Should people always be "honest" in 360 reviews?

Hi there,

You should always be very careful with feedback no matter the forum. The honest answer is that you do need to selfishly think about how anything you do professionally affects you professionally.

Regardless, any and all feedback, if given, should be direct and sugarcoated. What I mean is, if you're giving feedback then it should be clear. But, it should not be so blunt so as to offend. Pick works carefully to focus on improvement areas/positives or ways to get better. Careful word choice is extremely important.

Hello,

I think the honest answer here is that it depends on company and office culture. Generally, feedback is taken very seriously and is seen as a crucial part of the job at most major consulting companies. There shouldn't be any negative repercussions as long as you are professional, but whether the feedback will be taken into account or not will depend on corporate culture. 

In my experience, the best way to approach a situation like yours would be to give honest feedback, but make it constructive, framing it as ways to improve rather than just criticism. Don't be rude or blunt to the point of unprofessionalism. But, if there were specific things your manager did that you thought didn't work well, it's ok to attest to them and suggest ways you feel you could have been managed better.

However, the anonymity concern you point out is also important. The feedback form should be anonymous, but depending on what you write there it may be possible to tell who it came from. So you should also think about how this might impact your relationship with your manager, if you are going to be working with them for a long time going forward. If it's a concern you feel needs to be raised, you could also talk about it with the manager directly, rather than going via the 360-degree review route.

Hi there, 

this is a very interesting question!

The feedback are set to give constructive reflection on our performance and the opportunity to improve and grow, hence it would be great to be truly honest. NOW what is important is to be constructive and fair when giving it, meaning understand what is the norm, what the person did really well and why do you think there are areas for improvement. if your feedback is honest, but constructive, fair and specific, you should go for it. 

Last but not least, upward feedback are anonymous and they are given to the person only as bundle feedback from a group of people, hence you dont have to worry. 

Good luck

Lucie

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Since I don't know you, I need to make this clear. In no occasion you can state that someone is “bad at XYZ”.  That is not feedback, and you should never give it to anyone in that way.

You have to state things as specific problems, be able to isolate the behavior and to give a suggestion on how to do it differently (or the suggestion may just be to stop having certain behaviour). If you cannot do this, then this is not actionable feedback. It may be “evaluation”, but it is not feedback.

My suggestion is to be diplomatic, always downplay a bit, sugar coat, and be able to bring 1-2 specific examples of the behavior. 

Of course, my #1 advice regarding this is that anything in writing should only be stated after it was said verbally and enough time has passed for the person to change the behaviour.

Many valuable and valid answers listed already. Just a few additional thoughts that came to my mind:
 

• Feedback is most valuable when it is constructive and actionable (e.g. use specific examples if you can to make it tangible - at least when being 1-on-1 with someone)
• Try to have regular “informal” check-ins with your team members and manager throughout the project - that way you can address potential misalignments along the way and course-correct rather than “dropping a bomb” at the end in the overall project assessment - the quality of the reviews matters for promotions of course so this is a sensitive area for a lot of people
• You can always soften “negative” feedback and package it as “recommendation for further development over the next months” to provide perspective and direction - being very blunt in an official review process might be construed as rather emotional than professional

Great question! The effectiveness of 360-degree feedback depends on the balance between honesty and tact. While honest feedback is crucial for improvement, how you frame your insights makes all the difference.

Should You Be Completely Honest?

Yes, but with constructive intent. Instead of blunt criticism, focus on specific behaviors and impact rather than personal judgments. For example:
❌ "My manager is bad at handling conflicts."
✅ "I’ve noticed that in conflict situations, clearer resolution strategies could improve team morale."

The Anonymity Concern

Many professionals hesitate to be candid because of the fear of being identified. While most firms claim anonymity, patterns in feedback can sometimes reveal sources. However, well-structured 360-feedback solutions, like the ones we specialize in at TNI360.com, ensure a psychologically safe environment where feedback is aggregated and analyzed in a way that protects identities while providing actionable insights.

Will It Backfire?

If framed diplomatically, feedback is unlikely to backfire. Focus on improvements rather than faults and use objective observations over opinions. A well-thought-out 360-review can actually position you as a thoughtful team player, rather than an adversary.

If you're interested in how organizations can foster a culture of constructive feedback, check out TNI360’s approach to 360-degree insights and how we help organizations structure reviews for real growth without fear of retaliation.

Would love to hear others' thoughts on this! How has 360 feedback worked in your experience?