art of giving and processing feedback to get the most out of this practice.

In this article, we’ll introduce you to the advanced version of ordinary feedback — 360-degree feedback. It has already become a must-have tool for proper performance management. Also known as multi-rater or multisource feedback, it allows you to get a more accurate idea of how an employee performs and behaves based on multiple opinions. It includes self-rating and reviews gathered from colleagues, managers, subordinates, and customers (optional). In this article, we’ll introduce you to the advanced version of ordinary feedback — 360-degree feedback. It has already become a must-have tool for proper performance management. Also known as multi-rater or multisource feedback, it allows you to get a more accurate idea of how an employee performs and behaves based on multiple opinions, including that of Beams Employee Engagement Tool. This tool includes self-rating and reviews gathered from colleagues, managers, subordinates, and customers (optional).

360-Degree Feedback: The Basics

The first step towards using 360-degree feedback is to understand its concept. To do this, let’s split these 360 degrees into smaller parts and see what each includes.

• 90-degree feedback: Based on only one perspective — for example, the one from employees.
• 180-degree feedback: Based on two perspectives — for example, opinions of employees and supervisors.
• 270-degree feedback: Based on three perspectives —  for example, add a manager’s self-assessment.

360-degree feedback: Based on four perspectives — for example, add the opinions of customers or another group of external people a person works with.

Before digging deeper, let’s draw a line between two concepts — 360-degree feedback and performance review.

First, a performance review is not about anonymity — it’s a one-on-one meeting of an employee with their manager. Alternatively, 360-degree feedback is gathered anonymously from people collaborating with you — peers, managers, direct reports, customers, etc. — and lays the groundwork for future conversations about a person’s skills.

A performance review is a tool for measuring a person’s achievements within a certain period. It allows a manager to decide whether the employee is worth career and salary growth. Multisource feedback lets employees see themselves from the perspective of those they work with and identify areas for improvement. 

And finally, while a performance review mainly measures hard skills and visible achievements, 360-degree feedback is focused on unmeasurable skills like time management and soft skills.

This multisource feedback is mainly for managers and supervisors to help boost their leadership skills and build a good rapport at their workplace. However, it can also be useful for individual employees occupying different positions, and sometimes for assessing the whole team’s performance as well. Such feedback is usually gathered through surveys, interviews, and questionnaires.

360-degree feedback can generally be divided into three categories:

• Feedback on managers
• Feedback on peers
• Self-assessment

Let’s briefly comment on each category.

Feedback on Managers

Reviewing your boss’s work can be challenging. On the one hand, the goal is to be honest to provoke positive changes; on the other hand, no one wants to be at risk for telling an uncomfortable truth. However, multisource feedback allows you to stay anonymous, so you can honestly comment on your leader’s work without facing unpleasant consequences. It’s up to you to decide how many and which of your boss’s skills you want to comment on. We suggest you include a set of core skills in your feedback:

How to Give 360-Degree Feedback to Your Manager 

1. Recognize their support. Give examples of how your manager helped you find solutions, shared expertise, and showed their leadership skills at their best.

2. Be open about what needs to be fixed. As you review your boss’s performance, don’t be afraid to be honest. No one is perfect, and your manager is not an exception, even if they’re incredibly brilliant in their role. Be polite and kind and avoid a passive-aggressive tone — this is how you’ll help your manager be a better leader for you and your team.

Feedback on Peers

The advantage of reviewing your fellow colleagues is that the closer you work with someone, the more profound feedback on their performance you can provide. However, employees may face a dilemma: to be a good guy who gives only positive feedback or an objective reviewer — sometimes, these roles are hard to combine. 

It’s like the other side of building a good rapport — although it helps create a healthy and safe working environment, it can make it harder to stay objective if the line between personal and professional relationships has been blurred. As a result, glossing over problems and articulating only strong points makes feedback useless. Therefore, it’s important to teach employees how to provide feedback and explain how their honesty helps their colleagues and the whole team improve.

How to Give Feedback on Peers

• Mark their strengths. Support your peers by praising their solid skills.
• Point out weak spots. Don’t be afraid — it won’t make you a bad teammate who’s snitching on their fellow colleagues. Be polite and objective, and your feedback will help a person grow.
• Recognize their expertise. You can share an example of how your peers’ experience helped your team solve a problem.

Self-Assessment

Gathering reviews from multiple sources may seem to be enough. But when it comes to multisource feedback, we suggest that you not be quick to jump to conclusions until you listen to what the assessed person thinks of their progress. Rating yourself is not that easy, and your employees may probably need some extra guidance on how to do it right.

Since the culture of articulating problems and asking for help is yet to be cultivated at the workplace, it’s important to encourage people to talk openly. Create a safe space for openness; be a supportive listener who’s ready to help an employee overcome difficulties if they’re ready to take action. 

Self-assessment requires thorough analysis from an employee. A person analyzes their wins and failures; measures their progress throughout a year; lists achieved goals; reflects on their current role; sets new targets, etc. Below, we share some tips to help you with self-analyzing.

How to Conduct Self-Assessment

• Clarify the criteria for assessments. You should know the rating scale and parameters to rate yourself correctly. In case of any doubts, consult your supervisor or HR.
• Analyze expectations. Think about whether you meet your company’s needs by occupying your position. No matter what your goals and ambitions are beyond your job, you first need to satisfy your organization with decent completion of your tasks and by adhering to its standards.
• Reflect on your progress. Instead of comparing yourself to your colleagues, compare the current version of yourself to last year. Recognize your growth and consider the challenges you have overcome or struggled to overcome.
• Include personal notes. When preparing for a performance review, you may face difficulty not missing important insights into your progress. Tracking your ups and downs throughout the year will help you get a detailed description of your progress, as well as visualize your achievements more vividly through certain examples.
• Start in the middle of the rating scale. Trying to assess yourself, you can easily get caught in the trap of overestimating or underrating your experience. To prevent imposter syndrome or professional narcissism, take the lead and start self-assessment with a clear understanding of what average performance is. As you understand it clearly, you can measure your progress.
• Provide examples. When sharing your insights about the reviewed working period, don’t forget to back them up with examples. Give context and mention strategies and tools that helped you solve specific problems. By doing so, you show your leader that you’re a reliable employee who knows how to apply their strong expertise to addressing possible issues and making the right decisions. 
• Don’t get carried away. To make the item above helpful, remember not to rely on it too much. The trick here is that your examples may refer more to specific and even exceptional cases rather than to your daily routine, so find a balance — prevent such cases from putting your everyday behavior into the shade.
• Be consistent. Your examples and conclusions about your performance should complement each other. The idea is simple: provide an example for every positive comment or high rate you give. If you have concerns about your performance and rate it low, comment on what skill you think you need to improve to perform better. 

Benefits of 360-Degree Feedback

Let’s highlight the benefits of multisource feedback from different perspectives.

Benefits for Employees:

• Increase self-awareness.
• Clearly define areas of improvement.
• Enable opportunities for career growth.

For Managers:

• Get deeper insight into an employee’s performance.
• Identify and address issues in performance.
• Level up team productivity.
• Consider reviews of direct reports for career growth.

For Organizations:

• Indicate strengths and weaknesses of departments.
• Improve decision-making.
• Choose strategies for improvement.
• Foster open culture.

The key to collecting good feedback is using a suitable peer review template covering core aspects of performance and behavior. To make this practice a part of your working process, you need to create a healthy environment and psychological safety, so people can honestly share their thoughts. 

360 Feedback Examples: Illustrating Effective Questions for a Complete Perspective

To get really detailed and insightful answers, you should ask the right questions. Let’s discuss some signs of efficiently articulated questions.

Close-Ended and Open-Ended Questions

First, let’s divide the questions into two groups: close-ended and open-ended.

Close-ended questions are often represented as statements on a Likert Scale and offer two options from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.”

Open-ended questions give more freedom in answers and provide more details about a recipient’s performance. As a result, you also gain insights into how a person feels. Such questions need more careful preparation. A tip here is to make such questions brief and clear to get the most meaningful answers.

Closed-Ended Questions Examples

• This employee meets their deadlines.
• This employee often takes the initiative and comes up with fresh ideas.
• This employee has strong expertise in their field.
• This employee is task-oriented.
• This employee is good at handling feedback.
• This employee is making progress.
• This employee openly communicates their needs and concerns.
• This employee is good at building a strong rapport with their teammates.

Open-Ended Questions Examples

• What is one skill this employee should develop to perform better?
• Can you say this employee is proactive?
• What difficulties do you face when working with this employee?
• How does this employee react to feedback? Can they handle criticism and work on self-improvement?
• How does this employee resolve conflicts?
• How good is this employee as a team player?
• What can you say about this employee’s strong and weak points?

