It’s time to give performance reviews and you are dreading it. Many small business owners hate this part of their job, especially if an employee’s performance isn’t up to par.

“It is really hard for managers to give constructive feedback or criticism because they worry that it may hurt the relationship they have with their employee, their employee may get defensive, or they may think it won’t do any good,” says Erika Andersen, author of Growing Great Employees and founder of Proteus International, a business coaching company based in Highland, New York.

Though it may be difficult, ignoring problems can make them worse—I know this from experience. I once worked in a role where my boss never criticized employees or gave feedback of any kind. As a result, the staff showed signs of apathy; they didn’t know if what they were doing was right, wrong, or if anyone cared. These feelings soon translated into turnover, further decreasing office morale.

On the flipside, I had a manager in a different job that gave frequent feedback. Everyone on staff knew where they stood at all times, and, to this day, the company benefits from staggeringly low turnover rates.

Not good at giving constructive feedback? Here are a few tips:

Be specific

Instead of telling someone they have a bad attitude, try giving them solid examples of how their attitude manifests itself in the office. According to Andersen, it is important to be specific and clear with your points.

Also, try not to attack a person’s character. Instead, focus on exact behaviors you’d like them to change.

Look at your processes

“Is the employee the problem or is there something wrong with the business process?” asks Roberta Chinsky Matuson, president of Human Resource Solutions, an HR consultancy in Northampton, Massachusetts. “For example, maybe the employee always answers the phone when a customer is in the store—often prompting the customer to leave. The solution could be assigning a second person to answer the phone.”

Turn the table

Instead of coming at your employee with a laundry list of offenses, first ask them how things are going.

"If someone isn’t dealing well with customers, ask them how they are dealing with customers, what they are doing well and what they can work on,” Andersen suggests. “You may find out things you didn’t know.”

An employee is far more apt to listen to you if you also listen to them.

“If you can get the employee’s feedback first, the conversation will almost always go better,” says Andersen. “And if you have an employee that is incredibly self-aware, they will oftentimes given themselves feedback right in front of you, which turns the experience into a positive one.”

Focus on the ‘dos’

Instead of approaching at an employee with a list of never-agains, consider a change of phrasing.

“Coach them on how they can improve,” advises Chinsky Matuson. “Try not to use the word ‘don’t.’ Focus on the positive. Tell them what it is that you want them to do, not what you want them to stop doing.”

Check yourself

Emotions have a way of seeping into an office, especially in a small business setting. Before giving feedback, make sure to evaluate how you feel and try not to enter the conversation in an accusatory manner.

“Manage your own attitude,” Andersen says. “If you go into the conversation angry or having a negative mindset, it is going to come out in your tone. Instead, think about what you want to help them change. If you are in that mindset, it will be a better conversation.”

Don’t wait

Feedback is best given as close to the event as possible. Instead of waiting three months for your feeling of annoyance to fester or waiting for a yearly performance review, speak up right away.

“It is very ineffective to wait to give feedback,” says Chinsky Matuson. “That said, make sure to pick the time and place carefully. Reprimanding someone in the middle of a room in front of employees or customers isn’t going to do any good and it will just make you look like a jerk.”

Get to the point

Chinsky Matuson equates this to giving feedback to a child. The longer you talk, the more they tune out. “Be succinct,” she says. “Also, you don’t have to say it 15 times. Your employees are smart people and they will get it.”

Courtesy of Open Forum