How to provide effective guidance to employees

Knowing how to guide employees

Knowing how to guide employees is a key skill for managers who achieve strong results. It helps improve performance, reinforce best practices, and build a more positive and productive work environment.

The good news is that this skill can be learned and easily applied.

That’s why this guide brings practical tips to ensure your guidance is well received and generates real impact on the operation.

Got 6 minutes? Great, let’s get started!

Preparing your guidance

Before giving feedback to your team, ask yourself: “Why am I giving this guidance?” You should be clear about your goal, whether it’s reinforcing a positive behavior or correcting a specific mistake.

🔎 Gather information

Use clear and objective data—such as images and finished sandwiches—to support your guidance. Look for concrete examples to back up your feedback. In the case of Visio Pista, use the results from the week’s reviews.

Example:

To praise good assemblies, select sandwiches from your “Favorites” gallery. To correct an issue, show an image of a sandwich with the mistake and another one that meets the standard, so employees can compare and understand how to fix it. Make it clear what result you expect in future sandwiches.

Remember: never expose individuals when giving group feedback.

• Correct: “This was one of the bread-cutting errors we identified.”
• Incorrect: “This sandwich with the incorrect bread cut belongs to this person.”

⏰ Choose the right moment

Provide guidance as close as possible to the day you reviewed the sandwiches. Ideally, these conversations should happen weekly and be based on Visio Pista results.

Make sure to choose a calm moment for both you and your team so they can focus on what you’re saying.

Praise should be given as soon as possible and be specific. For example:

“Great job! The amount of olives in the sandwiches has improved significantly and is now within the standard.”

Corrections should preferably be made before the start of the shift, so the guidance is fresh in the employee’s mind. Whenever possible, observe some sandwich assemblies on the same day you give feedback. This allows you to reinforce praise when the standard is followed or remind them of adjustments if needed.

Delivering the guidance

🏅 Start with positive recognition – Begin by highlighting something the employee is doing well.

🧩 Present the improvement point – Clearly and objectively explain what needs to be adjusted, without judgment.

💯 Finish with encouragement – End with a message of motivation and confidence in the employee’s potential.

Example:

“You’ve improved a lot in sandwich assembly. Now we just need to adjust ingredient quantities, and your work will be excellent. I know you’ll master this soon!”

Ask employees if they know the standard related to the improvement point. Use open-ended questions such as:

“Do you know what the standard is for the amount of olives in the sandwiches?”

Wait for their response and evaluate it. They may be making mistakes simply because they don’t know the expected standard. In that case, provide guidance or training to address the gap.

📈 Propose a solution or guidance – Offer practical examples or strategies to solve the issue, show images of sandwiches within the standard, and reinforce the correct quantity of each ingredient.

Example:

“This is how the vegetables should be distributed (show image).”

Practical tips for effective guidance

🗨️ Always praise what is done well – recognize achievements to maintain motivation:

• “The amount of sauce in the sandwiches has improved a lot in the past few days. That’s excellent!”
• “Your attention to assembly has really stood out.”

🎯 Be specific – avoid general feedback like “You need to improve.” Instead, say something like:

• “The salad needs to be evenly spread across the bread to meet the standard and provide a good customer experience.”

⚠️ Focus on behavior, not the person – talk about actions or results, never personal traits:

• Correct: “The assembly can be more consistent.”
• Incorrect: “You are disorganized.”

☑️ Use positive language – turn criticism into opportunities for improvement, for example:

• “Here’s how we can improve together,” instead of “You did it wrong.”

💬 Listen to the employee – give them space to speak or share their perspective:

• “What do you think about this suggestion?”
• “Are you facing any difficulties in this process?”

By following these practices, you ensure that the guidance moment is motivating and effective, respecting each employee and promoting team development. Remember: a motivated team leads to better store results and a more positive work environment.

Now it’s time to apply these tips in your routine. Can you share your results with our team afterward?

We wish you success in your work!

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