Employee Feedback: Initiating Change
Employee feedback can be grouped into three categories:
Organizations should give employees clear explanations regarding each.
Decisions and action planning can occur in several ways: senior management alone may make decisions and take actions. On the other end of the spectrum, action planning may occur at the group or department level, with employees taking action on matters that affect them most. Regardless of who has decision-making responsibilities, senior management can also help to ensure that decisions regarding changes will reflect organizational values.
Whether change is initiated immediately or in the future, it should be meaningful and visible. Meaningful change shows commitment and will help to motivate employees by letting them know that the organization is listening, cares, and is willing to take appropriate action to elicit meaningful change. Employees should also know that management supports change efforts.
Pay close attention to the design of change initiatives to ensure that the change will create the intended results. This can be accomplished with continuous and clear communication with employees regarding the change initiatives. Depending on the size of the organization, employee feedback results can be communicated in a company-wide forum, department meetings, or in manager-led small groups.
Employee feedback is invaluable. Those employees that feel like their voices are heard and that the organization cares about them are much more likely to be engaged in their work and willing to go the extra mile. Yet no matter how successful particular change initiatives are, do not expect the actions taken to satisfy employees forever. Top-notch organizations must make continuous improvement a part of their cultures.
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After collecting employee feedback through employee surveys, focus groups, or other vehicles, the focus should shift to taking action and initiating change. Too often organizations make the mistake of improperly addressing the ideas, suggestions and input they collected in the employee feedback process. Without properly addressing employee feedback, organizations risk jeopardizing employee trust and fanning employee dissatisfaction.| Issue 10 | October 2008 |
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