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Employee feedback message writer

Turns a specific workplace situation into structured, timely feedback using the SBI (Situation-Behavior-Impact) model, delivered as a ready-to-use written message or verbal talking-track with tone calibration for the…

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Purpose

Convert a real shift-floor situation into clear, respectful feedback built on the SBI model — so a General Manager or Shift Leader can deliver it in the moment or in a scheduled conversation without stumbling over wording, softening it into vagueness, or turning it into a personal attack. Produces feedback the employee can actually act on.

When to Use

Invoke this skill when the user asks to:

  • Address a recurring problem with a team member (late clock-ins, phone use, order errors, station cleanliness)
  • Give critical or corrective feedback and doesn't want it to land as an attack
  • Recognize an employee who did something well and wants it to feel specific, not generic
  • Prepare for a one-on-one, coaching conversation, or write-up conversation
  • Handle a sensitive interpersonal or attitude issue on the floor
  • Turn a frustrating moment into a calm, professional message before reacting emotionally

Inputs Required

Before starting, collect:

  • Situation: What happened, where, and when (shift, station, customer-facing or back-of-house)
  • Behavior: The specific observable action — what the person did or didn't do
  • Impact: What resulted — on the customer, the team, the ticket time, morale, or the manager
  • Employee context: Tenure, role, general performance level, and any relevant history with this issue
  • Feedback type: Corrective / Recognition / Coaching (developmental) / Formal (documented)
  • Delivery format: Written message (text/Slack/email) OR verbal talking-track for an in-person conversation
  • Relationship note: Anything about how this person receives feedback (defensive, eager, checked-out, new and nervous)

If feedback type or delivery format is missing, default to Coaching + verbal talking-track and note the assumption.

Instructions

Step 1: Build the SBI Core

Construct the three non-negotiable components. This is the spine of every feedback message.

  • Situation — Anchor to a specific time and place. "During Friday's dinner rush at the fry station," not "lately" or "sometimes." Vague timing lets the employee dispute the whole conversation.
  • Behavior — State only observable actions. "You left the station for 12 minutes without telling anyone" — not "you don't care" or "you're lazy." Strip every interpretation, motive, and label out of this line.
  • Impact — Name the concrete consequence. "Tickets backed up and two orders went out cold, and Maria had to cover both stations." Impact makes the feedback matter without moralizing.

Verify the behavior line contains zero adjectives about the person's character.

Step 2: Calibrate for Feedback Type

Adjust the frame to match the goal.

  • Corrective: SBI + a clear, specific request for the change going forward. End with what "good" looks like next shift, not a warning.
  • Recognition: SBI where the Impact is the payoff — spell out exactly what their action did for the team or customer. Specific praise ("your recovery on that comped order kept the table") outperforms "great job."
  • Coaching: SBI + a two-way opening — invite the employee to share their view before jumping to a fix. Include one question that hands them part of the solution.
  • Formal/Documented: SBI in neutral, factual language suitable for a written record. No sarcasm, no emotion, dates and specifics included, plus a stated expectation and a check-in date.

Step 3: Calibrate for Timing and Emotion

  • If the situation just happened and emotions are hot, insert a brief cooling frame — deliver the facts, not the frustration.
  • For recurring issues, reference the pattern factually ("this is the second time this week") without piling on past grievances.
  • For a defensive employee, lead with the shared goal (getting food out hot and fast) before the behavior.
  • For a nervous or new employee, open with something they're doing right, then the one thing to adjust.

Step 4: Write the Deliverable

If written message: Produce a short, sendable message. Warm-but-direct opener → SBI → clear ask or acknowledgment → supportive close. Keep it to what a person would actually read on their phone.

If verbal talking-track: Produce a spoken script with:

  1. The opener (how to start so they don't tense up)
  2. The SBI delivery (word-for-word)
  3. The pause point (where to stop and let them respond)
  4. Two likely responses from the employee and how to handle each
  5. The close (what agreement or next step to land)

Step 5: Add the Follow-Up Line

Every corrective or coaching output ends with a concrete next checkpoint — "Let's see how tomorrow's dinner rush goes and I'll check in after." Recognition ends with an invitation to keep it up or take on more.

Output Format

  • Structure: SBI core stated plainly, then the formatted deliverable (message or talking-track), then a follow-up line
  • Length: 200–400 words total; the sendable message itself stays under 120 words
  • Format: Written message as ready-to-copy prose; verbal talking-track as a numbered spoken script
  • Sections: SBI Core → Deliverable (Message or Talking-Track) → Follow-Up Checkpoint
  • Tone: Direct, respectful, human — the voice of a fair manager who wants the person to succeed, never HR-robotic or passive-aggressive

Quality Checklist

Before delivering output, verify:

  • [ ] The Behavior line describes an observable action only — no character labels ("lazy," "careless," "rude")
  • [ ] The Situation is anchored to a specific shift, time, or event — not "lately" or "always"
  • [ ] The Impact names a concrete consequence to the customer, team, or operation
  • [ ] Corrective and coaching outputs end with a specific request and a follow-up checkpoint
  • [ ] The message is short enough to be delivered as-is without editing
  • [ ] Tone matches the employee context provided (defensive, new, high-performing, etc.)

Notes

  • The single most common feedback failure is skipping the Impact — people change behavior when they understand what it caused, not when they're just told to stop.
  • Recognition should be as specific as correction. "Good job today" builds nothing; naming the exact action builds a repeatable habit.
  • For anything that may lead to a write-up or termination, keep the language factual and dated — that output may become part of a record.
  • Deliver corrective feedback privately and quickly; delayed feedback loses its teaching power and feels like ambushing.

How to use this skill

This file is a Claude Code skill in Anthropic's standard format — markdown with YAML frontmatter at the top.

Installing in Claude Code:

  • ~/.claude/skills/<folder-name>/SKILL.md — auto-loads in every session anywhere on your machine (recommended for skills you'll use across multiple projects)
  • <your-project>/.claude/skills/<folder-name>/SKILL.md — auto-loads only when working in that project (recommended for project-specific skills)

Restart Claude Code or open a new session to register.

Using in Claude.ai, ChatGPT, Gemini, or other AI tools:

  1. Drag this file into a new chat, or copy and paste its contents
  2. Send your task or request as your next message — the AI will apply the skill where it fits

For Claude Code skill details: https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/skills