Most Workers Would Do a 180 on 360-Degree Feedback

The chances are pretty good that your organization utilizes 360-degree feedback as a performance management tool. While it traditionally has been meant to foster growth and collaboration, a new survey by LiveCareer found 79% of employees want to opt out.

The career resources website surveyed 1,000 U.S. workers across diverse industries in February 2025. Specifically, the results showed participants believe the 360-degree review process:

Amplifies office politics (48%);
Provides unfair, biased or inaccurate feedback (74%); and,
Is used by colleagues to settle personal grudges (79%).

“The 360-degree review process is designed to provide a comprehensive view of an individual's actions and behaviors by gathering feedback from peers, subordinates and leaders,” said Kathi Enderes, a global industry analyst with The Josh Bersin Company. “Managers often view this process as a valuable tool for leadership development, as it offers insights into leadership strengths and weaknesses, project management abilities, and interpersonal skills.”

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How to Reduce Rater Bias in Performance Evaluations

Employees, on the other hand, point to issues with its execution and outcomes, Enderes said.

“While it can offer valuable insights into their behaviors and actions from multiple perspectives, it also can be perceived as a source of stress and anxiety, particularly if the feedback is not delivered constructively, if there is a lack of trust in the process or if they feel the input will be used for performance evaluations,” she said.

360-Degree Flaws

One problem with 360-degree critiques is that the data is “always bad,” wrote leadership author/consultant Marcus Buckingham in an article for Harvard Business Review. Typically, 360-degree reviews task colleagues with rating peers’ behaviors — but, as Buckingham posited, reviewers generally are qualified to rate their own behavior and feelings, not those of others. His solution? Adjust the questioning. For instance, instead of asking if an individual is a good listener, ask the reviewer if they feel their opinions are heard, and leverage the answer accordingly.

And while 360-degree reviews are designed to be comprehensive, the feedback often lacks actionable focus, according to Andrew Larkin, a principal consultant with the Leadership Learning Team. He wrote in a LinkedIn article that such reviews rely on competency ratings, which can be skewed by biases or inconsistent standards, and the resulting excessive data points often dilute key takeaways. His fix-it idea? Don’t rate. Ask simple, direct, open-ended questions, such as:

What does this person do well (and how can you quantify that)?
What do they need to change (and why)?

Enderes pointed to three additional challenges with the 360-degree process: lack of trust, poor execution and inadequate follow-up.

“When companies lose sight of the purpose of the 360-degree process, it can turn into an overly complex, administrative and non-value-added process — or be used in a way it is not intended,” Enderes said. “Using the process in a punitive way will undermine trust, result in lack of transparency and feedback, and inhibit growth and development.”

How Are You Using This Tool?

Experts view 360-degree feedback as a development tool — not a means for performance evaluation.

“We use it with our high potentials for development purposes only,” said Sheri Peitersen, the senior talent development manager at J. J. Keller & Associates, a compliance resources company based in Wisconsin. “It is designed to help them gain insight to make them even better.”

Peitersen directly connects with each person to interpret their results and help them identify potential opportunities. But if an organization is using a 360 review to “prove” an employee is not performing, that’s a problem, she said.

“Leaders need to be able to lead and have the courage to have the difficult conversations to address performance,” Peitersen said. “Many times, managers use a 360 as a way of avoiding the tough conversation. We need to teach leaders to give good, constructive feedback early and often so employees know where they stand at all times.”

Enderes agreed that 360-degree feedback should not impact performance ratings or pay decisions.

“Companies that use it for this purpose often experience pushback from employees and managers,” she said. “Setting clear, measurable performance goals, adapting them in an agile way, and taking the employee’s outcomes and behaviors into account when evaluating performance will be more impactful, and technology can help with all of these areas.”

In addition, 360-degree feedback shouldn’t be limited to annual review cycles, said Kay Cooper, the chief operations officer at organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry.

“‘Continuous feedback’ is a more contemporary approach,” Cooper said. “However, for this to be successful, the organization must have a culture that values feedback and fosters an environment where this is encouraged, not just from a ‘job well done’ perspective but actionable feedback fostering a culture of continuous improvement.”

Improve Your 360s

How can total rewards professionals improve in this area? Enderes provided the following tips to better utilize 360-degree feedback:

Define clear objectives. Articulate that this feedback process is intended for development, not performance evaluation, to set the right expectations and reduce anxiety among participants.
Ensure confidentiality and trust. Encourage honest and open responses by using anonymous surveys and ensuring that only aggregated data is shared with the reviewee.
Engage skilled facilitators to guide participants in interpreting the feedback constructively and developing actionable improvement plans.
Leverage technology (e.g., artificial intelligence tools) to generate detailed reports and offer personalized growth recommendations based on received feedback.
Provide training and support on how to give and receive feedback constructively. One example would be workshops on effective communication and active listening.
Follow up and create development plans to increase the likelihood that feedback leads to actionable changes and continuous improvement.

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