When it comes to career development, feedback is priceless. It helps you identify, manage and manoeuvre your strengths and weaknesses, and take the most effective next steps in your career journey. Using it wisely helps you push forward, taking intelligent risks along the way to uncover hidden potential.
At The Workshop, our Talent Development and Global Learning teams have made it their mission to build a feedback framework that promotes open dialogue and a culture of constant growth. Here, employees are encouraged to ‘own’ their feedback, using it to guide and drive their development.
A new approach to feedback
Traditionally, feedback has largely been considered a one-way street, guided by management and oriented towards a rigid annual cycle. It was something you received and responded to, rather than a tool supporting career development.
But today’s top performers and organisations are quickly coming to recognise that a cadence of continuous, open communication increases the opportunities for learning exponentially. What’s more, a system of frequent check-ins and multi-source feedback motivates employees to take ownership of their personal progress, setting and reaching milestones with greater confidence.
Regular rendezvous
Why wait until the end of the year to get on the same page? By prioritising and facilitating ongoing feedback, the pressure is taken off the Annual Performance Review (APR) process, making it less about “batch feedback” and more about empowering employees to integrate lessons learned over the year and build a plan of action for the coming annual cycle.
What does The Workshop’s feedback ecosystem look like? Weekly or bi-weekly one-to-ones keep managers and employees aligned on day-to-day deliverables, minor issues and team dynamics. Monthly performance check-ins are an opportunity to step back, opening the conversation for self-assessment, broad OKR discussions and even general well-being topics. This continuous dialogue then frees up the APR process, allowing managers and employees to take a bird’s eye view, examining themes from the previous year and focusing on career growth and forward momentum.
Our framework is also amplified with additional opportunities for ad hoc feedback, such as 360° reports, psychometric assessments, and more. When used consistently, this multi-faceted feedback framework drives career progression, allowing employees to identify goals, aptitudes and opportunities.
We’re human!
This model underscores two of The Workshop’s core beliefs. Firstly, that true progress is only made when we fearlessly acknowledge our flaws — and strive to learn from them. By understanding where you can do better, you have the power to target growth, course correct and push towards your greatest goals. Secondly, that employee growth is not about the destination, but about the journey of progress over time.
Feedback is fertiliser for career growth, and should be directly tied to goal-setting. Our Talent Development and Global Learning teams actively support and enable employees to achieve their goals by providing clear pathways to progression (see Talent Competency Framework) as well as training opportunities to assist the journey.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be highlighting how The Workshop supports career mobility through the work of our Talent Development and Global Learning teams. Check back for more insights into our employee experience.
