69% of C-suite respondents in a 2018 SurveyMonkey survey said employees have no barriers to asking questions at their companies, but less than half of employees agree.
To perform at their best, employees at every level of an organization must feel that their voices and opinions matter. That includes the ability for leaders and others to hear feedback without becoming defensive. The foundation of a healthy culture is trust, open communication, and a safe environment that fosters honest feedback among employees at all levels of an organization. When leaders establish healthy communication habits centered on trust and safety and eliminate toxic habits like talking over others, they create a feedback-rich culture where employees feel safe to contribute and speak up in meaningful ways.
Without a diverse workforce and feedback from individuals at all levels of the organization, businesses hold themselves back because they are cut off from different perspectives that are so vital to improvement. Fear is the enemy of a feedback-rich culture because it silences voices and stifles growth. When employees fear criticism, punishment, or retaliation, they are far less likely to speak up, ask for help, or offer honest input. In contrast, organizations that foster psychological safety empower people to share feedback openly, which inevitably leads to stronger collaboration, innovation, and trust.
Top 6 Ways to Build a Feedback-Rich Culture Without Fear
When employees understand the value placed on feedback within an organization, they are more likely to provide constructive feedback and be receptive to receiving it. These six practices can help companies build a culture that values healthy communication and feedback:
1. Make Safe Feedback a Part of the Culture from Day One
To create a feedback-rich culture, organizations must foster an environment that prioritizes the ability to give feedback without fear of consequences. To be authentic, this commitment should be established during the onboarding process, setting the tone for open communication from the outset.
It is a good idea to have both a peer onboarding buddy and a manager model feedback by providing feedback and seeking feedback from the new employee, as it demonstrates that feedback between peers is as important as feedback between an employee and their manager.
2. Explain the Reason
Managers and employees are more likely to buy into a practice when they understand its purpose. Find regular times to explain to managers and employees that feedback is crucial to the organization’s success because their thoughts and ideas provide valuable insights for improvement and growth. Employee reviews, company meetings, and the onboarding process can all be good times to explain the reasons behind the organization’s commitment to healthy feedback.
3. Teach Employees How to Give Feedback
To create a culture that embraces feedback, the ability to give and receive feedback must be developed like a skill. Feedback can be modeled in structured verbal interactions. Create an interactive experience by pairing individuals and having them practice giving and receiving feedback. You can also provide real-life examples from the workplace.
Another option is to incorporate a simple training video or written instructions into the onboarding process, which can be taught on an annual basis to every person in the organization. This training should cover when to give feedback, how to provide meaningful feedback, and healthy ways to react to feedback.
4. Create A Safe Environment for Feedback
Employees are only comfortable giving feedback to their superiors if they feel safe in the knowledge that they won’t be penalized for doing so. Companies can help create a safe environment for feedback by establishing and consistently implementing an anti-retaliation policy.
One way to determine if employees feel safe giving feedback is by conducting an anonymous annual survey that asks if they feel comfortable providing feedback to their peers and superiors without fear of repercussions. Anonymous reporting channels are also an option for ongoing employee feedback. More open discussions are also a possibility, such as creating a discussion format during a company town hall.
5. Look for Opportunities to Build Trust
Employees often bring their concerns to HR, which creates an essential opportunity for HR to build trust by communicating those concerns to leadership, ensuring they are taken seriously, and following up with the employee to show that their input is being acknowledged and considered.
When employees are brave enough to provide feedback directly to leaders, leaders must respond with openness, gratitude, and a genuine willingness to listen and reflect. By reacting positively and avoiding defensiveness or dismissal, leaders build trust and encourage employees to continue providing valuable feedback.
6. Take Action
Employees look up to leadership to set the tone for how they should behave. One way to set an example and show that leaders are open to feedback is to simply ask for it and respond well when it is given. This can be accomplished through regular, informal yet structured meetings between employees and management, where the manager asks about the employee’s pain points and solicits suggestions for improvement.
To truly demonstrate that feedback is valued, the management team should meet regularly to evaluate all feedback and adjust policies accordingly in a timely manner. This teaches employees that their ideas are not only heard but valued.
Inspire a Culture of Healthy Communication by Leading with Love
In too many workplaces, fear rules the culture, stifling creativity, collaboration, and performance. What if we told you that there's another way: leading with love. At Heffelfinger Co., we believe it’s time for business leaders to embrace the tenets of what Renée Smith ofA Human Workplace calls the future of work: love, not fear. In workplaces that embrace the human-centered workplace concept, leaders and employees walk into work each day feeling safe, supported, and energized, rather than anxious or guarded. It might sound idealistic, but the research proves it's not only possible; it can be a powerful tool for cultural transformation. When fear is taken out of the equation, love flourishes. And with love comes trust, innovation, engagement, and results.
If something feels wrong about the way people are interacting in your workplace, trust that feeling AND your instincts for compassion, fairness, and inclusion. Contact us to learn more about how Heffelfinger Co. can help lead a cultural transformation in your organization to build a feedback-rich culture without fear.
Warmly,
James & Lori
James Jackman & Lori Heffelfinger
Source:
Heidi Lynne Kurter. 6 Ways To Build A Feedback Driven Culture That Inspires Healthy Communication. 10/31/2020. https://www.forbes.com/sites/heidilynnekurter/2020/10/31/6-ways-to-build-a-feedback-driven-culture-that-inspires-healthy-communication/. Accessed 7/18/2025.
