<aside> 🪴 Feedback is one of the most important skills for growth and improvement. In Toggl, we constantly work on improving this skill, to make sure we help each other grow and develop.

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Why Is Feedback Important?

Just as on the global level, feedback is an essential component of effective change, and therefore improvement. Feedback helps us understand things like:

• What we can change to get better results
• The rate of progress toward a goal
• What needs to happen to improve relationships
• Whether something is worth doing
• How well we are doing
• What others think of us or how they value us
• Our level of performance against a target

<aside> 🌮 Positive feedback is also super important and a wonderful way to show appreciation for someone’s work. Want to say thanks or give praise to fellow Togglers? We use the #cheers channel in Slack for giving credit to others for their good work.

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Principles of Constructive Feedback

• Timely, not late

• Where it helps, not hinders

• Specific, not vague

• Focus on performance or behaviour, not the person

• Clear and direct, not ambiguous

• Offered, not imposed

• Owned, not side stepped

• Be mindful about the ‘how’

• Frequent, not irregular

• Ensure understanding

• Solution-focused, not problem-focused

Feedback Severity Scale

<aside> 🤝 Sometimes, it’s unclear whether feedback needs immediate action or is just a suggestion. To clarify this at Toggl, we developed a Feedback Severity Scale. It is a tool for ensuring everyone understands the urgency and importance of feedback, helping to prioritize tasks in performance reviews, project management, and team communication.

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1. No Biggie, Just a Note: A suggestion, totally not a problem if the receiver doesn’t act on it
2. Pretty Please with Sugar on Top: Conveys a significant level of concern and urges a clear action
3. Do It, or Else: Delivered with a high degree of urgency and importance, inaction will have consequences

FAQ