To get the most out of your questionnaire, you should understand how to arrange the questions. First, identify the main principles and adhere to them.  Prioritize clarity and specificity to get actionable feedback.

​​It’s important that 360-degree feedback questions be:

• Relevant. Gather the opinions of those who closely collaborate with a person — peers, supervisors, direct reports, customers, etc. Otherwise, you’ll get irrelevant information that will make it more difficult to analyze the assessment. 
• Focused both on performance and attitude. Performance is an important aspect to review; at the same time, you should measure such aspects as an individual’s drive, communication skills, and time management. 
• Polite and tactful. Use your empathy to avoid questions that sound like a personal attack. You aim to reveal a person’s weak and strong points and plan further actions; no rudeness or blaming allowed.

So, after mentioning these points, the next question to ask yourself should be: how do I write good questions? The suggestions below will help you get started.

7 Rules of an Insightful Survey

1. Mix open-ended and closed-ended questions. Closed-ended questions are easy to answer and analyze, but often don’t give enough information. The best strategy is to use open-ended questions as a follow-up to close-ended ones to get more precise feedback.

2. Use simple wording. Make the questions short and plain to minimize the risk of misunderstanding. Clarity is the key to the accuracy of feedback. 

3. Specify a selection of questions. List questions that are relevant to the person’s position. For example, for some employees, leadership skills are key criteria, while for others, communication with customers is the core indicator.

4. Find a balance. If the list of questions is too short, you won’t get enough information. On the contrary, too many questions may make people lose focus and become less involved.

5. Assess behaviors along with performance. You should measure not only performance itself but also the behavioral patterns that lead to a person’s outcomes. For example, you can learn if a person is a strong communicator, skilled conflict solver, solid mediator, etc.

6. Focus on what can be improved. Don’t waste your time and energy focusing on things out of your control. However, if you know that you can help an employee improve in a particular area, offer help. It can be training courses, literature, personal coaching, mentorship, etc.

7. Keep a neutral tone. Avoid bias and emotional coloring, and don’t let a personal attitude influence your coworker’s evaluation — you should stay professional and put a line between subjective feelings and objective assessment.

8. Choose positivity over negativity. Again, wording can make all the difference, even regarding constructive criticism. Instead of asking, “Why did you make this mistake?” ask, “What do you need in order to avoid similar mistakes in the future? Is there any help you need?” This shows that you’re here not to be a severe judge but to lend a helping hand if needed.

360-Degree Feedback Examples for Managers 

• “It seems like you need to show more support to your team as a manager . Try to keep in touch with your direct reports regularly to let them know you are here for them and ready to help.”
• “It’s been only a few months since your promotion, and I know it’s your first experience in this position — you’re doing great! I want to ask you to be more decisive in splitting duties between your direct reports, so you can control your workload and focus on more complex tasks and perform even better.”
• “I must admit that your management style is impressive — you get on well with your team, and its productivity is on the rise. Keep up the good work!”

360-Degree Feedback Examples for Leaders 

• “I’d love to ask you to share more insights into your team’s work, so other departments can have a better understanding of the scope of work you do.”
• “It would be great to see you at the informal meetings more often. Your professional input is huge and tangible, and it would help to break the ice between you and your colleagues during some regular informal calls.”
• “I’m happy to see your rapid growth, and I think you’ll outgrow your current position pretty soon. That’s why I want you to rank employees you see as future leaders, so we can decide what skills they should master to grow.”

360 Feedback Examples for Peers

• “I think it would be healthy to change your attitude about feedback from your team. Please don’t take it personally — constructive feedback can help you grow.”
• “It’s been six months since our last performance review, and I can’t help but admire your progress since then!”
• “I’d love to ask you to share your concerns as openly as you share your ideas. I know you’re a dedicated worker, and I want you to talk about the difficulties you face, so you can get help from our team and stay on top.”

How to Deliver Feedback

Here are some steps you and your employees can take to make reliable reviews:

1. Learn to give constructive feedback.

Explore the variety of types of feedback and how to articulate them. For example, learn the difference between formal and informal feedback. Formal feedback has a stricter structure and often suggests definite steps to take. On the other hand, informal feedback is based on feedback that’s not always gathered officially. For example, it can be based on the information received from basic talks with employees, like water-cooler conversations, smoke breaks, etc.

2. Be prepared.

Your conversation can be either formal or informal — either way, you have to be well-prepared to present feedback properly and make your meeting meaningful. Think about the words and tone you want to use to share the feedback correctly and pay special attention to giving constructive criticism — we highly recommend you master some strategies .

3. Prepare the recipient

Giving feedback unexpectedly is not the best idea. Before sharing feedback, especially formal, it’s better to tell a person about your intention. It’s especially important for formal feedback — ensure the individual is prepared beforehand so you don’t catch them unaware. For example, you can schedule a meeting in an employee’s calendar. If you decide to provide an informal review, still give a little notice to avoid awkwardness for both of you.

Whenever you or any employee offers peer feedback, try to notify the recipient so that your review doesn’t catch them off guard.

4. Speak up.

Encourage your team to recognize and articulate issues on time as they see something that needs to be improved. Otherwise, glossing over problems leads to complications in solving them — the longer you wait, the harder it is to fix things. On the contrary, the earlier a problem is found, the faster the individual can create a plan on how to improve their performance. It results in less harm to the workflow and a stronger and happier team.

5. Conduct a two-sided conversation.

Providing peer feedback shouldn’t be a monologue — encourage the recipient to join you for a discussion. It will help to avoid awkwardness and decrease the risk of misunderstanding. Invite the recipient to speak up by saying something like, “Do you have any questions?” or “Do you agree with it?” or “What do you think of it?” and so on.

6. Be empathic.

Don’t forget to be delicate with others’ emotions. It doesn’t mean you should say only positive things — instead, think about how to articulate even constructive criticism in a way that doesn’t hurt but makes a person want to improve. Imagine how you would feel if you received such feedback, and use it to pick the right words and tone. Be supportive, not judgmental, and offer help if possible. For example, “I know you’ve been through hard times lately. Can you think of any ways to improve your current state? Do you need any help in getting back on track?” 

7. Provide anonymity.

Letting people share anonymous opinions can tangibly level up your experience with feedback processing. This is because anonymity makes it easier for people to be open without fear of facing unpleasant consequences for their honesty, like conflicts, dismissal, etc. If you doubt the advantages of trying it, here are five reasons explaining the benefits of this approach.

Benefits of Applying 360-Degree Feedback 

• Career development. Reviews from colleagues help identify strong skills along with weak points, which allows an individual to develop a plan for improvement.
• Personal growth. An employee gains an understanding of how their team assesses their soft skills. It can provide a person with valuable insights on how to become a better communicator and build a good rapport at work. 
• Team prosperity. If you want to change the world, start with yourself. Paying heed to your colleagues’ opinions on what you do allows you to help your team achieve better results by improving your performance. And, of course, your progress can easily inspire others — so don’t be afraid to work on yourself and lead by example.
• Performance reviews. Multisource peer feedback is helpful for conducting annual reviews. While performance reviews are briefer and more hard-skills-oriented, peer feedback provides deeper and more detailed insights. Thanks to it, an employee better understands how their team sees them and how to improve their performance and behavior. As a result, your team gets a stronger and more driven player.

Constructive Feedback and Development Areas

Constructive feedback is crucial for growth. Unlike ordinary negative feedback, constructive criticism, when delivered wisely, doesn’t hurt or provoke emotions. Instead, it motivates people to take action and paves the way towards better performance by indicating skills to boost.

Neither managers nor employees should be afraid of constructive feedback — a lack of such reviews will hold them back from growing and leading an organization to prosperity. Giving reasonable comments on a person’s work and behavior clarifies expectations, which makes it easier for managers and employees to understand each other and decide what steps to take towards meeting these expectations.​​

5 Constructive Feedback Examples

Delivering constructive feedback requires solid communication skills to let you pick the right voice and tone. Just like emotional intelligence, mastering these skills also plays a crucial role in giving positive feedback. Here are different scenarios showing examples of providing constructive criticism. 

Context . Kate is a dedicated task-oriented employee. However, lately, she’s been missing deadlines and doesn’t seem to be involved. Goal. To show Kate you’ve noticed the changes and want to help her get back on track — for example, change the workload, find an assistant, etc. Feedback: “Kate, I see your dedication to work and am truly glad to have you as a part of our team. But lately, it seems like you have difficulty focusing on tasks and meeting deadlines. It’s not like you — you’ve always been brilliant at completing tasks on time. I just wanted to let you know that if you need any help or want to discuss your current workload, me and our team are here for you.” 

