No one has all of the answers. But when it comes to your company, your employees may have more of them than you realize.
That’s why routine opportunities for employee feedback are critical: Surveys create a dialogue that reveals what’s working, what’s not, and how people outside of the C-suite feel. Skip that survey or discussion and you may miss out on valuable insights, as well as a chance to show you value your team members and their opinions.
Beyond employee engagement and culture building, feedback opportunities drive positive sentiment about both you and the company.
A Harvard Business Review study suggests leaders who encourage employee feedback are perceived as more effective than those who don’t.
Researchers reviewed data from a 10-year period and found that of 51,896 executives, those in the bottom 10 percent for seeking feedback scored only in the 15th percentile for overall leadership effectiveness. Whereas, the executives in the top 10 percent of feedback seekers ranked at the 86th percentile.
Are you sold on the value of employee feedback but are not sure how to start asking for it?
A recent article from Entrepreneur advises leaders to begin with these four questions to gauge employee satisfaction and determine areas for improvement:
1. What are we doing that’s working well?
Employees’ responses to this question will shed light on your best practices. Additionally, the answers often speak to their sense of the company’s culture.
2. What are customers saying about us?
Front line employees are the experts on how customers are interacting and responding to your company.
3. If you were me, what would you do and why?
Entrepreneur’s article highlights multiple benefits of asking this question. First, you demonstrate that you value each employee’s opinion, boosting engagement. Next, you encourage employees to consider the challenges and issues colleagues in other areas of the business are facing. And finally, you once again tap into the valuable perspective they’ve gained from interacting with customers directly.
4. What’s the one thing I should know to make this business better?
Patterns in responses to this question can help you hone in on areas with the most room for improvement.
The best companies in the world are ones that value their employees and encourage a two way dialogue with them. If you listen to employees and show them that you care, they will give you 110% every day.
