360-Degree Feedback Survey

What is a 360-degree feedback survey?

A 360 survey, also called a 360 review or 360-degree feedback, is a process that gathers feedback on an employee’s performance from several different sources: managers, peers, reports, and self-assessments. In cases where the employee interacts with third parties, a 360-degree feedback survey may also include feedback from clients, suppliers, contractors, or vendors.

The goal of 360 surveys is to help employees understand how their work, skills, and behaviors affect people at all levels within their organization. 360-feedback surveys can offer a comprehensive view of performance, and most importantly, identify areas for improvement.

A 360 assessment generally includes a list of statements or questions that are organized into competency categories. The scores are averaged out in each category, which are then presented to the employee.

What is the purpose of a 360-feedback survey?

The purpose of a 360 survey is to provide meaningful feedback to help employees excel in their roles and boost their engagement. The results of this 360-feedback tool can help employees:

• Understand their strengths and weaknesses
• Map out an effective professional development plan
• Adjust their behavior to better support their team and organization

How to create a 360-feedback survey

It’s simple to collect 360-feedback using a survey—you can use a dedicated platform provider or find free survey platforms online. What once took a long time to plan and implement is now easy with 360 survey templates. BambooHR employee experience tools enable you to ask the right questions to boost employee happiness and increase engagement and retention.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a 360-feedback survey:

1. Create an employee questionnaire. These questions will form the basis of what the employee is ranked against. It should be designed to ask about a range of aspects related to employees—from teamwork and communication skills to leadership and judgment. Provide some open-ended questions, too, so the assessors can add feedback.

1. Prioritize candid feedback. To gain the most accurate and candid feedback, it’s essential to keep things anonymous. Participants may feel more comfortable providing constructive criticism this way.

1. Create urgency and reward. To encourage participation, set and define a clear deadline. You could also consider employee incentives to motivate people to take part.

1. Review results. Once you have the results, you can analyze and summarize the findings and deliver them back to the employee during a performance review meeting.

1. Plan follow-ups and integrate goals. A 360 review shouldn’t be a standalone event. Follow up on your employees’ development and consider how they can improve on any points raised. Integrate the results into wider business objectives.

What are the pros and cons of 360-feedback surveys?

360 surveys can be a valuable tool for both leadership and employee development. It’s important that organizational management understands the pros and cons of 360 surveys, so they can map out an effective feedback strategy.

The pros of 360 surveys:

360 surveys offer a range of benefits, including:

• Providing a broader perspective on employees:  360 performance reviews provide insight into the specific roles employees play within the organization. Though managers oversee specific team members, they may not know everything there is to know about each employee’s performance if they don’t always see their work day-to-day. This is when the opinions of other employee’s colleagues and clients come in handy.

• Identifying performance gaps:  A 360 survey uncovers blind spots in an employee's performance and behavior. This can encourage team members to be more self-aware and work to improve on these weaknesses.

• Creating a better sense of teamwork:  When employees hear from teammates about what they need to improve, they can adapt how they work to better support their team.

• Fostering accountability:  Wholistic feedback can increase employees’ feelings of accountability, and motivation to to improve. 360 surveys provide a record to help employees stay accountable for their improvement goals—and for managers to track their progress and provide support.

• Highlighting career development opportunities:  Feedback from the surveys may offer insight into an employee’s talents, which can open up possible career pathways for them. Managers can work with employees to map out possible promotion opportunities based on the data received from 360 surveys.

The cons of 360 surveys

Without the right training or understanding of the purpose behind them, 360 reviews may have a negative impact on employee productivity and workplace culture.

Possible disadvantages may include:

• Inaccuracies:  While feedback from adjacent people can help find better ways for employees to interact with coworkers or clients, coworkers and subordinates don’t have all the information an employee’s direct manager has. Therefore, these possible inaccuracies can create a false picture and bias.

• Biased assessments: Coworkers can sometimes allow unfair biases to taint their assessments of each other, which can create tension or even resentment in the workplace. This lack of trust can be detrimental to the overall performance and productivity of teams and the organization.

When should 360 surveys be used?

As with other feedback sources, one of the challenges with 360 surveys is deciding when this type of feedback method should be used. Not all organizations will be a good fit for it. Some conditions should be met to ensure an effective assessment process. Employers should use 360 surveys if:

• The survey’s intentions are consistent with their organization’s performance management philosophy.  In other words, are the intentions of 360 surveys aligned with your company's goals and values? If your business holds a high level of transparency and trust, it may experience more success with 360-feedback than organizations that are still working on these areas.
• The survey promotes two outcomes: employees’ accountability for past performance and development for future performance.  This requires mapping out a thorough performance action plan and ensuring all employees understand the intent and value behind it.

It’s important to ensure 360 surveys will work at your business. Therefore, employers should customize this feedback system as needed to set up their employees for success.

What are some good 360-feedback questions?

There are many different forms to choose from when it comes to creating 360-feedback questions. You may decide to present your participants with a list of statements about the employee and ask them to rank how much they agree with each.

For example, when considering how well a leader values the people they work with, consider evaluating the following statements on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (very well).

• Shows respect for others and their ideas
• Encourages others’ involvement in process improvements
• Appreciates differences between team members’ working styles
• Allows for flexibility in how work is accomplished
• Considers others’ needs when making strategic decisions

You may also decide to ask direct questions. This can help you to focus on specific company areas where you'd like to review your employees. Here are some examples of performance review questions to consider using in your 360 reviews.

Closed-ended feedback questions

Present these questions to participants along with the Likert Scale—‘strongly agree’, ‘disagree’, ‘neutral’, ‘agree’ and ‘strongly agree’.

• This person prioritizes their work and meets deadlines
• This team member embodies our company values
• This person finds creative solutions to problems
• This person is open to receiving constructive criticism and responds to feedback
• This team member displays strong leadership qualities

Open-ended 360 review questions:

Open-ended questions allow your participants to be able to provide more detailed answers and a more personalized response.

• What are [insert name]’s top three strengths?
• What are [insert name]’s three areas for improvement?
• Share an example of a company value this person embodies.
• How well does this team member manage their workload and meet deadlines?
• What three words would you use to describe this employee and their work ethic?

How often should 360 surveys be used?

360 surveys should be conducted every six to 12 months. This allows enough time for:

• Employees to build and work on their development plan
• Managers and employees to discuss employees’ progress and raise concerns

You also need to consider how this additional performance assessment method fits in with your other performance review cycles, if any. If employers want to see changes, they must do their part to help employees stay accountable. Leaders should periodically review their employees’ progress during the six- to 12-month time frame. Employees can ask questions, and managers can offer guidance and coaching.

How to deliver 360-feedback survey results?

It’s a good idea to deliver 360 survey results to employees in person rather than through email. Face-to-face sessions offer a personalized experience that can lead to more productive conversations, especially if an employee isn’t always receptive to feedback.

Employees can ask questions and get answers in the moment, rather than having to write them up and wait for their manager to respond. Employees might also be more comfortable asking questions in person than in writing, and they’re more likely to take bad news well if they can talk through the problems instead of stewing or feeling like they've been blindsided by a written review that lacks context or explanation.