Context: Steve is a skilled professional and an awesome team player. Lately, he’s often been late for work. As a result, he misses out on important details on tasks, distracts his peers with questions, and brings a bit of chaos to teamwork.  Goal: To point out the problem and explain how Steve’s behavior affects the entire team’s performance. Feedback: “ Steve, I’ve noticed you’ve often been late to our meetings recently. I appreciate your expertise and input — our team is lucky to have you as one of its’ players. However, I’m afraid these late arrivals can keep you from progressing on tasks and affect the performance of the whole department. I hope you’ll soon go back to coming on time to maintain your solid productivity. If there’s something that makes it hard for you to come on time, we can discuss it and maybe adjust the schedule a bit so the whole department can work smoothly.”

Context. Dylan is a remote worker. Even if his status in a corporate messenger is active, it takes him too long to respond to messages, making it difficult to collaborate with him and get updates on tasks. Goal: Show the inconvenience of poor communication and the importance of getting back to colleagues quickly. Feedback: “Dylan, I have a concern about our email communication. It’s frustrating not hearing back from you to get updates on tasks. It’s not about excessive control; it’s just a good practice to sync from time to time to ensure everything goes smoothly and help fix things if needed. I’d really appreciate it if you would respond quicker to emails so we’re on the same track. If you experience any difficulty, don’t hesitate to contact me — I’m open to talk and will be glad to help you find a solution.”

Context. Usually friendly or at least reserved, Jane has been unexpectedly rude with her colleagues lately, which has spoiled a healthy and secure working environment in the office. Goal. To kindly remind Jane about the importance of a good rapport and that it’s unacceptable to displace anger on teammates. Feedback: “Jane, I feel like something has been bothering you lately, like you’re not yourself. Is it something at work that frustrates you? Or are there any external reasons that make you feel low? If you need any help or just a listening ear, don’t hesitate to reach out to me — I’m here for you and ready to help if I can. Our teammates share my concern too, and if you have any misunderstanding or a conflict that needs to be resolved — you can also tell me about it, and we’ll collaborate on solving the issue.”

Context. Jim is a talented writer — his articles are always bright and well-structured, and he knows how to catch a reader’s attention and provide a fresh perspective on an issue. However, his struggle with self-discipline makes it challenging to collaborate with him. Goal. To highlight Jim’s brilliance as a writer and to encourage him to boost his time-management skills. Feedback. “Jim, I appreciate your writing talent — your skill to turn literally everything into involved storytelling is a true gift that can’t be denied. My only concern is that your lack of time management skills makes it difficult to sync with you. Is there anything I can help you with to improve it? For example, courses, literature, coaching — please let me know if you need something. I’m pretty sure you’ll unlock another level of awesomeness when your excellent writing is added with better time management, and you’ll be the number one person to benefit from it.”

The Importance of Being a Supportive Feedback-Giver

To make your feedback powerful and reach its goal, you should know how to deliver your message. It’s crucial to pick the right tone and words to encourage a person to work for positive changes. If your feedback sounds like a personal attack, a person will become defensive rather than take steps towards improving. That’s why you should articulate your feedback carefully to show you’re on the recipient’s side. 

Remember that your feedback should be about the employee’s professional qualities, not personal.  An easy tip to follow: use your empathy to put yourself in another person’s position. Talk to them like you would like others to talk to you, and you’ll increase your chances for smooth communication that brings positive results.

Using 360-Degree Feedback Templates

The concept of 360-degree feedback templates .

A 360-degree feedback template is a powerful tool for gathering the opinions of people working for an organization. This template allows you to make these assessments more structured and insightful, which benefits performance management.

Benefits of Using Templates

Since 360-degree feedback is a scope of opinions gathered from multiple sources, it’s important to have a standard list of questions and to order records, helping you avoid an informational mess. The main benefits of templates are:

• A convenient way to keep records
• Visualization of skill sets with strong and weak points
• Well-organized process of gathering reviews from multiple sources
• Easy-to-use and fixed scoring system for rating performance across the company
• Detailed documentation helps when discussing promotions and salary raises during performance reviews

What to Include in a 360-Degree Feedback Template

We suggest you include the following parameters in your template: 

• Behavior : How does the employee handle constructive feedback?
• Communication: How likely is the employee to solve conflicts openly?
• Professional Growth : How would you assess the employee’s progress within the last six months?
• Leadership and Motivation : Do you think the employee is good at prioritizing tasks and distributing duties?

If it’s your first time crafting such a template, you can stick to the model including these sections:

• Introduction . Start with a title page briefly explaining the idea and steps to take. 
• Self-Evaluation . Ask a respondent to reflect on their performance and behavior. Let a manager and an HR specialist provide a set of characteristics for self-assessment.
• Organizational Leader . This section is for the feedback from the head of a recipient’s department.
• Manager . This section includes a review of an employee’s performance by their immediate manager.
• Peers or Direct Reports . This section is for recognition and constructive criticism from teammates, direct reports (if any), or coworkers from other departments. 

Integrate the New Practice Effortlessly 

Innovations can cause stress unless introduced correctly. Highlight the benefits of getting used to a new practice, and let your colleagues understand why it’s worth trying.

• Get a tailored experience. You can find templates on the internet. It’s better to adjust them so they meet the needs of your teams and departments.
• Keep things simple. Your templates should be easy-to-use to involve more people. Sliders, dropdown menus, text and number fields for answers, and multiple choices will make gathering and processing feedback easier. For best results, include a scoring system for every aspect assessed.
• Customize workflow. Create tasks for a reviewed employee to assess how they solve issues and decide which aspects need more focus and effort.
• Save the data. Keep records carefully stored in the cloud.

Keep People Informed

• Send notifications to respondents and feedback receivers so they’re aware of what to do.
• Send reminders to ensure everyone is ready for action.

Handle Data

• Carefully collect, sort, and analyze received information.
• Act upon feedback, so people see the practical use of it and become more engaged in the practice.

360 Feedback Examples: A Holistic Approach to Enhancing Performance

360-degree feedback is an ultimate tool for gaining insights into strong and weak areas of performance in your organization. When integrated correctly, this practice allows everybody to benefit from it:

• People get help and support on their way to development.
• Managers, with the assistance of the Beams Employee Engagement Tool , improve their decision-making skills and create a stronger team.
• The organization experiences a rise in productivity and income.

Always remember that 360-degree feedback is not a means of punishment. Instead, it helps you polish existing skills through timely discovering of and addressing issues. Master using this tool, and you’ll learn how to get the most out of the potential of your employees — the most precious resource that’s worth proper care and support.

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12 Feedback Examples To Give to Coworkers (Positive and Constructive)

Learn the art of giving and receiving coworker feedback to elevate your workplace environment. Discover actionable tips for constructive, positive exchanges.

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Feedback is an intricate art form. But when you do it well, you can create deeper bonds with your coworkers, contribute to an energizing team culture, and build a more efficient workplace.

Here’s a quick rule for giving feedback:

Positive comment

Constructive comment

Future hope or optimistic promise

It sounds like:

I have loved your recent work on Project X.

We have to talk about deadlines. The client loves the work but needs it faster.

I have some ideas on how we can hit our deadlines and keep the amazing quality of work you are bringing.

This is your quick help. Let’s go further so you know how to GIVE and TAKE coworker feedback. In this guide, we’ll break down different types of positive and constructive feedback, address common obstacles to giving feedback, and provide actionable steps for receiving feedback gracefully.

Let’s make you a feedback pro that uplifts your team and enhances your company culture!

6 Types of Positive Feedback and How to Deliver Each

Giving positive feedback to your colleagues motivates them to do better work and boosts their confidence. And it’ll make you feel better! It’s a win-win all around. 

Here are several types of feedback you can consider giving to your teammates.

• Bringing attention to team-building moments

Have you ever seen a colleague say the right thing in a team meeting to get everyone on the same side? Or to turn a moment of chaos into one of clarity?

Pointing this out makes someone feel appreciated and doubly encourages the rest of the team. 

Recognizing a teammate’s contribution will boost team morale and inspire others to help the team in their way. This can create an upward spiral of collaboration and mutual support.

When to give this feedback: If you choose to provide this type of feedback, try sharing it at the end of the meeting.

Sample feedback: “Before we close, I just want to give some props to Jane. When you stepped in and mediated that conflict earlier in the meeting, I thought it helped get us back on track.”

