We must admit that we are all social beings. We will need to be with people most of the time during our lifetime for various reasons (personal, academic, or business) and in varying degrees of affinity (family, friends, colleagues, or acquaintances).
It is also normally acceptable to say that we’re political animals, and this has been academically immortalized in the words of Aristotle, “man is by nature a political animal.” We have this tendency to compete for available (or even scarce) resources, to overcome competition (hopefully, in an objective manner and not the cut-throat type), and to associate ourselves with groups of people or institutions that will provide us with life’s necessities and potential growth opportunities. Inevitably, the quid pro quo principle consistently governs our lives with others, i.e., I go with you because you give me something, and you go with me for precisely the same reason.
Since we’re going to share spaces with people at different times in our lives and expect mutual benefits, we must always show the best version of ourselves to others. We must be fully committed to offering people something beneficial—whether in the form of either tangible or intangible benefits.
Businesses run and function in the same way, and thus, the employer-employee relationship is formed by the mutual interest of people to benefit both parties. The Labor Code of the Philippines governs this relationship and ensures balance and fairness between the interests of both sides. In case of conflict, the scales of justice favor the employee, but everything else is equal. In this set-up, the employer provides the employee with employment, and the employee renders services to the employer. Thus, the balance will have to be maintained.
Part of ensuring that this contractual relationship stays stable, civil, professional, and balanced is the feedback mechanism that typically involves all employees and members of the organization. They are all measured frequently based on a certain determined standard by the organization’s owners to ensure that everyone complies with and intends to reach organizational goals.
Whether as students or professionals, we all went through the familiar monitoring, disciplining, and correcting processes that made us the more experienced and learned people that we have become. And these do not stop until we stop studying or working with other people.
“We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.”—Bill Gates.
Bill Gates’ simple and direct statement, trite as it sounds, is undeniably true. And it is also true that we don’t realize that there’s something wrong with us until someone tells us. I remember hearing something like, “we are usually oblivious to our own smell,” which means that to ourselves, we are normal because we deal with ourselves daily. But to others, we might not be pleasant to be with anymore.
Being an experienced educator, I realize how important and indispensable feedback is to my professional and personality development. Hearing these scornful words may hurt at first, and I may deny their input, but through this experience, I understand how people view me. I know where I can improve further. Though I may have to go through the storm, I appreciate the rainbow and the calm after the tempest.
I had experience with some colleagues who are in denial of what others say about them, but it’s usually easier to find fault in others and relish the fact of being able to tell others. I guess we are just human.
With all these said, I advocate for feedback staying in the organization’s processes and employee awareness. After giving the employees feedback, employers should sit down with them to discuss the areas of concern and suggest ways to improve.
I’m also making this call to employers and Human Resources Departments to craft a feedback mechanism that is timely, updated and relevant. If done well, a sound feedback system will enable companies to achieve a competitive advantage. I urge them to review this mechanism in consultation with key stakeholders and update it regularly as the organization grows and more people are taken in. In this way, organizations can consistently manage their people and maintain the balance in the employer-employee relationship.
The author is an MBA student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, DLSU. He can be reached at josef_rocamora@dlsu.edu.ph.
The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.