Melinda French Gates says her 2-day rule helps employees know they did a good job

Melinda French Gates

Melinda French Gates has said she follows a 2-day rule for her employees. She explained that if their work passes the 48-hour test, they can be confident that they have done a good job.

Speaking with Bloomberg’s Leaders With Francine Lacqua podcast in March earlier this year, Melinda French Gates shared her secret formula for handling conflict at work. “If I’m unhappy with work you have done, you will hear from me within 48 hours,” she said during the interview adding “I’m not going to tell you right away, because I need time to think it through.” Gates said that she does to ‘calm down’.“If they pass the 48-hour mark, they can be confident that the job they did was a good job,” she said.

“You’re not going to get to your performance review and have a surprise.”

Melinda French Gates on the logic behind 48-hour feedback rule

Melinda French Gates has been practicing the 48-hour feedback philosophy for decades. Gates cochaired the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation from 2000 until she stepped down in 2024. She explained that the practice is not about avoiding criticism, but about giving it with honesty, integrity and grace.“Being clear is kind,” French Gates said, “because I’m giving them feedback so they can actually grow and become better.”

Gates described her 48-hour feedback mantra as maintaining integrity while keeping the other person’s dignity intact: “gracious, thoughtful, before you go into it.” “I don’t mind conflict,” she told Bloomberg then. “I learned to do it in a way for me that maintained my integrity.”

Melinda French Gates pledges $215 million for women’s health

Earlier this month, Melinda Gates pledged $215 million in new funding for women’s health and called for greater accountability in addressing long-standing gaps in healthcare for women, saying progress should be measured over the next four to five years to determine whether access to treatment is improving.

Speaking in a Bloomberg Television interview in London, French Gates said the world remains significantly behind in addressing women's health needs and argued that governments must invest more in research, prevention and data collection."We are way behind on women's health across the world," French Gates said, adding that better evidence is needed to persuade policymakers to prioritise the issue and direct resources where they can have the greatest impact. "Measuring matters," she said. "Let's come back and measure this in four or five years" to assess whether women are better able to access treatments and healthcare support.