Feedback is one crucial professional skill. And if you want to up your entire professional toolkit, you might appreciate this free goodie: 

Ready to start planning your professional development?

Use our free worksheet to get started on your Professional Development Plan.

• Validating ideas

Got a coworker who’s an idea machine? Validate their talents. It encourages more creative thinking and keeps those brilliant ideas flowing.

Sharing your appreciation can foster a collaborative relationship where they help you through your stuck moments with their genius ideas.

When to give this feedback: Any time you feel genuinely appreciative or inspired by their ideas. Just stop by their desk or even shoot them a Slack message that tells them how you feel.

Sample feedback: “I loved your idea about streamlining our workflow. Seriously, that could be a game-changer. You have a gift for coming up with inventive ideas.”

• Encouraging someone through a tough time

We’ve all been there: Life throws a curveball, and suddenly, work feels like an uphill battle. When you see a coworker navigating choppy waters, your support can be their much-needed lifeboat. 

Whether they’re going through a work project with a brutal client or their personal life has been hectic, your words can go a long way .

Plus, positive feedback can help someone unearth more creativity when stress levels are high at work.

When to give this feedback: Catch a private 1-on-1 moment when work doesn’t feel hectic or high-pressure.

Sample feedback: “Hey Paul, I know you’ve been going through a tough patch recently, and I just want to tell you that I see you. You’ve been putting in some awesome work and inspiring the rest of the team. Keep at it, and let me know if I can support you in any way.”

Acknowledging a teammate’s unseen work

Everyone loves a shoutout for the big, flashy wins, but the day-to-day grind and less visible tasks keep the wheels turning. 

Think about how nice it feels at home to be noticed, acknowledged, and appreciated for the extra care you put into cleaning the kitchen. The same goes for work.

Acknowledging these unseen efforts or when someone goes the extra mile can boost morale and show your coworker that their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. Studies even show 1 https://www.umkc.edu/facultyombuds/documents/grant_gino_jpsp_2010.pdf that expressing gratitude makes people feel valued.

When to give this feedback: This can be done during team meetings for public appreciation or privately during one-on-one check-ins, depending on what you feel would resonate most with your coworker.

Sample feedback: “Hey, I noticed you stayed late to organize the project files. That kind of attention to detail helps the whole team, even if it’s not as visible. Please know that your extra effort and dedication are appreciated!”

Appreciating their character or personality

Studies suggest 2 https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1186&context=acadfest that the most meaningful compliments are those related to someone’s character, as opposed to their appearance, skills, or possessions. So, telling someone you appreciate their tenacity will go much further than telling them you admire their spreadsheet abilities, purse, or haircut.

When to give this feedback: Anytime, honestly. Even in passing, it can create a moment of openness and connection.

Sample feedback: “ Hey Eric, just real quick, I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your positive attitude. I feel like you fill every space you enter with optimism, and I’m glad to be around your energy.”

Encouraging more good behavior

This principle is the same in friendships, partnerships, and work relationships. Positive reinforcement encourages more of the same positive behavior. 

It’s primitive, but it works. If you want your dog to put its paw in your outstretched hand, give it a biscuit each time it does the task. If you love when your partner gives you a massage, give them generous acknowledgment each time they think to squeeze your neck. And if you feel grateful that your coworker led the meeting with such precision, let them know!

When to give this feedback: Give the appreciation soon after observing the behavior you want to encourage. It could be during a team meeting, a quick chat in the break room, or over email.

Sample feedback: “I noticed how you helped onboard the new hires and created a welcoming atmosphere. I just wanted to tell you that it was awesome! Keep it up :-)”

6 Types of Constructive Feedback and How to Deliver Each

Giving constructive feedback is one of the tricker communication skills. Let’s break down six types of constructive feedback and how to ace each delivery.

As a rule of thumb, asking permission before giving someone else constructive criticism is best. This allows them to opt into the conversation and emotionally prepare themselves.

Preventing a coworker from taking a wrong approach

Sometimes, even well-intentioned strategies fall flat. If you see your coworker taking an approach to a project that seems like it’s not getting results, then a gentle nudge can help them reconsider their direction without feeling attacked.

When to give this feedback: One-on-one and after the event in question. The setting should be private and non-confrontational.

Sample feedback: “Hey Sam, I have some feedback on this project. Would you be open to hearing it? … the new approach you’ve been trying has some interesting concepts, but I noticed it hasn’t been getting the desired results. I’m curious what you think and if you’d be open to modifying the strategy we’re going with?”

Burning resources

When you see resources going down the drain (time, money, you name it), it’s crucial to address it. It benefits everyone in the long run.

One common place is a work culture with too many meetings or meetings that drone on too long without relevance or money allocated to expensive and unnecessary tools.

When to give this feedback: In a private setting or during a relevant team meeting, after an instance where resource wastage was noticeable.

Sample feedback: “Hey Tina, can I share feedback about our team meetings? Our meetings take 90 minutes, but we can achieve everything in 60 minutes. We could all benefit from 30 more minutes of productive work time. I have a few ideas on how to make the meetings tighter. Are you open to brainstorming?”

Addressing dependability issues

Reliability is key in any work setting. If someone’s falling short, it affects the whole team’s mojo.

When to give this feedback: One-on-one. Choose a moment when both of you have time to chat without distractions.

Sample feedback: “Hey Barb, can I share some feedback? … I noticed you’ve been running late on a few projects. And it’s throwing the whole team’s timing off a bit. I was wondering how your process has been going?”

Suggesting areas for improvement

This type of feedback is so valuable and also so rare! None of us can see ourselves. But our peers see how we perform day in and day out. They can see where we show up firm and notice our blind spots.

When you help your coworkers see some of their blind spots, you can help them grow into their best professional selves. Pinpointing areas for improvement provides a roadmap for growth.

People want to improve and are more open to this type of feedback than you might think.

When to give this feedback: Share this sentiment in a one-on-one setting.

Sample feedback: “Hey Arnold, I noticed your productivity has been on fire recently. I was also thinking about it and noticed some ways you could be even more effective. Would you be open to hearing them? … The main thing I see is that sometimes your copywriting can come off as dry in certain places. If you could bring some metaphor in, it would take your work to the next level.”

• Sharing an “emotional ouch.”

When we’re in close quarters with other humans, our personalities rub against each other. And sometimes you get pricked. A coworker will frustrate you, hurt your feelings, or say something that burns your confidence. It happens.

If the emotional “ouch” is big enough, our connection with that coworker will likely feel strained and uncomfortable until we clear the air. 

In these cases, to maintain a respectful and pleasant workplace, if someone’s behavior has hurt you emotionally, it’s crucial to address it.

When you give this type of feedback, it can be helpful to preface it to strengthen your bond and help prevent them from becoming defensive.

When to give this feedback: As soon as possible, but in a private, one-on-one setting.

Sample feedback: “Hi Helga, I felt uncomfortable in the meeting earlier. I wanted to share it with you because it will help our relationship feel more open and smooth. Would you be open to hearing it? … During the meeting, I pitched an idea that was pretty vulnerable for me, and you didn’t address it and changed the topic to something else. It might not have been your intention, but I felt hurt and rejected when that happened.”

Speaking up about boundary violation

Setting boundaries is key to maintaining a healthy work environment for everyone. It can be uncomfortable to set boundaries, but if a coworker consistently tramples over a limit that feels important to you, neglecting to say something will leave you feeling disempowered. 

Years ago, I worked in retail, and one of my coworkers was always playfully flirting with me, and one time grabbed me in a way I didn’t like. I knew he didn’t mean any harm by it and was just being flirtatious. However, the encounter left me feeling uncomfortable and unsafe. So, after our shift ended, I stopped him outside and told him so. I asked him if he’d be comfortable asking me before engaging in touch in the future. 

Admittedly, he did retract from our relationship after this. But it was far better than the alternative of me feeling continually disempowered, uncomfortable, and placating toward him.

When to give this feedback: In private, shortly after the incident, to ensure it’s fresh in both parties’ minds.

Sample feedback: “Hey Sid, something came up earlier that I want to share. Do you have a quick minute? … When you used my desk earlier without asking me, I felt uncomfortable. My desk feels like a private space, and it felt like you had stepped inside my personal bubble. In the future, if you’d like to use my desk, would you mind asking first?”

5 Common Fears of Giving Feedback and How to Overcome Them

Giving feedback can be scary! If the feedback is constructive, we might fear how the other person will take it.

