Feedback is not an employee review. It’s different.
This article is not about employee reviews. This is about feedback to an employee who needs corrective action and can’t wait for a full employee review.
It would be great if all employees “got it” and comprehended how their actions (or lack thereof) affected the rest of the farm and the team. It would be great if managers could have an annual employee review that would handle all the issues.
The reality is that managers need to give positive and negative feedback throughout the year. Multiple studies and real experience show that highly engaged employees get regular feedback. When we survey employees, most say they want more feedback.
Does feedback need to be a big process? Does it always need to be scripted and formal? No, it doesn’t.
A simple way of providing feedback to employees in real time is to use the acronym BIG.
BIG stands for:
- Behavior
- Impact
- Get agreement
Let’s create a scenario: Several times over the last few days, you observed an employee not washing teats correctly before milking. This employee has been trained correctly but appears to be cutting corners.
Step 1. Describe the behavior you observed. For instance: “The last two times I checked the parlor, I noticed you were reusing the same wipes.”
Step 2. Describe the impact of their actions. Say why that behavior is a problem. Example: “When a teat isn’t clean before milking, cows are more likely to develop mastitis. It could harm the cow and might contaminate the milk.”
Step 3. Get an agreement on what action will fix the problem. This is where you and the employee will agree on the solution. With some employees, you may place the situation in their hands and let them devise a solution. Other times, you will want to dictate a solution. However, if the solution is theirs, they are more likely to carry it out.
Ask: “What is a solution?” Offer: “Is there something you need from me?” Notice how you can put the solution in their hands without taking control of the solution. Assume they tell you they need another fresh-wipes bucket to cut down on walking to get more wipes. Get another pail of wipes, and hopefully, that will be the end of it.
What happens if this doesn’t fix the problem? You might want to give them another chance or two, but eventually, you might have to move them around or off the team.
You’ll have done your job of providing sound and timely feedback. BIG is easy to remember and easy to follow. You can also use this method to reinforce positive behaviors. In either case, your team will be stronger because of your feedback.