360 degree feedback, as we all know is a Multi-rater feedback where an employee will be rated by multiple people belonging to his immediate circle with whom the employee is directly associated with. This immediate circle may include the employee’s internal customers like reportees, managers, peers and also external customers.
It’s a common misunderstanding that 360 degree feedbacks are beneficial only for the management and it makes the evaluation process rigid and difficult. However this statement can be true extent, this is not exactly true.
Looking from an optimistic perspective, we would be able to observe that 360 degree feedback can give more benefits to the employees as well than what we actually think.
- 360 degree feedback sometimes include the external customers also especially for front line employees, sales representatives and people of middle and higher management who handles clients. Getting a feedback from them and reacting to those would increase the customer satisfaction and it may also gain customer loyalty.
- It can be seen as a tool that explores the efficiency of an employee over different roles like manager, peer member, reportee and so on.
- Many peers and reportees may not be ready to openly express the problems and suggestions they face with the particular employee. In such a situation, having a 360 degree feedback where the appraiser name is not revealed would be more efficient. This way of appraisal also paves way to get more honest feedback which would be helpful in understanding their expectations and it also may create a good rapport at work place.
- The suggestions given by various appraisers can give ideas to the employee for developing oneself in that particular area they lag behind
On the whole, we can say that the employees need not go for gaining knowledge for improving themselves through any external sources like books or internet, if they are able to positively take up, analyze and make use of the internal feedbacks of his immediate circle.