But even giving positive feedback can be scary. Studies suggest 3 https://hbr.org/2021/02/a-simple-compliment-can-make-a-big-difference that 90% of people believe they should give compliments more often. In another experiment, when people wrote a compliment about a friend on paper, only 50% shared it with their friend!

The reality is that feedback is a form of intimacy in its way. And intimacy of any kind is scary for most of us.

Here are some of the most common fears or resistances that prevent people from giving feedback and tips on overcoming each hurdle.

Fear of conflict

This is a biggie for so many of us. You might be worried that giving feedback will bring up conflict, disagreement, or uncomfortable feelings that could damage your relationship with the team member.

So many of us avoid conflict like it’s the plague. But, studies suggest 4 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470432/ that embracing conflict in the workplace helps with team-building, finding new ideas, and critical thinking. 

So, how can you overcome this fear?

Pro Tip : It’s okay to be afraid of conflict. But if you can find a perspective that sees the value in conflict, then it will help you dramatically. Before your feedback conversation, it might help to journal on the following:

How will giving this feedback make our relationship feel healthier? How will it help me feel more empowered? How might embracing conflict help our teamwork?

Fear of upsetting the other person

You also might be afraid to enter a feedback space because you dread seeing a hurt look on their face and fear you’ll upset them.

Pro Tips: First, it could help to take on the perspective that if you give your feedback with good intentions, then whatever emotions come up in the other person are not your fault. 

Many of us fear upsetting others because we assume we are responsible for their feelings. But see if you can embrace the perspective that your feedback is an effort to be authentic and honest and that the impact this has on the other person is theirs to manage.

When you deliver your feedback, you could also try this feedback template below:

• Tell them you have feedback for them and ask if they’re open to hearing it. This allows them to brace themselves and feel like they’ve opted in.

“Hi Steve, something came up earlier, and I was wondering if you’d be open to receiving some feedback?”

• Tell them the positive intention of your feedback. You should create more connections or help them become better workers. But if they know your positive intentions, they’ll likely receive better feedback.

“I want you to know that I want to give this feedback because I’ve been feeling awkward in our connection recently, and I think I need to share this to feel more connected with you again.”

• See if you can start with an authentic appreciation or positive feedback. This can create a space of connection and positivity.

First, I appreciate that you always seek opportunities to mentor people. And I can see how big your heart is.”

• Then, offer your constructive feedback.

“Though I feel like every time we have a conversation, you are putting your teacher hat on. And sometimes, I want to share something without getting advice on it. For example, yesterday, when I told you that my mom was sick, you gave me advice on how to stay strong. I didn’t feel I needed advice; I just wanted a listening ear.”

• Then, ask how it landed and give them space to process if they’d like.

“I’m curious how that landed?”

Fear of the emotional vulnerability that is required in sharing an appreciation

To give praise, positive feedback, or appreciation to a coworker can be scary because you are essentially opening your heart to them. 

Not all of us have much experience being sentimental, so even small compliments can be scary! It can help to keep in mind the positive impact of your words.

One study 3 https://hbr.org/2021/02/a-simple-compliment-can-make-a-big-difference compared how impactful someone thought their positive feedback would be to a recipient and how impacted the recipient felt. 

The feedback givers consistently underestimated how impactful their positive feedback would be! Many of them even estimated the recipient might feel uncomfortable getting appreciated or complimented when, in actuality, the compliment tended to brighten the recipient’s day.

Pro Tip: Remember, vulnerability usually breeds deeper connections. The best thing you can do is remember that sharing your positive feedback will likely make the other person feel better. See if you can anchor yourself to that intention to give you courage.

Fear of retaliation

Another common fear is that your coworker might hold a grudge, which could negatively impact your work relationship.

While it’s true that some people may become defensive and react this way no matter what, there are a few communication techniques you can put forth to increase the odds that the conversation goes smoothly.

Pro Tips: First, focus your feedback on their behavior and not on them as a person . Separating these two will help them avoid taking your feedback personally.

It will also make it so you can take a step back and look at the behavior in question together. 

This brings us to the second tip: approach the feedback from a team mentality. When you give the input, imagine you are on the same team as them. You can then take a step back and problem-solve together as a team.

Fear of saying the wrong thing

You might also feel anxious about blurring something inappropriate or offensive. Your feedback will come out like messy spaghetti, and your lack of grace will ruin everything.

First, don’t worry! No feedback conversation will be perfect. You can increase the likelihood of speaking with clarity and give effective feedback with the tip below.

Pro Tip: Write down your points beforehand and rehearse them if necessary. This way, you can come into the conversation as prepared as possible. 

5 Tips for Receiving Difficult Feedback Like a Pro

Receiving difficult feedback is something we all have to navigate at some point, but knowing how to handle it can set you apart as a true professional. 

Below are some best practices for turning challenging critiques into opportunities for growth.

Listen before you speak

When receiving feedback, our first instinct is often to get defensive or even interrupt to clarify our stance.

It’s okay to have that impulse—it happens to almost everyone!

Pro Tip: Hold that thought. Do your best to let the other person finish speaking before you jump in. 

Before responding with your side, ask questions to ensure you’ve completely understood what they shared.

Keep your emotions in check

Sometimes, critical feedback can sting. We all want to be seen as competent, so receiving feedback can feel like a smack to the ego. 

This can bring up all sorts of emotions, from anger to insecurity.

Pro Tip : Once they’ve finished giving you the feedback, say, “Thank you for the feedback.” Then, take three deep breaths before responding. You can even say, “Just give me a moment while I soak that in.”

If you can keep your emotions in check and continue the conversation civilly and constructively, proceed. If your emotions feel loud and like they’d take over the conversation if you kept going, you can tell your colleague that you appreciated the feedback greatly and want a day or two to mull it over before connecting further about it. Once you privately process your emotions, you can continue the conversation with them.

Ask for specifics

While it can be uncomfortable, feedback is also gold. This person is giving you vital information about how you can grow professionally.

See if you can gather all the insight and data about what they tell you.

“You need to do better” is as useful as a screen door on a submarine. You need actionable input to make real changes.

Pro Tip : Tell them you want to make the most of their feedback and ask for specific examples or situations where you fell short and what you could’ve done better. The more detailed the feedback, the more you can learn from it.

Reflect before reacting

It’s tempting to come up with an immediate response or explanation for the feedback you received. It’s easy to be defensive and to turn yourself to steel, so their feedback bounces right off you.

But could there be an ounce of truth to what they shared?

Pro Tip: Take some time to mull their feedback over. I could even sleep on it. If you feel defensive, challenge yourself to find something true or useful in what they shared. 

Turn it into a dialogue

Receiving feedback is a two-way street. It should be the beginning of a dialogue that leads to improvement on both ends. Hopefully, the feedback is the beginning of an ongoing conversation.

Pro Tip: Once you’ve had time to reflect, schedule a follow-up meeting to discuss your thoughts and potential solutions. Check in to see if they feel like you’ve responded to the feedback. This shows that you’re proactive and genuinely interested in improving.

Frequently Asked Questions About Coworker Feedback

Coworker feedback refers to exchanging information, opinions, and assessments regarding work performance or behavior between colleagues. It is important to enhance individual skills, foster team collaboration, and boost workplace efficiency. Just saying “good work” or recognizing an achievement can go a long way.

To give constructive feedback without causing conflict, it’s crucial to focus on the behavior or action rather than the person and deliver it discreetly and respectfully. Being specific, timely, and open to dialogue can minimize misunderstandings and negative reactions.

Effective strategies for receiving feedback positively include actively listening without interruption, asking clarifying questions, and refraining from immediate judgment or defensiveness. Taking the time to understand the feedback and then formulate an actionable plan fully can lead to personal and professional growth. And doing so can contribute to a positive feedback culture for your whole team.

Coworker feedback can identify areas for improvement and reinforce good behavior, thereby serving as a tool for personal and professional development. Peer feedback provides valuable external perspectives you might need to be aware of, aiding in skill development and performance enhancement.

Yes, the approach to giving feedback can vary based on individual personalities and work styles. Some people may appreciate direct, no-nonsense advice, while others require a more empathetic, gradual approach.

Handling negative feedback without getting defensive involves active listening, keeping emotions in check, and considering the validity of the input. Taking a step back to evaluate how the feedback can be constructively used for improvement is also beneficial.

Coworker feedback is instrumental in team collaboration and overall workplace performance because it fosters open communication, builds trust, and helps identify strengths and weaknesses within the team. It’s immensely valuable to acknowledge accomplishments or help someone see their blind spots. Giving and receiving feedback can make you an all-star team player.

