Be Prepared for Employee Pushback to Your Feedback

Quick Tips

When you’ve got an employee whose performance needs some adjustment, delivering feedback is only one part of the process. You need to be prepared for pushback—excuses, blame, etc. Here’s how to respond:

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·        Denial. Claims like “That didn’t happen,” or “I never do that” shouldn’t throw the conversation off track. Be sure you’ve got the facts, and stay focused on them, even if you have to repeat yourself once or twice. If the employee refuses to accept the truth, feedback may not be enough to resolve the situation.

·        Blame. Don’t let employees evade their own responsibility. It may be true that Sandra in accounting didn’t deliver the numbers, but that doesn’t let Simon off the hook for not following up. Emphasize behavior that you and the employee can control: “Next time, you could pick up the phone and talk to Sandra directly.”

·        Excuses. Often employees make excuses because they think you’re only interested in blaming them for their mistakes. Let them know that you only want to solve the problem—you don’t need to punish anyone as long as the mistake doesn’t get repeated. Focus on helping the employee identify more effective ways of getting the job done in the future.

·        Fear. You don’t want your feedback to paralyze employees with anxiety. As before, emphasize that your goal is to prevent future mistakes, not to place blame on anyone. Reassure the employee of your confidence, and discuss what to do differently.

All the success!

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