The Great Workplace Toolbox

Self Assessment - Exercise - Perspectives - Examples - Back to the Toolbox

Self Assessment

1. Does your organization regularly ask employees for feedback regarding your workplace?
   
2. If yes, what changes have resulted from employee suggestions and feedback?
   
3. Are employees rewarded for offering suggestions? Are they rewarded for offering suggestions that result in improvements?
   
4. Do you share employee feedback with all employees? If not, with whom is the feedback shared and why?
   
5. Are your managers and supervisors trained and encouraged to address employee feedback?
   
6. Are there currently issues and concerns where employee feedback would provide your organization helpful insight on how to develop a solution? If yes, how will you approach the issue with your employees?

Back to Top

Exercise: Every Day Observations - The Drive-Thru

Have you ever turned your car around to go back to a fast-food restaurant because you didn't get you what you asked for? How did you react when you first noticed the food order was incorrect? How did you respond toward the restaurant workers when you arrived back at the restaurant?

Now imagine you are one of your employees and you have just completed a survey that asked you for feedback on how to make the organization better. Just as in the drive-thru scenario you were asked what you wanted and what you would like. And if your "order" is misinterpreted or ignored and the organization fails to recognize or respond to your suggestions, you're likely to assume that the organization didn't listen, didn't care, or insn't interested in or capable of making improvements to the workplace.

How would you respond if, as in the fast-food example, your "order" was ignored or not taken seriously? How would your perception of your managers, supervisors, and those who conducted the survey change? How would your approach to work be affected?

Back to Top

Perspectives

When people ask you what you want, it is human nature to expect them to respond accordingly. One of the worst things an organization can do when asking for employee feedback is to fail to acknowledge the response or to do nothing at all. A restaurant worker isn't going to ask, "How may I help you?" and then not provide you service, and if your drive-thru order is incorrect, you expect he or she will provide you with the correct order after you turn around and come back. An organization asking for employee feedback needs to act similarly, with one major difference - you have control over what questions are asked and communicating how the organization may respond before gathering employee opinions.

Employee feedback is critical to building and maintaining a great workplace. Those directly engaged in the company’s work are often the most qualified to make suggestions to improve productivity, and best able to tell policymakers what it is that employees want most. But employers who provide opportunities for employees to share their ideas and vent their frustrations need to be extremely careful about communicating how the organization will deal with the employee feedback. Here are a few things to keep in mind when encouraging employees to provide feedback:

1. If you can't do anything about it, don't ask. If you know that changes to your benefits plan or attendance policy are impossible, don't ask employees how those programs can be improved. Only ask questions related to systems and policies your organization is willing to consider changing.
   
2. Cleary communicate how the organization will respond. Let employees know what issues can be addressed, what systems could be adjusted, and what topics are off-limits. Be upfront and honest about how the organization will evaluate suggestions and how quickly it will either implement changes or determine that enforcing changes isn't a priority.
   
3. Acknowledge responses. Whether you receive responses from a company-wide confidential employee survey or a suggestion box in the middle of the shop floor, it is extremely important to recognize and thank employees for taking the time to offer their thoughts. Even if it's determined that nothing will be done as a result of the feedback, showing appreciation for the response may help employees feel more valued and engaged and may encourage additional constructive feedback in the future.
   
4. If you look for trouble...you'll find it. Don't be surprised by negative comments. When given the opportunity to point out areas in which improvements can be made, most people take full advantage. No organization is perfect. That's why it is important to gather feedback from employees about how to make the workplace more productive. It is the organization's challenge and responsibility to sort through the issues identified by employees and determine where a response will positively affect performance.

Three popular methods of soliciting employee feedback are suggestion systems, employee surveys, and an open-door policy.

Suggestion Systems
91% of 2005 NorthCoast 99 winners have some sort of suggestion system in place, compared to only 74% in 2003 and only 58% among other Northeast Ohio companies this year (2005-2006 ERC Policies & Benefits Survey). Additionally, 61% of those companies with a suggestion system in place reward employees for offering suggestions, and 79% reward for suggestions which are implemented (with a monetary bonus, public recognition, or other measures). Such reward programs encourage employees to look for ways in which the workplace could be improved.

Employee Surveys
Employee opinion surveys allow companies to take some measure of how well policies are viewed by a large percentage of the employees, and provide an opportunity to identify areas in need of change. In 2005, 98% of NorthCoast winners conducted an employee opinion survey, with 93% sharing the results with all employees at the company, and 62% conducting a survey once a year or more frequently. Frequent or regularly administered surveys may be a great way to track employee perceptions regarding improvements to past issues and the development of new concerns.

Open Door Policy
Many employers also have a simple open door policy that allows more day-to-day feedback regarding operations, allowing employees to raise small concerns as they arise, hopefully enabling the organization to address those concerns before they become major issues that are communicated in an annual or bi-annual opinion survey. Many NorthCoast 99 winners also hold regular meetings of employee groups to discuss issues and solutions, often times meeting with an executive such as the COO, CFO, or even the organization's president.

Back to Top

Examples

• Summa Health System facilitates communication between employees and upper management in monthly meetings hosted by the President and CEO of the hospital, in which various important issues in the company can be raised and discussed by representatives from each department. Minutes from these meetings are posted for all to see. Additionally, all staff are invited to participate in annual employee forums.

• Weaver Leather focuses on employee-centered growth and development through their “Quality Through Teamwork” program, in which employees may submit a formal written suggestion for improvement on any level. Any suggestion deemed “Valid” is further evaluated by an individual or group (depending on the size of the change). This program was developed both for its stated purpose and to empower employees to make these suggestions in departmental and one-on-one meetings as well. All suggestions are recognized, with implemented suggestions rewarded on a formal basis. This allows the company to grow in a manner determined, in large part, by its employees. Frequent employee opinion surveys are administered on a wide range of topics, and are used to implement and improve programs. Additionally, all voluntary terminations include exit interviews to gather important feedback.

• The Human Arc “Budding Entrepreneur” program allows all associates to use their skills and knowledge to increase revenue or reduce costs outside their own area of expertise. Associates are empowered to identify potential increases or cost reductions, create a plan to address these opportunities, and take work time to put the plan into place. The group or individuals that produce the greatest savings or revenue enhancement receives $5,000 at the end of the year.

Back to Top