Takeaways on Coworker Feedback

While feedback can be tricky, you will do great with it. Just remember, here are some types of positive feedback:

• Acknowledging unseen work
• Appreciating someone’s character
• Encouraging good behavior

Here are a few types of constructive feedback:

• Preventing a coworker from taking the wrong approach
• Calling out the wasting of time or money
• Addressing a lack of dependability
• Suggesting an area of improvement
• Speaking up a boundary

Best of luck in your feedback journey! And if you have a toxic coworker, where your feedback would get crumpled into a ball and thrown right back in your face, you might appreciate this guide on dealing with toxic coworkers.

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16 constructive feedback examples — and tips for how to use them

Giving constructive feedback is nerve-wracking for many people. But feedback is also necessary for thriving in the workplace. 

It helps people flex and grow into new skills, capabilities, and roles. It creates more positive and productive relationships between employees. And it helps to reach goals and drive business value.

But feedback is a two-way street. More often than not, it’s likely every employee will have to give constructive feedback in their careers. That’s why it’s helpful to have constructive feedback examples to leverage for the right situation. 

We know employees want feedback. But one study found that people want feedback if they’re on the receiving end . In fact, in every case, participants rated their desire for feedback higher as the receiver. While the fear of feedback is very real, it’s important to not shy away from constructive feedback opportunities. After all, it could be the difference between a flailing and thriving team. 

If you’re trying to overcome your fear of providing feedback, we’ve compiled a list of 16 constructive feedback examples for you to use. We’ll also share some best practices on how to give effective feedback . 

What is constructive feedback? 

When you hear the word feedback, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? What feelings do you have associated with feedback? Oftentimes, feedback conversations are anxiety-ridden because it’s assumed to be negative feedback. Unfortunately, feedback has this binary stigma, it’s either good or bad.

But in reality, there are plenty of types of feedback leveraged in both personal and professional relationships. They don’t all fall into one camp or the other. And each type of feedback is serving a purpose to ultimately better an individual, team, or work environment. 

For example, positive feedback can be used to reinforce desired behaviors or big accomplishments. Real-time feedback is reserved for those “in the moment” situations. Like if I’ve made a mistake or a typo in a blog, I’d want my teammates to give me real-time feedback . 

However, constructive feedback is its own ball game. 

What is constructive feedback?

Constructive feedback is a supportive way to improve areas of opportunity for an individual person, team, relationship, or environment. In many ways, constructive feedback is a combination of constructive criticism paired with coaching skills. 

16 constructive feedback examples to use 

To truly invest in building a feedback culture , your employees need to feel comfortable giving feedback. After all, organizations are people, which means we’re all human. We make mistakes but we’re all capable of growth and development. And most importantly, everyone everywhere should be able to live with more purpose, clarity, and passion. 

But we won’t unlock everyone’s full potential unless your people are comfortable giving feedback. Some employee feedback might be easier to give than others, like ways to improve a presentation. 

But sometimes, constructive feedback can be tricky, like managing conflict between team members or addressing negative behavior. As any leader will tell you, it’s critical to address negative behaviors and redirect them to positive outcomes. Letting toxic behavior go unchecked can lead to issues with employee engagement , company culture, and overall, your business’s bottom line. 

Regardless of where on the feedback spectrum your organization falls, having concrete examples will help set up your people for success. Let’s talk through some examples of constructive feedback. For any of these themes, it’s always good to have specific examples handy to help reinforce the feedback you’re giving. We’ll also give some sample scenarios of when these phrases might be most impactful and appropriate. 

Constructive feedback examples about communication skills  

An employee speaks over others and interrupts in team meetings.

“I’ve noticed you can cut off team members or interrupt others. You share plenty of good ideas and do good work. To share some communication feedback , I’d love to see how you can support others in voicing their own ideas in our team meetings.” 

An employee who doesn’t speak up or share ideas in team meetings.

“I’ve noticed that you don’t often share ideas in big meetings. But in our one-on-one meetings , you come up with plenty of meaningful and creative ideas to help solve problems. What can I do to help make you more comfortable speaking up in front of the team?” 

An employee who is brutally honest and blunt.

“Last week, I noticed you told a teammate that their work wasn’t useful to you. It might be true that their work isn’t contributing to your work, but there’s other work being spread across the team that will help us reach our organizational goals. I’d love to work with you on ways to improve your communication skills to help build your feedback skills, too. Would you be interested in pursuing some professional development opportunities?”  

An employee who has trouble building rapport because of poor communication skills in customer and prospect meetings.

“I’ve noticed you dive right into the presentation with our customer and prospect meetings. To build a relationship and rapport, it’s good to make sure we’re getting to know everyone as people. Why don’t you try learning more about their work, priorities, and life outside of the office in our next meeting?” 

Constructive feedback examples about collaboration 

An employee who doesn’t hold to their commitments on group or team projects.

“I noticed I asked you for a deliverable on this key project by the end of last week. I still haven’t received this deliverable and wanted to follow up. If a deadline doesn’t work well with your bandwidth, would you be able to check in with me? I’d love to get a good idea of what you can commit to without overloading your workload.”  

An employee who likes to gatekeep or protect their work, which hurts productivity and teamwork .

“Our teams have been working together on this cross-functional project for a couple of months. But yesterday, we learned that your team came across a roadblock last month that hasn’t been resolved. I’d love to be a partner to you if you hit any issues in reaching our goals. Would you be willing to share your project plan or help provide some more visibility into your team’s work? I think it would help us with problem-solving and preventing problems down the line.” 

An employee who dominates a cross-functional project and doesn’t often accept new ways of doing things.

“I’ve noticed that two team members have voiced ideas that you have shut down. In the spirit of giving honest feedback, it feels like ideas or new solutions to problems aren’t welcome. Is there a way we could explore some of these ideas? I think it would help to show that we’re team players and want to encourage everyone’s contributions to this project.” 

Constructive feedback examples about time management 

An employee who is always late to morning meetings or one-on-ones.

“I’ve noticed that you’re often late to our morning meetings with the rest of the team. Sometimes, you’re late to our one-on-ones, too. Is there a way I can help you with building better time management skills ? Sometimes, the tardiness can come off like you don’t care about the meeting or the person you’re meeting with, which I know you don’t mean.” 

A direct report who struggles to meet deadlines.

“Thanks for letting me know you’re running behind schedule and need an extension. I’ve noticed this is the third time you’ve asked for an extension in the past two weeks. In our next one-on-one, can you come up with a list of projects and the amount of time that you’re spending on each project? I wonder if we can see how you’re managing your time and identify efficiencies.” 

An employee who continuously misses team meetings.

“I’ve noticed you haven’t been present at the last few team meetings. I wanted to check in to see how things are going. What do you have on your plate right now? I’m concerned you’re missing critical information that can help you in your role and your career.” 

Constructive feedback examples about boundaries 

A manager who expects the entire team to work on weekends.

“I’ve noticed you send us emails and project plans over the weekends. I put in a lot of hard work during the week, and won’t be able to answer your emails until the work week starts again. It’s important that I maintain my work-life balance to be able to perform my best.” 

An employee who delegates work to other team members.

“I’ve noticed you’ve delegated some aspects of this project that fall into your scope of work. I have a full plate with my responsibilities in XYZ right now. But if you need assistance, it might be worth bringing up your workload to our manager.” 

A direct report who is stressed about employee performance but is at risk of burning out.

“I know we have performance reviews coming up and I’ve noticed an increase in working hours for you. I hope you know that I recognize your work ethic but it’s important that you prioritize your work-life balance, too. We don’t want you to burn out.”  

Constructive feedback examples about managing 

A leader who is struggling with team members working together well in group settings.

“I’ve noticed your team’s scores on our employee engagement surveys. It seems like they don’t collaborate well or work well in group settings, given their feedback. Let’s work on building some leadership skills to help build trust within your team.” 

A leader who is struggling to engage their remote team.

“In my last skip-levels with your team, I heard some feedback about the lack of connections . It sounds like some of your team members feel isolated, especially in this remote environment. Let’s work on ways we can put some virtual team-building activities together.” 

A leader who is micromanaging , damaging employee morale.

“In the last employee engagement pulse survey, I took a look at the leadership feedback. It sounds like some of your employees feel that you micromanage them, which can damage trust and employee engagement. In our next one-on-one, let’s talk through some projects that you can step back from and delegate to one of your direct reports. We want to make sure employees on your team feel ownership and autonomy over their work.” 

8 tips for providing constructive feedback 

Asking for and receiving feedback isn’t an easy task. 

