Constructive criticism in the workplace

October 9, 2012

The role of constructive criticism in the workplace is to provide feedback to employees regarding their job duties; when done effectively, this kind of feedback provides and employee with a realistic appraisal of his/her performance and the information and skills necessary to do the job correctly. It gives managers the opportunity to address minor issues before they turn into major issues. The word criticism is usually taken in a negative sense; however it is defined as “valid and well-reasoned opinions about the work of others, usually involving both positive and negative comments” (Webster’s online dictionary, 2012). As you can see, criticism in the workplace is not always negative; it involves both, the positive & negative aspects of your job performance.

I was previously employed by a nursing home in Saginaw; licensed as a CNA I was quite confident in my skills involved in assisting residents. Working with many other CNA’s I was able to view their skills on a daily basis. One night, working third shift, I witnessed another CNA attempting to transfer a patient without a gate belt. At that moment, I rushed over to help her finish the transfer. After she was done helping the resident, I took her to the side and discussed the proper way to safely transfer a resident from the bed to a wheel chair and vice versa.

The outcome of this situation was good; the aide took my criticism and applied it to her position every day forward. I never again saw her transferring someone without a gate belt. It not only helps the aide in the transfer but it also keeps the resident safer.

The only thing that I would do differently next time is request that all CNA’s have an updated training session on a yearly basis. This would prevent minor mistakes turning into larger ones.