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Honest Employee Feedback Starts at the Top

Business News Daily Editor
Business News Daily Editor

Honest feedback from employees is critical to improving your business's culture and internal operations.

  • Open communication should be a company goal for every business. One way to achieve this is through the collection of employee feedback.
  • Benefits of constructive and honest employee feedback include improved employee performance and feelings of validation among staff members.
  • Anonymous feedback is one strategy for employees to share their thoughts as well as town halls and small group luncheons.

Smart leaders know that a strong company culture and good workplace relationships are founded on open, honest input from everyone in the organization. The higher up you are, the more likely it is that some of the day-to-day operations will slip by you, and the only way to gain insight is to ask your staff what's happening.

Benefits of employee feedback

"Employees are positioned to see things that are oftentimes not readily visible to the manager," said David Hassell, CEO of employee engagement software 15Five. "They have an inside perspective on what's working and what's not. Gathering employees' honest feedback is critical for tuning in to the myriad of internal and external details that essentially keep the company running."

This type of feedback gathering isn't just good for getting an overview of how your company is running. It can also help identify potential problems among your staff before they occur.

"Feedback helps you figure out what's going to happen before it hits the fan," said David Niu, founder and CEO of employee engagement tool TINYpulse. "It [stems from] a basic human need for recognition. People on the frontlines are closest to the problems [in an organization], and asking for feedback [shows that] management cares and will do something about it."

The problem is that many employees are hesitant to give the blunt, honest truth directly to their bosses, especially if it means they'll have to disagree with or criticize their immediate supervisor.

Niu noted that direct interviews with an employee or employee group will result in a lot of false positive feedback about what's going on. 

"People hold back because it's their boss and they're afraid," said Niu, whose company recently published a guide to conducting successful employee surveys.

"If employees fear being criticized for their ideas or penalized for their challenges, they will be reluctant to share their thoughts or ask for help," Hassell added.

Employees who are given the opportunity to provide feedback to their employers feel valued. According to a recent State of the American Workforce Survey from Gallup, 72% of survey respondents felt recognition helped them feel engaged at work.

When employers take the time to recognize the importance of employee feedback, staff feels validated. Too often, employers focus on performance from bottom to top. However, managers need feedback just as often as any other employee. Feedback can help establish any problems at the management level. For instance, employee feedback may identify that managers are poor communicators or lack certain leadership skills needed to get their jobs done properly.

Another important benefit of employee feedback is workplace conflict prevention. If employees are encouraged to give their opinions freely on a regular basis, problems can be identified early on. Small annoyances quickly transform into major issues if they aren't addressed swiftly. If staff know they are allowed to speak up without fear of retribution, disagreements can be nullified before they become major problems. All workers should feel confident that managers have an open-door policy when it comes to issues with clients and colleagues.

Tips for encouraging employee feedback

Anonymous employee surveys can certainly ease these fears, but if you want direct, honest input from your employees, the trick is to make sure you're asking the right questions in the right ways.

"There is an art to asking questions, and doing it well can make employees feel empowered and valued, rather than interrogated while giving managers information and insight to help drive success," Hassell said.

Mastering this art begins with creating a culture of trust. Respond to your employees' feedback to make sure they are comfortable sharing their thoughts, Hassell said. Even if you can't do anything about the situation, acknowledging the comment means you are listening, which makes the employee feel heard and valued.

Niu also advised holding regular town hall-style meetings where your employees can ask you anything. Another option to try is small luncheon events to take some of the pressure off. Invite less than 10 employees and encourage them to share opinions honestly about operations. Hold these regularly to include all team members.

Feedback collected during any events should never be ignored. Although you may not be able to honor all requests, implement changes to show that you’re listening to what employees have to say and taking it seriously.  

"You may get some hard questions, but don't shy away from any of those," Niu said. "Incorporate company values when asking for feedback."

Making employee feedback part of your everyday operations does take some effort, and Hassell reminded leaders that it starts at the top.  

"Management must clearly spell it out as a company goal," Hassell said. "Find quick and painless ways to check in with employees on a regular basis and ask questions that spark valuable conversation. Like any habit, implementing an employee feedback system may take a bit of time to get used to. But the payoff is big – empowered employees, increased productivity and extraordinary innovation."

The way you handle employee feedback is very important. Any type of feedback should be met with positive language. If the employee hears phrases such as "I don’t think so" or "That’s a problem," you are going to have a difficult time opening the lines of communication. Be encouraging at all times, even if the employee is saying something you disagree with completely.

Image Credit: Ridofranz / Getty Images
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