Positive feedback boosts workplace performance, study finds

LONDON, ENGLAND — Recent research by the digital coaching platform Ezra revealed that positive feedback plays a pivotal role in workplace performance. 

The study showed significant boosts in performance when employees receive positive feedback. Specifically, after receiving feedback post-tests, those who garnered positive feedback had an impressive 80% performance rate, in stark contrast to the 59% performance from those who received negative feedback.

Beyond just performance metrics, there’s a direct correlation between an employee’s confidence and the feedback they receive. When individuals believe they are doing well, bolstered by positive feedback, their output mirrors this elevated perception.

Ezra’s study also highlighted the broader benefits of positive reinforcement. Organizations that cultivated a positive work environment, especially those in the top quartile for employee experience, registered nearly three times the return on assets and twice the return on sales compared to their counterparts in the bottom quartile.

Coaching, too, plays an essential role in this feedback loop. An overwhelming 95% of those who underwent coaching sessions showed enhanced performance. 

In an analysis of 12,000 employee diary entries, moments of goal achievement, often linked to positive feedback, marked their best days.

While all feedback provides value, Ezra’s research showed that positive feedback is vital for optimizing workplace performance and morale.