Colleague Feedback Examples for Work

A simple structure for peer feedback

The Center for Creative Leadership's Situation–Behavior–Impact model provides a useful starting point: say when and where something happened, describe the behaviour without interpretation, and explain its effect. Keep ‘you are careless’ out of the observation. ‘Two agreed action items were missing from the handover’ is something you can discuss.

In a conversation, ask about intent rather than assuming it. You might say, ‘What were you hoping to achieve?’ The answer can reveal a constraint or misunderstanding you did not see. It does not erase the impact, but it can help you agree on a better next step.

Use feedback to support useful work, not to unload frustration. Choose a private setting for a sensitive development point, check that there is time to talk, and focus on an example the person can act on. In a written review, give enough context for the example to make sense without exposing unnecessary details about other people.

Positive colleague feedback examples

Specific praise tells a colleague what to keep doing. Name the contribution and its effect instead of praising an identity such as ‘natural leader’ or ‘team player’. This also makes less visible work, such as preparation and follow-through, easier to recognise.

Communication: ‘In the planning meeting, you paused after explaining the proposal and asked what was unclear. That gave me space to raise a dependency before we agreed the deadline. Please keep making room for those questions.’

Collaboration: ‘Before the handover, you checked that the support team had the context and named an owner for the open issues. I knew who to contact and could move the work forward without another meeting.’

Leadership: ‘When I prepared my first stakeholder update, you helped me structure the argument and let me lead the presentation. I felt supported without losing ownership. The practice questions were especially useful.’

Constructive feedback examples

Constructive feedback is clear about the problem while leaving room to respond. Avoid cushioning the point so heavily that it disappears. A practical request is more useful than a verdict about someone's attitude or ability.

Meeting participation: ‘In Tuesday's review, you started responding before I finished explaining the risk. I could not tell whether the concern had been understood. Could we let each person finish and summarise the concern before discussing solutions?’

Written updates: ‘The last project update included the background but did not name the decision you needed from me. I spent time working out the request. Could you put the decision and deadline at the start of the next update?’

Reliability: ‘When the agreed handover date passed without an update, our team kept planning around the original date. If delivery is at risk, could you flag it as soon as you know and tell us when we can expect a revised plan?’

Feedback for cross-team colleagues

Cross-team feedback should recognise that you may not know the other team's constraints. Describe the effect on your work without assuming the reason. A delay may reflect competing priorities, unclear ownership or a missing decision rather than a lack of effort.

Example: ‘When the requirements changed after we began implementation, we had to revisit work we thought was settled. I may be missing part of the decision process. Can we agree how to flag likely changes earlier and who should confirm them before the next handover?’

Influence example: ‘You asked about our support workload before proposing the rollout plan. The revised proposal reflected that constraint, which made it easier for me to support the pilot. Bringing us in before the plan is final is helpful.’

If the pattern is repeated, separate the immediate example from the broader concern. Bring a small number of relevant observations, not a collection of every past frustration. Ask what each team can change, and agree on an owner for the next action.

How to write a balanced peer review

A written peer review should reflect the work you saw, not the person's entire performance. State the context if your exposure was limited: ‘We worked together on the launch handover, so my feedback mainly concerns cross-team coordination.’ This is more trustworthy than sounding certain about work you did not observe.

A concise example: ‘On the launch handover, your written updates made the open issues and owners clear. That helped our team prioritise. One development opportunity is to flag uncertainty earlier: we learned about the changed deadline after planning our own tasks. An early risk note would help us adapt before the handover.’

Balance does not require equal amounts of praise and criticism. Do not invent a weakness to fill a form, or hide an important issue inside a praise sandwich. Choose the most useful observations and make each one specific. If the review asks about an unfamiliar skill, say you have not had enough opportunity to observe it.

What to avoid when giving feedback

Avoid ‘always’ and ‘never’ unless you have an unusually strong basis for them. They can turn an actionable example into a dispute about exceptions. Also avoid diagnosing motives: ‘You do not care about the team’ is not an observation. Describe the behaviour and the consequence instead.

Keep identity, health and personal circumstances out of your evaluation of work behaviour. Do not repeat rumours or share somebody else's private feedback. If a concern involves harassment, discrimination or safety, use the appropriate workplace reporting process rather than treating it as an ordinary peer-development conversation.

Before sending, ask: Is this something I saw? Is the impact clear? Can the person do something with it? Would I be able to explain it respectfully if they asked for more context? If not, revise or leave it out.

Turn feedback into a useful next step

In a direct conversation, agree on one practical change and an opportunity to check back. For example, try decision-first updates for the next project meeting, then ask whether they were easier to act on. Feedback becomes more useful when there is a chance to practise, observe and adjust.

If you are the person receiving feedback, thank the colleague and ask for context before defending your intent. Look for recurring patterns across perspectives rather than treating one comment as a final judgement. EraSkills supports this broader view with pooled feedback on five interpersonal skills. Results are not shown until at least three raters finish, and users never see an individual rater's answers or raw comments.