You’ve just started your new job and you don’t have a clue whether you’re on the right track? Or you’re in the middle of a project and that feeling of self-doubt has just crept up? No problem, just ask for feedback. You don’t have to wait until your performance review – there is nothing wrong with asking for advice. Far too many employees are scared of approaching their immediate manager or fellow employees for help. Don’t fall into the trap!

The idea of feedback can be linked back to one of our earlier blogs regarding the significance of self-assessment. Self-assessment is the first step into the right direction. Firstly, review the performance factors of your occupation or the project, then rate your performance against the performance factors according to a previously created scale. This scale may be point-based or include the opportunity to add comments. Lastly, identify development needs.

Self-assessment enables you to exploit a more structured method of decision-making, and provides individuals with a clearer vision of their current situation. Equipped with a better understanding of your progress, it is now important to approach others. Nowadays, many employers stress the importance of this and encourage feedback sessions.

In fact, 360° feedback is becoming increasingly important. This type of feedback is an important building block in the performance review process here at Groupon. This scheme provides the individual with multisource feedback – from usually between 8-10 sources. These sources may include peers, subordinate staff or for example clients and customers. The main purpose is to create an approach that is both balanced as well as objective – opposed to the single view of a line manager.

Lastly, it is vital to maintain positive attitude towards feedback. Ironically, every company has employees that notoriously over-estimate themselves – their self-ratings are a lot greater than others rate them to work with. On the other hand, you have the under-estimators whose self-ratings are less than the others ratings. This just shows that rating yourself is easier said than done, and proves the positive implication of feedback.

So, don’t feel awkward or nervous about asking for a progress report of how you are performing at your company – It’s nice to know where you stand, and your employers know that that is important to your development.

Photography by Kentee Gardin and Paul Worthington