You can improve staff member morale and performance by rethinking how you manage employee suggestions.
Nearly every business exec wants to empower its employees, but few get around to doing it. Those that do typically fail miserably. There’s a trick to avoiding this outcome. Learn how to listen to employees, rather than trying to guess about the perks and benefits that might make them happy.
A great way to start this process is by using a suggestion box. However, if you fail to monitor and respond to those suggestions, you’ll pay a hefty price. Your well-intentioned employee empowerment initiative may do more harm than good.
Employees don’t like to feel ignored or underappreciated. Encourage them to voice their opinions, but make sure that you listen to what they’re saying.
What’s Wrong With Suggestion Boxes?
At businesses across America, there are countless employee suggestion boxes and boards littering the insides of hallways and lunchrooms. The employee suggestion box or suggestion board is sort of a mystery. It’s strange how there are very few sightings of company human resources executives collecting suggestions from the box or the wall.
Suggestions usually just sit there, taking up space and collecting dust. Eventually, employees start ignoring it too. If no one collects the suggestions, then how can the company benefit from those ideas?
Pay more attention to your office suggestion box. It’s an excellent tool for getting honest feedback from your employees and getting a pulse on what’s really going on inside your company.
The first step is to put your suggestion box someplace prominent. Make sure that all employees know that the box is there for them to use – and that you’ll check it regularly, for example, weekly. It’s not so much that there’s something wrong with suggestion boxes, it’s just that most business owners don’t take the time to use them to their full potential.
Making the Most of Employee Suggestions
Corporate transparency improves organizational culture. Employees love rewards, but it doesn’t have to be, for example, an exotic vacation that cost thousands of dollars. Alternatively, you can reward your workers by showing that you value their opinion.
Also, think beyond collecting ideas using your suggestion box. You can use it as a catalyst to spark conversation. Don’t put the suggestion box in the corner behind the refrigerator. Instead, put it next to the water cooler where more employees are likely to gather. Everybody needs water, right?
How to Make the Employee Suggestion Box Interesting
Disengaged employees cost American enterprises upwards of $550 billion every year, according to the Gallup 2017 State of the Global Workplace report. However, you don’t have to spend a corporate fortune to get your employees engaged.
Again, your suggestion box can drive employee engagement if you manage it the right way. The flow of good ideas, however, begins well before the suggestion box stage. Your feedback box should be part of your overall plan to make a meaningful connection with your staff.
Are you looking for more ways to improve your business? Then read up on Kaizen to get an Eastern take on an age-old problem, boosting the bottom-line.
You Deserve the Best for Your Business
If your employees aren’t happy, your customers aren’t satisfied. Use your suggestion box to motivate employees to perform to the best of their ability. By doing so, you can promote the success of your business and your brand. Look at the rest of our blog to learn more about living a healthy lifestyle!
