An employee feedback loop is a two-way communication system between workers and leadership. Ideally, it is open, and staff can go to management without fear of retribution for expressing concerns. How a company communicates with its people can build a solid and authentic relationship.
Internal marketing should build morale and help staff see the benefits of working for the company. Ideally, they’ll become a secondary marketing machine as they tell family and friends why they love working for the brand and share via word-of-mouth. When everyone sees the mission and goals, relationships improve and employees feel happier.
Employee turnover rates are high with no signs of slowing. Top talent has a list of needs they want met and are ready to leave for a better situation. Businesses struggle to keep workers in a climate where shortages are common. Some industries have more openings than others, but the problem impacts most sectors. Anything leadership can do to shape the company’s internal marketing and make messages more positive helps retain staff.
Start with Trust
Employees must trust management before a successful feedback loop is possible. If a staff member shuts down due to negative responses, the organization may have to build trust before gaining valid feedback. Around 70% of an employee's engagement traces to their immediate supervisor. At the same time, a mere 20% of people trust their managers.
Gathering insights from staff can lead to more impactful internal messaging. Build the trust needed to get truthful answers. Offer multiple and anonymous ways for workers to leave feedback at any time.
Here are some ways to begin feedback loops and utilize the information for in-house campaigns.
1. Surveys
Surveys may be one of the simplest ways to obtain feedback on a specific topic. Utilize online programs that allow workers to leave their thoughts and add notes without giving away their identities.
Start with an open-ended question. Avoid yes and no answers, as they don’t allow management to identify the employee’s personality. With detailed data, marketing can build personas and start to understand the staff’s behavioral and emotional cues.
The team can then craft messaging to one the persona is most likely to respond to positively.
2. Suggestion Boxes
Suggestion boxes are another way to gather information and drive innovation in a company. People can place ideas in a locked container and remain anonymous or list their names and get credit.
Tuck the box out of the way to keep curious eyes from watching who puts a card in the slot. Add a container with postcards or prefilled lines so they can grab one and fill it out at their leisure.
A suggestion box should allow for any thought. Staff members can express a concern about a policy, offer an idea for improvement or give kudos to a manager doing an excellent job.
Review the box monthly. Utilize staff meetings to share what changes may occur from the ideas inside. Encourage employees to continue sharing ideas. Throw a pizza party if the box holds a certain number of cards in the month. Give people who share their name a gift card or let them leave early on a Friday for contributing to the company’s growth.
3. Face-to-Face Meetings
A strong feedback loop happens during give-and-take sessions. Make it a regular practice to meet with employees one-on-one. Regular meetings allow leadership to see how the worker is feeling. The manager can offer it if they are struggling or need additional training and support.
Ask the right questions during the meetups. For example, talk about what they’re proud of, what makes them happy about work and any areas where they struggle.
Workers are more likely to be honest and brainstorm solutions with their leaders if the company works to build trust before starting or continuing feedback loops. Direct data from each employee helps the company make policy improvements and meet individual needs.
Address improvements in the company newsletter. If someone is OK with marketing mentioning their name, credit them for excellent ideas that lead to changes. Seeing others' ideas accepted and acted on may encourage other staff to be more open.
4. Work/Life Balance Audits
Conduct regular audits about work/life balance within the organization. Can people take time off for life events such as funerals, weddings, birth of a child or getting a puppy without fear of falling behind?
Utilize a mental health professional to check in with staff and monitor stress levels. A long weekend can do wonders for employee morale. Encourage good sleeping habits and regular breaks.
One survey showed that 10.2% of early birds feel overworked frequently. Around 26.7% of night owls say the same. Offer tools for better sleep habits. Send an email informing employees they can choose one Friday a month to leave work an hour early. Check in with individual workers to ensure they have a good balance.
5. Company Review Sites
There are times when the company sends out surveys, meets with employees and gathers cards, but still needs a better handle on how workers feel. Unfortunately, staff may not be as honest about their perceived problems for fear of offending management and getting a lower raise or losing their position.
Checking company reviews on Glassdoor, CareerBliss and Comparably gives management a big picture. Develop policies to address concerns or complaints and utilize internal marketing to share the fixes.
For example, if a former employee goes on Glassdoor and leaves a scathing review about company culture, pay attention to the facts of the complaint. Rather than feel offended, seek the truth in the statement. If there is room for improvement, initiate it and tell current employees. Someone considering leaving the organization might stay if they see positive changes occurring.
6. Exit Interviews
Exit interviews are an excellent way to find out why someone left and went to a competitor or into another field. Ideally, people would work for the brand their entire careers, building on knowledge and helping grow the company. In reality, they leave for various reasons.
Talking to the employee about why can help identify problem areas. For example, a new mom leaves because she doesn’t have enough time with her baby. Can the company work with a nearby day care center and offer longer breaks to new parents so they can see their child throughout the day? A job-sharing program may allow them to reduce their hours while staying with the firm.
Follow-up on exit interviews by surveying current workers to see if they have similar issues. Ask for ideas on how to fix the problems and keep them on staff. Share changes via an internal message sent to all employees and encourage them to approach management with additional ideas.
7. Communicate with Workers
Open up the lines of communication. Host team-building sessions to get everyone more comfortable. Spend time with each employee on the team — take them to lunch or invite them to a paid dinner.
To understand where someone is coming from, one must try to know them more personally. Remaining professional is fine, but workers aren’t likely to share their struggles.
If a staff member approaches a leader about an idea or a problem, brainstorm with them. Put them in charge of fixing the issue and give them a team so they can develop their management and problem-solving skills. The more a brand empowers its workers, the more it will grow.
Share news in the company newsletter when implementing ideas or putting someone in charge of an area. Highlight the good deeds of employees so they feel seen and heard.
Banking on a Feedback-Oriented Culture
An environment where workers feel free to share their ideas opens up possibilities. Everyone on the team comes from a different background and can add things from their experiences that no one else could. A feedback-oriented company culture that collects details and shares changes due to them improves internal marketing campaigns. Concentrated and personalized messaging boosts employee engagement and gives workers ownership over new initiatives, which results in a strong and supportive company culture.
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Devin Partida writes about topics concerning tech and the internet. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of ReHack.com.