But as we know, more people would prefer to receive feedback than give it. If giving constructive feedback feels daunting, we’ve rounded up eight tips to help ease your nerves. These best practices can help make sure you’re nailing your feedback delivery for optimal results, too.

Be clear and direct (without being brutally honest). Make sure you’re clear, concise, and direct. Dancing around the topic isn’t helpful for you or the person you’re giving feedback to. 

Provide specific examples. Get really specific and cite recent examples. If you’re vague and high-level, the employee might not connect feedback with their actions.

Set goals for the behavior you’d like to see changed. If there’s a behavior that’s consistent, try setting a goal with your employee. For example, let’s say a team member dominates the conversation in team meetings. Could you set a goal for how many times they encourage other team members to speak and share their ideas? 

Give time and space for clarifying questions. Constructive feedback can be hard to hear. It can also take some time to process. Make sure you give the person the time and space for questions and follow-up. 

Know when to give feedback in person versus written communication. Some constructive feedback simply shouldn’t be put in an email or a Slack message. Know the right communication forum to deliver your feedback.   

Check-in. Make an intentional effort to check in with the person on how they’re doing in the respective area of feedback. For example, let’s say you’ve given a teammate feedback on their presentation skills . Follow up on how they’ve invested in building their public speaking skills . Ask if you can help them practice before a big meeting or presentation. 

Ask for feedback in return. Feedback can feel hierarchical and top-down sometimes. Make sure that you open the door to gather feedback in return from your employees. 

Start giving effective constructive feedback 

Meaningful feedback can be the difference between a flailing and thriving team. To create a feedback culture in your organization, constructive feedback is a necessary ingredient. 

Think about the role of coaching to help build feedback muscles with your employees. With access to virtual coaching , you can make sure your employees are set up for success. BetterUp can help your workforce reach its full potential.

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Madeline Miles

Madeline is a writer, communicator, and storyteller who is passionate about using words to help drive positive change. She holds a bachelor's in English Creative Writing and Communication Studies and lives in Denver, Colorado. In her spare time, she's usually somewhere outside (preferably in the mountains) — and enjoys poetry and fiction.

5 types of feedback that make a difference (and how to use them)

Become a pro at asking for feedback (and receiving it), why coworker feedback is so important and 5 ways to give it, are you receptive to feedback follow this step-by-step guide, how to give positive comments to your boss, how to give negative feedback to a manager, with examples, how to give and take constructive criticism, handle feedback like a boss and make it work for you, feedback in communication: 5 areas to become a better communicator, how to give feedback to your boss: tips for getting started, how to embrace constructive conflict, upward communication: what is it 5 examples, what is job crafting, why does it matter, and how can you do it, get flexible. adapting to changes will take you to the top, take the initiative: a how-to guide in 10 steps, 7 types of meetings (and how to get them right), how to write a professional development plan for career success, 10 organizational skills that will put you a step ahead, stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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How to Give 360 Feedback to Peers, Managers & Teams in 2024

Table of Contents:

How to give 360 feedback, how to give 360 feedback to your manager, how to give 360 feedback to your peers, how to give 360 feedback to an entire team, how to ask for 360 feedback, final tips on how to give 360 feedback.

Wondering how to give 360 feedback ? You've been asked to fill in a 360 degree questionnaire for your boss, peers, or maybe an entire team, and you aren't sure how to do it. Never fear, you've come to the right place! 

This how-to guide covers how to give 360 feedback for managers, peers, and even an entire team. As an added bonus, there's even a section on how to ask for 360 degree feedback! In case you don't have time to read the whole article, though, here's the Cliff Notes: be honest, and don't be mean.

If you've been asked to give 360 feedback to your manager you'll receive a short evaluation form and be told to fill it out and return it. Good news: your performance appraisal feedback will be anonymous . What that doesn't mean is that you should throw caution to the wind and air out your personal vendetta with a gusto that rivals the U.S. navy's old aircraft carriers. Instead, keep in mind how to give helpful and constructive feedback.

Keywords here: anonymous, constructive, helpful, upbuilding

Got that? Make sure you're giving it with a helpful purpose. If you have some ideas on how your manager can improve how he or she manages the team, definitely offer them up. Be clear your suggestions are things that be carried out and that they will benefit both of your work experiences. But don't just tell him you hate his yellow shirt, or the sound of his voice when he shouts good morning across the room in baritone. You're not supposed to be rating the person, you're rating his work performance, and there is a difference. 

When you're asked to give 360 feedback to your peer, chances are the last thing on their mind is how it'll affect your relationship with them. And that's great! If you're not close with them, there's no need to pretend like you are. This how-to guide is all about how to give 360 feedback without kissing up.

What do I mean by that? Well, how many times have you said something positive about your coworker only so they would think highly of you? 360 feedback is anonymous feedback, so it's not going to get you any brownie points. Think of what advice you'd give your co-worker if you were his/her great-great-grandfather, bound up in his success but not the slightest bit worried of offending him or her. 

If you're not too close with your co-workers, then that neutral position can help you figure out how they compare to the rest of the team. Are they more supportive than others? Do they shine brightly in their work? Is there room for improvement? The 360 feedback process will help you understand how they contribute to the whole.

Focus on how your co-worker's work behavior affects how he/she performs, and how the team performs. That's the kind of real time feedback that can actually help your coworker become a better team player and officemate.

When you're asked how to give 360 feedback for your whole team, the purpose is to provide insights on how your team can improve. Think about how to give 360 feedback as how you'd want your team members to give regular feedback on how the whole team can improve.

If you work with a fantastic bunch of folks who are generally doing good work and going above and beyond in their roles, chances are you'll want to focus on how your team can keep doing what they're already doing. That's totally okay (and even great!) if that's how things pan out! Positive feedback is great as far as it goes.

The problem is that once in a while there comes along someone who needs some improvement, or maybe an entire sub-team that could use some help. Then you've got to share negative feedback, but you might not want to do it in a negative way. Chances are you'll want to highlight how to bring up issues without hurting feelings or sounding like a fire-breathing dragon. 

So how do you go about doing that? Well, it's helpful to think of how you'd want your team members to speak with one another when they're planning out how to improve the whole team. There are lots of ways you can encourage constructive conversations surrounding how to increase how much the team gets done or how to make sure everyone's project is completed on time. Think about what you'd prioritize if you were a team leader writing an action plan, then go from there. Constructive criticism can be the most valuable part of a performance review.

Note that a 360 feedback review is not an end-all meet-all for teams. Consistent feedback can actually be more helpful when it comes to employee engagement, and the most effective feedback is sometimes instant feedback the feedback recipient gets right away. If you'd like to work continuous feedback into your development plan, let your boss know he should be adding the free app Matter to your Slack workspace and create a feedback culture that takes your team to new heights.

If you're wondering how to get honest and upbuilding 360 feedback, asking in a certain way can help your coworkers be more open and honest when they're giving you suggestions and how-tos in how to improve.

When someone's asked to give 360 feedback, it's likely that they're put on the spot. Manager feedback, peer feedback, employee feedback, it's all the same. They feel like they have to come up with suggestions right then and there; no time to ask a question, no time to consider how it'll affect you, or think of specific kinds of performance feedback. What's more, they're likely concerned with your potential reaction if their honest feedback isn't what you want to hear.

What does this mean when you ask your coworkers to give you 360 feedback? Start by letting the feedback giver know your feedback request is for 100% anonymous feedback: no one will know who said what. Then give them time and space to come up with how-to suggestions that are helpful and uplifting. A little bit of extra time can make an enormous difference in the quality of the 360 degree review . 

Remember, 360 feedback is concerned with how your coworkers feel you could improve. When you ask for 360 feedback, it's important that you're asking in a supportive way. Let your feedback provider know that you view this feedback session as invaluable in your personal development. That also means not attacking how someone might have filled out the form (i.e., "I can't believe how much you hated all of my ideas!"), asking for how-to suggestions instead of how-not-to suggestions, and having a positive mindset as you receive feedback .

Whether you're giving feedback to your boss, your coworker, your entire team or your mother in law, the same principle applies: be honest, be constructive , and phrase your criticism in a way that points out a way to improve rather than just pushes the recipient down into the dirt. 

Simple or not, giving 360 feedback isn't easy. When you're asked for suggestions that are meant to help your co-workers improve, it can feel like you have to point out everything they're doing wrong or how they could change their behavior completely. More often than not, this type of feedback can feel hurtful and even demoralizing. 

But 360 feedback can actually be an incredibly uplifting exercise, and just might be what it takes to improve your recipient's employee experience, boost morale, and increase engagement. Sometimes being heard and seen is 

So be thoughtful with your feedback, and take time and space before you respond in order to ensure it is the high-quality feedback your recipient deserves.

