How to give feedback to employees

Updated November 9, 2026

Good feedback is specific, quick and about behavior, not personality. Within a day or two, describe the moment, what the person did, and the effect it had, then ask for their view and agree on the next step. Do it often: Gallup advises feedback a few times per week for most jobs.

What to do

1. Pick the right moment. Praise can be public; correction is private. Do it within a day or two, while the details are fresh.
2. Describe the moment. Name when and where it happened: "In Tuesday's client call" rather than "lately".
3. Say what they did. Describe the observable action, what a camera would have recorded, not your guess about their attitude.
4. Explain the impact. Say what it caused for the client, the team or the project, in one sentence. The impact is what turns a remark into a reason to change.
5. Ask, then agree. Ask how they saw it, listen, then agree on one concrete change and when you will check in. Notice when they get it right and say so.

What to say

For a correction, try words like these:

Can I share something from this morning's meeting? When the client asked about the delay, you said it was the design team's fault. The client looked worried and asked to talk to someone else afterward. How did you see it? Next time, could we own the delay and give a new date instead?

Avoid

• Sandwiching criticism between two compliments: people hear only the praise or only the blame.
• Labels like "unprofessional" or "lazy" that describe a person, not an action.
• Saving everything for the annual review, when it is too late to change anything.

Questions