'Selective withholding' | A quarter of managers withhold staff feedback even if it's positive. Is it impacting performance?

One in four of those in managerial roles choose not to share feedback with their workforce - even when the news is positive - according to new research.

Performance feedback is critical for supporting career and education decisions, but in a new study in Management Science, a research team from the University of Exeter, University of Portsmouth and York University uncovered a striking pattern of managers partially or fully withholding performance feedback that was particularly pronounced among female workers.

The researchers conducted a controlled online experiment with 2,620 participants split into “manager” and “worker” roles.

Workers completed a short cognitive ability quiz where only top performers earned a higher payment.