Can anyone please tell me what constructive
Posted By: feedback from QA/mentor is? on 2008-01-02
In Reply to:
I have been following the discussion below about impolite QA and some of you have mentioned receiving constructive feedback from QA and/or mentors. Would someone please tell me what this constructive feedback looks like? Where I work they just fill in the blanks, but I never receive any comments. I often ask questions but receive no response. What am I missing? I hope for some sort of feedback from the QA people and/or my manager but it never happens. Maybe I have been spared the rudeness that some of you experience because they never comment. Which companies offer feedback, tips, constructive criticism? What does the feedback/mentoring look like? Thank you for your responses and help.
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Constructive
No one likes being corrected, even in a nice way, especially if doing the same thing the same way for years. Us QAs out here are just like you, employed by a company, we are not the almighty rulers of the world. We are employed to do a job which is not easy and many feelings get hurt along the way. Many MTs just want to be left alone to do their work even if it is incorrect. Thats not an option these days, the work must be correct and quality is mandatory, not an option.
If you have nothing constructive to say, then
xx
The answers have been constructive. sm
What I don't understand is why you think they're not. People are stating the truth--the employer calls the shots, not the employee. Just because the truth isn't as comfortably "warm and fuzzy" as you want it to be, doesn't make it less true. It seems that this point is missed very frequently on this board and to try to convince this person that it is the employee who decides the working terms is both cruel and non-constructive. (There are so many cliches that I could use right now I'm not even going to start.)
There have been several posters who lament the loss of jobs to overseas competition but instead of laying blame at the feet of workers who want to call the shots, they instead try to blame the people who are hungry for jobs and are willing to work at getting and keeping jobs that are "too demanding", "too demaning", "not family-friendly" for US workers. Employers are also to blame when their biggest concern is the bottom line and not upholding the society that allowed them to become employers in the first place.
A very good book to read for more on this subject is The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman. It is a long book but if you're really interested in understanding what is going on in the world today and being prepared for the reality of tomorrow, it's worth the read. Of course, it also requires a mind willing to see the problems that both workers and employers have created.
Constructive feedback is ...
providing commentary and suggestions on improving the MT's work process (i.e. 'hearing' ESL's better or maybe a more refined search process, etc.) in a professionally worded fashion. Most times when an MT leaves a minefield of blanks in a report it's because he/she because of their lack of experience wasn't able to 'hear' what the dictator was saying.
A true QA person of excellence can recall their own journey on the road of transcription, remember that type of frustration and lack of experience, and translate solutions and suggestions to the MT in a manner that the MT can draw upon that experience and going forward incorporate the QA's suggestions into their work process, correcting any deficiencies they may have in putting out a quality document without a lot of blanks.
In the case of where you work, sometimes constructive feedback is as simple as just filling in the blanks. You can use the document that's been returned to you as a sample for training your ear to better hear what that particular dictator is saying when you get him/her again. In this way, you continue to improve and are more autonomous in the work that you do.
I hope this helps.
EXACTLY! Constructive input is always welcome;
nm
First of all, you did not come here looking for constructive advice. SM
You came here to whine and moan about QA and you wanted people to pat you on your head and said "poor little MT, you were right." When you didn't get that, you started throwing a tantrum and telling everyone what big 'ol meanies they are.
By your own admission, you have been an MT for three years. You are in no way qualified to tell QA or the QA supervisor that you like or dislike changes made, account specs, or anything of the sort. Your job is to type according to the account specs and according to whatever other BOS rules QA imposes. Like it or not, this is the job! MTs are called upon to be flexible. Personally, I abhor the BOS, but I like money, I need money to live and feed my kids, so if my employer says do by the BOS book, then that's what I'm gonna do.
I going to go out on a limb here and guess that since you said some of the mistakes you made were "stupid mistakes" you shouldn't have made, then you probably look inexperienced to QA and aren't going to be taken seriously when you complain. When you've become a seasoned MT who makes very few mistakes and then want to complain, you might be taken a bit more seriously.
I have 20 years under my belt. My last QA score (which happened to be yesterday) was 99.5% and that is my consistent score. If one day I get a QA score say below 98%, then I may question it diplomatically. I probably have more experience than the QA person proofing my work, but being condescending is not the way to go. Here you are 3 years experience and you are condescending and go above your QA's head to her boss. Good thing you're starting a new job, sounds like you're going to need it.
That's my 2 cents.
