Giving Feedback to Managers: 53 Examples

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Crafting feedback for a line manager can be daunting. You may want to recognise the hard work your manager does, or give them honest constructive feedback that will help them grow and improve, but, either way, you need to do it without compromising the working relationship.

We know a lot of you are wondering how to give 360 feedback to your boss in a performance appraisal setting, too. With that in mind, we wanted to share our favourite examples of employee to manager feedback, sometimes known as upward feedback in a 360 performance review. We highly recommend you download our template, so you can scan through it anytime you need inspiration, and use our samples as a handy manager feedback template.

Giving feedback to managers examples

Our manager feedback examples can be used in reviews, one-on-one meetings, in casual catch-ups and for providing feedback through Frankli. 

We've created templates for all kinds of feedback, including peer feedback and constructive feedback over in our feedback category, where you'll also find tips for giving feedback that impacts on employees' performance. Whether you're trying to transform company culture through feedback or you just want to tell team members that they're doing a great job, we've got everything you need to know to have more productive feedback conversations.

Looking for a specific type of feedback that we haven’t included to further enhance your communication skills? You can get in touch to let us know via LinkedIn.

The Feedback feature in Frankli provides teams with intuitive channels for giving, requesting and receiving feedback.

What are Some Examples of Feedback for a Line Manager?

Here we’ll share both positive and constructive feedback examples for managers. Simply keep reading, or download our template to have them at your fingertips, always. If you're crafting a longer piece of feedback, it may also help to use our sample feedback opening and closing line templates.

Feedback Examples for Managers - Ways to Say Thank You:

1. “Thanks so much for helping me set clear, actionable goals for myself this year. Your guidance really kept me on the right track.”

2. “I can’t thank you enough for your encouragement and support.”

3. “Thank you for always being forthcoming with praise and recognition.”

4. “Thank you for prioritising (feedback/recognition/work-life balance).”

5. “Thank you for going the extra mile this year when I was struggling with (my workload/my health/the transition to a new role).”

6. “You’ve given me an opportunity to grow and learn new skills, which is something I’m so grateful for.”

7. “I’m so grateful for your patience as I get to grips with my new role.”

Positive Feedback Examples for Managers:

With this kind of feedback, you're looking to reward positive behavior and recognise the good work and extra effort that your manager brings to their role.

8. “I really appreciate the clarity you provide on each new project.”

9. “I always feel more (optimistic/confident/energised/inspired) after our one-on-one meetings.”

10. “Your (work ethic/dedication/perseverance/can-do attitude/passion/creativity) sets an incredible example for the whole team.”

11. “You inspire me to work harder and think more creatively.”

12. “I really appreciate the flexibility you’ve shown me this year. It helps me be my most productive self and hugely contributes to my happiness at work.”

13. “You’ve really helped me build upon my skill set this year.”

14. “Your encouragement has been crucial in helping me reach my goals.”

15. “You really take the time to listen to my concerns, which I really appreciate.”

16. “I really appreciate your willingness to chip in when things get busy.”

17. “You’ve given me some really useful tips on (leadership/project management/customer support).”

18. “I really appreciate the care you give to balancing workloads, so that I never feel overwhelmed, even at busy times.”

19. “You’ve given me the confidence to work more independently this year.”

20. “Your feedback is always so insightful and helps me to identify room for improvement.”

21. “It meant so much to me that you recognised my efforts in (Project X).”

22. “Your positivity always helps keep spirits high on our team.”

23. “I'm a big fan of your management style. Your (hands-on/hands-off/creative/detail-oriented) approach has really helped me to thrive in my role.”

24. “I really appreciate the hands-off approach you took with (Project X). It challenged me in all the right ways.”

25. “Clear direction is critical to my success and you always provide it.”

26. “The (system/platform/program) you introduced for (performance management/sales tracking/collaboration) has helped me become so much more efficient.”

27. “I appreciate the effort you put into (feedback/praise and recognition/workload management).”

28. “Since we started working together, I’m enjoying my work so much more.”

29. “Your hands-off approach really helps me to stay focussed on my goals.”

30. “Your enthusiasm is infectious - it makes everyone on the team strive for excellence.”

31. “It’s really comforting to know that your door is always open and that I can come to you with questions or issues.”

32. “The coaching and mentoring opportunities you’ve provided have been invaluable.”

33. “I genuinely couldn’t have (completed Project X/achieved my goals/progressed to my new role) without you.”

Feedback Examples for Managers - Constructive Feedback:

Often, employees feel nervous about giving this kind of feedback, but it tends to be the most valuable in terms of impacting performance.

34. “I know how busy you are, but I would love to have more regular 1:1s with you, as I find your feedback and guidance so helpful.”

35. “I’d love to get even more support from you in the early stages of new projects. Once I’m on the right side of the learning curve, I can take it from there.”

36. “I would love to work together on a plan for adjusting my workload.”

37. “I would love to hear you give more context when providing feedback. I think it would be useful for the whole team to understand how their work feeds into the company’s success.”

38. “I really appreciate the time and attention you give to constructive feedback, but I’d love to hear more positive feedback too.”

39. “I’d like to hear more detail on your strategy for the next couple of months. It would really help me put my work into context.”

40. “I think if we could work on using more positive language in team meetings, it would really boost morale.”

41. “I really admire your attention to detail, but I think my performance would improve if I had a little more freedom in my role.”

42. “I would love to have a little bit more freedom to use my own judgement. I think that would really help me grow into this role.”

43. “I appreciate your trust, but I would love to have a little bit more guidance from you.”

44. “I would love to see you be more forthcoming with praise and recognition.”

45. “I would love the opportunity to find new challenges in my role.”

46. “I see room for improvement in the way you conduct meetings. I think they could be more efficient if we stick closely to our agenda.”

47. “I think the team could really benefit from (an employee recognition program/more one-to-one meetings/more structured meetings/clearer communication/clearer goals.”

48. “I sometimes feel unsure about my goals, maybe this is something we can both work on over the next few months.”

49. “I really appreciate your dedication to ensure goals are met, but sometimes this has a negative effect on (morale/work-life balance/productivity/engagement).”

50. “I think we could benefit from more detailed discussions around expectations, so we can both avoid disappointment.”

51. “I really admire your work ethic, but I think you could benefit from delegating more. I’d be happy to take on a few more responsibilities this year.”

52. “I’ve noticed that a few meetings have been missed lately. What can we do to address this?”

53. “I think it’s important that we discuss projects in more detail at the outset, so we’re all on the same page.”

Frankli provides companies with intuitive channels for giving, receiving and requesting feedback at all levels of the organisation. Learn more about Frankli.

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