Which statement is a good example of appropriate feedback to give an employee about a job well done?

Which statement is a good example of appropriate feedback to give an employee about a job well done?

• A. "You did a great job today! Please do it again tomorrow."
• B. "You were very good at choosing only the cages that needed changing today."
• C. "You did so well today that I'm going to give you 3 more rooms tomorrow."
• D. "You finished that room pretty quickly, didn't you?"

Answer: (B)

Giving feedback that sticks should name the exact behavior that met the standard, not just offer general praise or push for more work. The best choice does this by recognizing a concrete, observable action: you were very good at choosing only the cages that needed changing today. That tells the employee what was done well and shows how to repeat it, making the behavior clear and actionable for future tasks. The other statements miss that mark in various ways. One offers praise plus a request to repeat the same task the next day without identifying what specifically was done well. Another ties praise to doing more work rather than acknowledging the quality of the completed task. The last focuses on speed and poses a question, which can dilute clear, positive reinforcement and create mixed signals about priorities.

Giving feedback that sticks should name the exact behavior that met the standard, not just offer general praise or push for more work. The best choice does this by recognizing a concrete, observable action: you were very good at choosing only the cages that needed changing today. That tells the employee what was done well and shows how to repeat it, making the behavior clear and actionable for future tasks.

The other statements miss that mark in various ways. One offers praise plus a request to repeat the same task the next day without identifying what specifically was done well. Another ties praise to doing more work rather than acknowledging the quality of the completed task. The last focuses on speed and poses a question, which can dilute clear, positive reinforcement and create mixed signals about priorities.