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I care that you’re viewing this post. The number of views I see is the feedback that I get from writing these words, and they add to how worthwhile writing them feels. Not everyone is so lucky, though. Many people have jobs where they receive no feedback about their work. Or else the feedback that they do receive is so poorly delivered, it leads to demotivation or confusion. But it doesn’t have to be like this.
If you’ve read Happiness by Design, you know that I believe life is all about the PPP – the ‘pleasure purpose principle’. Whether or not things are going well can be assessed by the degree to which you experience feelings of pleasure and purpose over time, and whether the balance between them works for you. My research has shown that most people don’t find work to be a particularly pleasurable activity and many don’t find it very purposeful either. But work could be more purposeful for many people. People who experience more meaning on the job are more productive, and take fewer days off sick.
One of the most important ways I’ve seen to increase purpose at work is through feedback. If you’re not getting it, ask for it. If you’re giving it, make sure you’re doing it well. What makes good feedback?
1. It’s not all about the money. Dan Ariely has convincingly shown that people who are paid identical wages for the same task work less hard when their work is destroyed in front of them than when it is left on display. This is an obvious insight but sorely overlooked. My colleague once worked for a recruitment agency where only 50% of the people she hired actually became employed. This was incredibly demotivating, even though she was paid well. For people who don’t always see a positive outcome of their work, they need to be reminded why it is important.
2. Make it consistent and timely. If feedback is meant to improve someone’s behaviour it must be consistent and timely. Psychologists have known this since Pavlov’s dogs – and you surely know how challenging it is to receive conflicting messages. The closer in time the feedback is given to the behaviour that should be changed, the more likely it is that the behaviour will change. For example, if an employee is producing below-par presentations, solely pointing this out before the next one – and not also right after the last one – makes improvement less likely. Sheryl Sandberg asks for feedback from interviewers about how well she interviewed, e.g. for the press. She’s on the right track.
3. Consider the messenger. Is an employee not listening to you? Fed up with your boss? Behavioural science shows us that the secret to persuasion lies not in the message itself, but in who delivers the message. An effective messenger has three attributes: they are an expert, they are trustworthy, and they are ideally someone like you.Your boss may not be a good candidate. If you are having a hard time getting heard or taking something on board, consider delegating to or asking a close colleague to share feedback. It may be more likely to be acted upon.
In sum, getting feedback on what you do is an important part of feeling that your work is meaningful, which leads to other positive outcomes – working harder and feeling better. What’s the best or worst feedback you’ve given or received? Does feedback make your work feel worthwhile? Why or why not? Please share your thoughts below - and check out more on Twitter and Facebook.
Paul Dolan is an internationally renowned expert on happiness, behaviour and public policy. He is currently a Professor of Behavioural Science in the Department of Social Policy at the London School of Economics. He is the author of the book 'Happiness by Design', published by Penguin, and is collaborating with Life Practice UK to launch Happiness by Design at Work – wellbeing at work done properly. The progamme is centred on applying behavioural science insights to improve people’s wellbeing at work by changing employee behaviour, not just their minds. For more details please click here.