Constructive remarks in message
I have a couple of constructive things to say. First take it to a blog where you can whine to someone who cares. Where you can all wallow in your self-pity while your bills add up and your kids starve and nothing changes the situation. Next, get another job. Stay at MQ if you must, but get another job, be it MT or whatever, that will pay your bills while you whine. Third, get some ambition and help yourselves. Whining to each other will accomplish nothing. Why would I be MQ management when I am offering suggestions to help your plight. I am sure MQ management is very happy with the way things are. They have you whiners that are still there for them to scrape their feet on and not doing a thing about your situation.
LOL. I told you, it's a pet peeve. It was constructive
Personally, I don't like to have errors in any of my writing, personal MB or not, and I would rather have someone tell me on a MB than make a fool of myself elsewhere. To each his/her own.
FWIW, I was not proofreading, just reading. After seeing it the incorrect way umpteen times, I felt compelled to mention it.
Take constructive criticism and LEARN...
I worked for this company and the only reason I quit was I needed a job where i worked 4 hours and that was it. I absolutely LOVED my job with them. They were encouraging yet at the same time made me aware of what I needed to correct, as quality is of utmost importance in medical dictation. I made notes and reviewed the corrections sent back to me in order to undo my errors. The Editor (Rose) taught me so much by giving me these corrections cause it has helped me become a better MT. It is so important in this field to be accurate and have good grammar and spelling skills. Maybe this field isnt for you, but definitely even look into getting perhaps a used grammar/english textbook or the AMMT Book of Style to review, as that might be less expensive than going back to school. I have talked to other MTs who have been in this field for 35 years and said they STILL learn something new every single day. Keep an open mind on this job and learn all you can. In the long run you will be a better MT for it.
Yes, thanks for a thoughtful and constructive comment. SM
Much too rare on this board. I'm shocked by how many people still don't use Expanders and use them very extensively. People need to understand and accept that today's much higher standard of production is set by those who do.
Yeah...let's not try to do anything constructive because everybody is contributing to the problem
I think most of us hear this all the time...let somebody else clean up the mess.
THAT is when constructive feedback helps, not being a jerk about it.
QA should remember how it felt to be MT and struggling to get it right.
I have found no matter how constructive my feedback is... SM
most MTs either don't read it or read and immediately send it to the recycle bin literally and figuratively. So when I send feedback, it is basically a list of their errors, my corrections, and quoting chapter and verse from the BOS if necessary.
Quite frankly, I'm tired of hearing MTs gripe. I used to try to educate and mentor MTs, but it is a thankless job. Someone below said that QA people try to insinuate their egos, but in my experience it is the MTs ego that is getting in the way. So many MTs think they are "excellent MTs" and so many of them are not. At one point, I decided to keep a running log of unacceptable errors that even the most remedial MT should not be making and start posting it here because I'm so sick of MTs posting that QA is unreasonable or big meanies.
So here is a very unacceptable mistake I've seen this morning and I've only been on the clock for an hour...
"pressure ulcer on the left heal"
Of course, when I sent feedback to this MT, she emailed me saying "ha ha, oh it's just a typo." Problem was she did it repeatedly throughout the entire report -- not just once but every instance the dictator talked about the left heel ulcer, she typed "left heal ulcer."
Now, MTs, tell me that I'm not supposed to roll my eyes and be a little irritated that I had to spend fifteen minutes listening to her entire report because such a basic error sends up warning flags, when I should have just had to fill in her blanks.
Thank you, that is certainly constructive. How about 17 years, you want me to just change to accomm
nm
Would it kill you people to give constructive advice instead of insults and insensitivity?!?
I understand your frustration. I think you just need to sit down and have a talk with your employer. Find out exactly what they want your status to be. As an employee, yes they do have the right to dictate your hours, where you work, etc., but they do not have the right to jerk you around. If they want you to work at home, then they need to provide for that, not you! Anyone who says otherwise is wrong! In any industry, if a company wants you to commute, they pay for gas/mileage. If they want you to have a cell phone/pager, they either pay for it, or they provide an allowance for it. If they want you to work at home, they provide equipment. It sounds to me like they want way too much and are giving very little. Just because a person/company is the employer, it does not give them the right to treat people like dirt, sending them on wild goose chases, interfering with their life, schedule, expenses, etc. I am sorry you have received such critical and insensitive comments. I hope this works out for you. Blessings!
She didn't say she put "no-no" in her feedback and used baby talk in her constructive criti
I wish she were on my QA team. She sounds wonderful!
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