Instill an open culture
What does a culture of openness refer to? Firstly, employees should never be punished or penalized for giving negative feedback. Possible repercussions are the main reason why employees are afraid to stand up for themselves at work. Secondly, there must be numerous channels by which feedback can be given, even anonymously. Finally, employees must see that their feedback is acted upon.
Once employees recognise that an open culture exists, they will feel empowered to give their opinions, and honest ones at that.
Employ multiple feedback channels
Exit interviews should not be the only way of collecting feedback from employees. With early intervention, many resignations can be avoided.
Besides the scheduled “official” opportunities to give feedback such as mid-year appraisals and annual reviews, managers should keep in mind to encourage constant sharing of ideas to better the organisation and its practices. Simple ways like utilizing a common notice board where employees can pin up their suggestions or using company software to gather constructive comments about certain company policies can go a long way in getting much-needed feedback.
Employee Engagement
Managers should regularly engage employees in various settings – especially social ones where they are more relaxed and open to share – to check on their attitudes towards their jobs. Be sure to approach in a positive way and show a willingness to assist your staff with any obstacles or challenges that they encounter at work. Don’t limit this to job-specific questions either! Managers should also actively seek information about other aspects of the employee’s life, which can be telltale signs of what they pursue in a career. With all that critical information on hand, managers can work towards bridging the gaps between the company and staff members.
Act on feedback
It is no good to seek feedback from staff when the company is not open enough to accept the given comments and work towards improving itself. If employees find that their given feedback is nothing but useless data, they will soon stop providing any.
Therefore, it is vital that companies look to act upon feedback wherever necessary. Be transparent, offer solutions and alternative ways of doing things, and measure the results of what you have implemented. Actively build a team culture that allows you to give and receive real-time feedback, so that you can fix what needs to be fixed before those exit interviews happen.
This article is contributed by Jobstreet.com.
