An Experiment Investigating the Interaction of Feedback Framing and Self-Perception in the Labor Market

Abstract: Performance feedback is a critical driver of motivation, development, and advancement, yet gender differences in how feedback is internalized remain underexplored. Across an experimental vignette study with 280 full-time employees, we investigate gender differences in expected disappointment after critical feedback and whether the tone of delivery effects men and women asymmetrically. Results show that women report higher disappointment than men following negative hypothetical evaluations. This gender disparity disappears when feedback is communicated in a communal tone as men increase in their self-disappointment. These findings suggest that communal framing differentially shapes men’s and women’s emotional responses to feedback, eliminating the gender gap in disappointment. Implications include rethinking managerial communication, training supervisors in inclusive feedback delivery, and recognizing the impact of feedback tone on employee self-perception, motivation, and career trajectories.