The Values of Work by Jenny Zhang caused something to click for me the other day. I started work in corporate environments when I was about 23. I don't think this will be news to most people reading it on Fediverse but there's a common idea in corporate environments: “(employee) doesn't take feedback well.” “It's important to take feedback well.” “You shouldn't make excuses or defend yourself when you receive feedback.”

There's a degree of reality to that concept. No one likes to be criticized. It can feel like an attack. If the feedback you receive is about actions you took because your manager didn't deal with a situation, it can feel all the worse to get that criticism from the same manager. If you went to your manager ahead of time and told them about the situation and asked for their help and they refused to do anything about it, it's going to be really difficult for you to hear their criticism. I've always heard it said that “criticism is a gift.” That's true to a point. If you buy me a knickknack from a gas station as a gift, that's still a gift. If you're low on money and that's all you can afford, I'd rather have the gift of spending time with you. If you as a manager can't give quality, well-considered, actionable feedback, maybe there's something else you can give your employee. Like quality time with a senior employee who moved up from the same role they have today.

That's not what this post is about. I just need it to illustrate what's bound to be a touchy topic: companies receive feedback from their employees very poorly.