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back. Yet, once employees were informed of their specific bonus amounts, perceptions of fairness became similar across all feedback formats. Being informed of tangible outcomes clarified the implications of the feedback, leading to more uniform perceptions of fairness across all formats. In other words, while narrative feedback can initially be perceived as more favorable, such perceptions may diminish once concrete outcomes are revealed, leveling the playing field between different feedback types.Lessons for OrganizationsOur findings suggest that feedback format influences employees%u2019 responses to feedback in a variety of ways. Different feedback formats offer varying levels of detail. Narrative feedback does a better job of explaining the context and providing personalized insights that can clarify performance expectations and enhance employees%u2019 understanding of the rationale behind their feedback. Numerical feedback, on the other hand, may be seen as providing more direct information about relative performance and where someone fell short of standards. Employees may also be highly focused on how feedback reflects their performance as either positive or negative, which can affect their perceptions of fairness and motivation. In light of our findings, we suggest that organizations consider several key factors when designing or improving their performance feedback practices.Choosing a Feedback FormatOur research indicates that purely numerical feedback without narrative components is not ideal. Even midrange numerical ratings can make employees feel negatively evaluated and therefore are perceived as unfair by recipients. And the lack of context may make it difficult for employees to understand how to improve. Although replacing numerical feedback with a narrative can be time-consuming or uncomfortable for managers, particularly when describing negative aspects of an employee%u2019s performance, it provides crucial benefits. Narrative-only feedback prevents employees from feeling too negatively evaluated and therefore enhances their perceptions of fairness, which are linked to, such as lower employee turnover, higher job satisfaction, stronger organizational commitment, and greater displays of organizational citizenship behaviors.Balancing Feedback Formats to Meet Organizational NeedsDespite the advantages of narrative-only feedback in enhancing fairness perceptions, providing only narrative comments may not always be practical. Organizations often need to link performance appraisals to tangible outcomes like bonuses and promotions, which can be challenging with narra-