Why you should be wary when your boss asks for feedback
I work at an organisation that tells us almost every day how democratic and “emotionally safe” it is as a workplace. To an extent that’s true. But it’s not true at all in the case of a small group of leaders. They are not bad people, but they put a lie to the idea of working in a democracy. They are (arguably benign) dictators.
I think at least one is aware of how their authoritarian style contradicts their HR marketing, so they always bring up the regular “360 degree feedback” review and the importance of being brutally honest during this process.
But I, and many of my peers, don’t feel comfortable about giving truly honest feedback. It’s a very small organisation and none of us believe that the process is “confidential” as promised.
Should I just bite the bullet and say my piece, even though I know true honesty will lead to confrontation and possibly discipline?
Your leaders seem to be suggesting that the “360 degree feedback” regime they’ve implemented guards against excesses and injustice that inevitably come when people hold and wield power unchecked. They’re suggesting that you can keep them in line by simply pointing out their failings during formal “performance reviews”.
The idea of the “full-circle appraisal”, as I’ve heard it called, has always struck me as worthy in theory but highly dubious in practice. And part of what makes me so doubtful is exactly what you’ve outlined in your question. Why would upper-echelon managers who are predisposed to exercising and maintaining control allow even a skerrick of that control to be lost?
Should you give your truly honest opinion and risk being yelled at, white-anted or worse? That’s such a difficult question to answer confidently.
It sounds like at least one of these leaders is self-aware enough to realise their behaviour doesn’t conform with their stated principles. But why should it take others to demand that this incongruity be remedied? If the answer is because this is fundamental to their purported democracy – that change needs to come from the will of the people, not the whims of the bosses – then surely the next obvious question is why do people feel so uncomfortable exercising this democratic right?
A “360 degree feedback” regime on its own is, as you’ve described it, nothing more than a form of HR marketing. Without robust rules and well-embedded cultural conventions that make even the suggestion of intimidation or retribution unthinkable, the concept is just accountability theatre.
Should you give your truly honest opinion and risk being yelled at, white-anted or worse? That’s such a difficult question to answer confidently.
Here are a few things to think about before you make your decision.
The first is just a general rule: it’s OK to trust your gut. You know better than me and probably anyone else how the situation is likely to play out. Don’t discount the fact that what you guess might happen after you make one decision or another, may indeed take place.
The second is whether your honest criticism will end up changing things for the better. Putting aside any potential consequences for one moment, if you were to say “this place functions like an authoritarian regime”, would your bluntness shake these managers out of their old ways?
If the answer is anything other than “definitely not”, that’s where I’d bring the consequences back into the equation. If there’s a chance your gambit might pay off, how does the potential gain compare with the potential loss? Will you and your colleagues benefit for years to come, even if you’re initially given dark looks by management? Or is the ledger far less favourable?
Of course, you may also want to go ahead knowing it will make little difference and that you’ll be ostracised or impeded (in a career sense) for doing it. Sometimes in the world of work, an act of catharsis is justified purely for its purgative effect, although usually only if you know your time at an organisation is coming to an end.
Given that you’ve said the bosses in your case are acting badly but not necessarily bad people, and that your longer email makes me think you quite like parts of your job, I’m not sure you’re ready to throw a grenade and walk away. That’s not to say you should temper your language if you end up deciding to “bite the bullet”, but don’t do it unless you know there’s at least some chance your words will effect change.
Send your questions through to Work Therapy by emailing jonathan@theinkbureau.com.au.
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Jonathan Rivett is a writer based in Melbourne. He’s written about workplace culture and careers for more than a decade.