History Teaches Importance of Listening to Employee Feedback

​This week marks the 75th anniversary of one of the greatest blunders in communication of all time and serves as a warning for managers who refuse to listen to feedback from employees.

On Jan. 27th, 1941, U.S. ambassador to Japan Joseph Grew cabled the U.S. State Department with information obtained from the Peruvian ambassador that Tokyo was planning a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. His warning was ignored and when Japan did attack on Dec. 7th, it resulted in the loss of 2,403 American lives.

Of course, most businesses won't face the same kind of life-or-death consequences if they ignore feedback from their employees.

​But those whose culture does not encourage team members to share their ideas and concerns with upper management (or who routinely ignore comments when they are shared), will almost certainly have to deal with the loss of employee engagement, loss of potentially profitable ideas, and the loss of visibility to important concerns from those "in the trenches." On the flip side, those who do value and implement suggestions from employees will see increased an energized workforce with greater levels of loyalty to the organization, safer work environments, and potentially boosted profits.

Here are some tips on how to develop mechanisms for employees to share feedback with upper management:

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1. Management meetings don’t have to be exclusively for management

• Include an employee representative in your regular management meetings who can provide insights into employee morale and share ideas or concerns from colleagues - giving special attention to any Health & Safety concerns.
• The feedback you get from employee advocates can lead to a greater understanding of your workplace dynamic, giving you the “inside scoop” on manager/worker interactions. Understanding this dynamic will allow you to assess whether your managers are pursuing workplace goals effectively and if there needs to be a change in the way goals are met and presented.
• Alternatively, you may decide to hold regular "Town Hall" meetings where all team members have the opportunity to hear about current challenges the company is facing and ask questions directly to management.

 
2. A feedback box can go a long way

• This "old school" approach can be a fantastic source of information, but needs to be used effectively in order to be utilized.
• It does send a message that management is interested in hearing from team members, but any goodwill developed will evaporate if no action is taken on the suggestions (or if they are not even acknowledged). Set expectations on how quickly comments will be addressed (i.e. all comments will be shared at the weekly or monthly management meeting and a response of some kind will be given within "x" days of that meeting, even if the response is that the issue needs to be investigated.)
• The feedback box also gives the opportunity for anonymous feedback, which can be particularly valuable if an employee does not feel safe to express concerns with their direct supervisor or others. This can be an invaluable tool for your management team!

 
3. Reward and encourage the sharing of ideas

• Why not let your team members help come up with ideas that will help you manage the constantly changing landscape your business faces? 
• Set up an "idea board" for employees to submit improvements to current processes and tie this to a reward program.​ You may decide to have all ideas posted and allow fellow employees to pick the best ones, with those that pass the approval stage brought to management.
• Holding a contest could be another way to drum up excitement for participating.
• Rewards could be a financial bonus, a gift certificate to their favourite restaurant, an extra paid vacation day, or even a pizza party for the winner's department.

 
4. Understand the value of a finding a "neutral ground" for communications

• Many employees may be hesitant to share concerns or float an idea to upper management when they do not regularly interact with them or only in a very formal, structured environment.
• A monthly team event outside of the office or workplace can help close the communication gap between management and employees. If such a gathering is not feasible, even holding a casual pizza lunch in the workplace where management can mingle with all team members may get the same results.
• Team-building activities can also increase problem solving abilities among staff members, encourage creativity and increase communication.

 
So those are our suggestions, do you have other unique ways to encourage communication between all the members of your organization? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.

If you'd like to discuss issues your company is having with communication betwen managers and team members or resolving any other people-related challenges, contact Clear Path's Anna Aceto-Guerin at anna@clearpathemployer.com or (519) 624-0800. We look forward to hearing from you!

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