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How to Write Constructive Feedback for Your Colleagues

Let’s face it: Giving and receiving constructive feedback is hard. Even the best managers struggle to give constructive feedback. As for employees? It’s almost even harder to hear it. 

The good news is that there are ways to make this easier — and also more effective and productive for all team members. 

Giving the right constructive feedback will help your team members get better, both on a personal and professional level. With the right approach, you can create a fantastic team capable of achieving major goals while improving their productivity and efficiency and creating a great team atmosphere. 

And all of it starts with understanding what constructive feedback is. 

What is constructive feedback?

Constructive feedback is feedback that aims to support individuals by identifying the team member’s weaknesses, developing a plan to help them overcome those weaknesses, and providing support to change these undesirable behaviors.

Since the purpose of it is to develop the individual personally and professionally, constructive feedback is positive in nature. Some of the great outputs and results of constructive feedback include:

• Improved team member morale
• Clear goals, measurements, and expectations toward employees
• Psychological safety, which according to Google is one of the most impactful elements of a high-performing team
• Developed trust, accountability, and a sense of ownership in the team

The best way to frame constructive feedback

Knowing the benefits of constructive feedback is great. But understanding and framing the necessity of constructive feedback is even better.

Most employees don’t want to hear constructive feedback since they have an equation in their heads that goes something like this: 

If I do something bad = I am a bad person = I will get fired = My confidence will be crushed.

If you, as a manager, want team members to actively seek constructive feedback and want to get better on their own, then you need to think about it in the following way. 

Constructive feedback is like a game where you receive feedback immediately after you do something because you need to know if the behavior in the game is making your character stronger or not. 

If it does, you continue that behavior (i.e., positive reinforcement). If it doesn’t, you receive constructive feedback from the game in various formats such as:

• Get better equipment (tools) to complete this mission
• Try again using a different strategy
• Your tactic was good and correct, but you need to work on the execution of it

Everyone loves this about games because it lets you immediately know what you need to work on to grow. And you need to start thinking about your team in the same manner. 

In other words, make constructive feedback seem like a game to your team members where they will need to hear constructive feedback and be able to attain new “levels” and skills. This can be done via promotions or recognition systems where workers need to improve to get a reward. 

A common misunderstanding of constructive feedback is that people usually tend to associate it with failing — which is why many workplaces steer away from giving constructive feedback. 

But avoiding constructive feedback limits the potential of every single employee and stifles growth, open communication, and trust. 

So, the best tip is to frame constructive feedback in a way that makes it appear as a game that helps the team members become better professionally and personally. 

How to write constructive feedback

There is one method that works wonders in an office environment without creating a sense of false harmony or a facade of mistrust. 

And that technique is called the BIO method, which stands for:

With the BIO method, you: 

• Observe a specific behavior and then explain what you observed
• Tell your colleagues what kind of impact that behavior had on you, the team, and/or the organization
• Provide a suggestion or an expectation for future behavior, or alternatively ask how the other person wants to move forward

It’s quite tricky to talk to someone about their behavior without being subjective. Here’s what I mean.

The phrase This happened and it’s bad is actually two impressions. The first — This happened — is objective. The second — it’s bad — is subjective. 

In The Book of Five Rings , 16th century samurai swordsman Miyamoto Musashi noted the difference between observing and perceiving. The observing eye sees simply what is there. The perceiving eye seems more than what is there. 

When giving constructive feedback and especially when explaining behavior, the former is helpful and the latter isn’t. 

Here’s an illustration that shows the difference between an observing and perceiving eye.

Perceiving eye:

• “You looked really confident when presenting. That made me enjoy your presentation more, so keep doing that.” 

This is a perfect example of a subjective opinion, where “looking confident” is the interpretation of behavior that hasn’t been described. The problem with this type of feedback is that the recipient doesn’t know what he or she has done which made them look confident. 

As a manager, you need to be especially careful about this and take notice of the following example.

Observing eye:

• “You stood up straight and looked around the audience. And as a result, I felt engaged and thought you looked confident. Keep doing this!” 

Here, the behavior is explained. This results in a positive effect on the person receiving the constructive feedback because they know what they actually did that caused the person to feel a certain way (i.e., stood up straight and looked around the audience). 

This is more helpful for the receiver as he or she knows the behavior they need to continue doing. So, when explaining behavior, make sure you use the “observing eye” approach. 

For the impact category to be right, it needs to be explained in the “I” language. 

“I” based means that you explain the impact a certain behavior had on you by talking in “me” language. 

Here is an example: 

• “When you stood up fast and started walking toward me hastily, I felt scared.” 

Here is where you explain how you felt at that moment — not what the other person embodied. You don’t assign an attribute to the other person. You only tell them how it made you feel. You focus on what was done, not who the person is. 

So, the person who stood up fast and started walking toward you hastily isn’t a scary person. Their behavior simply scared you.

If you assign an attribute to a person when giving feedback, the whole purpose of giving feedback will be for naught. You’re just encouraging the same behaviors by telling the person that the behavior is part of their entire character, which makes it unlikely that they will change. 

Don’t make character judgments. Just describe the effect a certain behavior had on you. 

Here are two examples to demonstrate: 

• “You are scary.” vs. “By jumping from the chair and rushing toward me, you made me scared.”
• “You are lazy.” vs. “Whenever you miss an assignment, I need to pick up on it. It makes me feel overused.”

So don’t attack the character or who the person is. Focus on the deed; what the person did. 

Remember, it’s not who they are, but simply what they do. And that can always be changed. 

The option component of the BIO method consists of two parts.

The first one is when you actually provide the option as a point of reference. You tell the other person what they need to start/stop/continue doing as an option for them.

In giving constructive feedback, this is used more as a positive, reinforcing tool. It’s also used in situations when you don’t have time for other options.

The second part is coaching.

Coaching is always great since you leave the option as a question that you ask the employee. It’s more about what they can think of doing differently than you telling them what they should do differently. 

This is a great way of teaching your employees and having them grow both personally and professionally. 

• “Mike, last time you submitted the whitepaper, it was filled with lots of errors. I had to spend a great deal of time fixing the mistakes and it made me feel like I was doing something that wasn’t supposed to be my task. What do you think can be done differently to prevent this from happening in the future?” 

Constructive feedback examples using the BIO method

What follows are a couple of frequent situations you will face as a manager where you will have to give out constructive feedback. Here is how you can use the BIO method to do it properly. 

If an employee is frequently late

Matt, do you have just a moment? I’ve noticed that you’ve been coming late to our meetings for a bit more than two weeks now. When you do that, it sends a message to everyone else that their arrival time doesn’t matter much and that you’re excused from coming to the meeting at the arranged time. In the future, it would be great for you to take notice of the meeting time and come at the arranged time.

If an employee is missing their deadlines

Stella, I’ve just looked at your numbers for this month and I’ve noticed that they are a bit off. The project that you’ve been working on had a two-week delay which prevented the team from accomplishing their monthly results. I would suggest you build in some extra time to work on the projects since it’s important for everyone in the team to stay on track and keep up with their goals. 

If an employee is missing their deadlines because of a personal matter

Hi Anne, I need to talk to you for just a moment. I’ve gone through the numbers for this month and it appears that your project was two weeks late. I know this period must be hard for you considering the personal situation and I’ve expected some bumps along the ride. Can you just make sure to communicate to me that there will be things you won’t be able to do in the following period so that we can arrange for us to pick up the work? That way, the team will still stay productive and we will help you make it through this period. 

If an employee isn’t a team player

Mark, a moment please. I’ve noticed that when some of our team members struggle with a task and you can help them out with your skill set, you miss out on it. It’s a perfect moment for you to make a team contribution and help your colleagues and, in turn, help the team perform well. Mark, everyone needs help from time to time and that’s how you build a great team you can rely on. Next time, when you finish your work and you see a team member struggling, it would be best if you could see what you could help them out with.

 Constructive feedback helps your team grow

Giving constructive feedback will help develop everyone on your team and help your organization accomplish its goals. 

But for that to happen, you first need to frame the constructive feedback as something employees want. Once you’ve done that, you need to use the BIO method to deliver constructive feedback the right way. 

Doing this the right way may take some time. But if you’re determined and willing to iterate on the process and improve it over time, you’ll reap the full rewards of constructive feedback, and your business and customers will be happier because of it.

So start telling your team about the importance of constructive feedback and start sharing some of it in the most effective way you can. That’s how you’ll build a stronger team that helps your organization get to the next level.

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