Honest employee feedback without going undercover
Published: 29th May 2011, 21:13
Is going under cover with a fake name, different haircut and new glasses really the best way for senior management to get honest feedback from their employees? I think not.
“Finally, I am able to get honest feedback from employees throughout the company”.
The quote is taken from a recent episode of the Norwegian version of Undercover Boss. The senior executive of a large, Norwegian company has decided to go undercover. He will travel around to work together with colleagues throughout the company for one week in order to get honest feedback on how it is to work for the company.
By watching TV-shows like Undercover Boss, I am left with two conclusions: How to collect and act upon honest feedback from employees is a hot potato (the ratings for the show are amazing!) and, second, companies are struggling to find effective ways to listen to their employees and transform this feedback into action.
The challenge: Honesty
During his week among staff, the senior executive gets valuable and important feedback related to working conditions, possible improvements in manufacturing processes as well as honest opinions about the company’s restructuring strategies. He concludes that it would be impossible to receive the same honest feedback if he had turned up and introduced himself as their superior.
I am inclined to agree with the manager on this conclusion. And I must give credit to the company for trying to collect this honest feedback. But I think companies must introduce far more effective initiatives if they aim at creating a long term value of listening to their employees.
Collect and Act!
Collecting honest feedback from your employees is not that difficult. Let me give you a few tips on how to succeed with this:
1) Enable your employees to provide feedback on an ongoing basis. While the annual Employee Engagement Survey may serve some purposes, e.g. measurements of overall satisfaction in the company, it cannot serve this purpose.
2) Let your employees provide anonymous feedback. Again, it’s all about honesty. Some employees prefer to provide feedback and suggestions anonymously, while some prefer to flag who they are. Give your employees the choice!
3) Act, Act, Act! The success of these initiatives rests solely on your organization’s ability to act on the feedback that is collected! If you don’t have routines to follow up the feedback from your employees, don’t ask in the first place!
4) Highlight improvements. After implementing suggestions from your employees, make sure to highlight the improvements internally. This way, you demonstrate that employee feedback is welcome, and you show that the management is serious about receiving and acting upon this feedback.
How does your company collect honest feedback from your employees? And do you act upon it?
Latest comments
- Rose posted in How to get rid of your customers
- MAGALIE DESULME posted in Online feedback – a CEO tool
- Poetry posted in Feedback can turn recruitment into a competitive advantage
- shaun ibbotson posted in Online feedback – a CEO tool
- Nicolas Palluaud posted in Feedback Management as part of Customer Experience Management
Latest posts
-
Good Ideas Killed By Terrible Execution
2nd May 2012, 10:38 -
Stop MANAGING your customers and start ENGAGING them!
3rd Apr 2012, 13:30 -
Finding the Balance - Protecting Your Brand without Alienating Fans
30th Mar 2012, 07:38 -
Online feedback – a CEO tool
26th Mar 2012, 08:56 -
How to get rid of your customers
5th Mar 2012, 14:44
Tags
social media
cem
customer experience
efm
crm
ask&act
feedback
voc
voice of the customer
online surveys
online research
customer dialogue
actionable information
Customer Experience Management
Feedback Management
email marketing
integration
social CRM
customers
management tool
software
customer interaction
data quality
feedback solution
increase response rate
reduce drop-outs
SCRM
customer satisfaction
CRM integration
Receive updates
Very good post with valid points!
I agree with your view regarding feedback from employees, but think the show shows well how executives can learn a lot from actually rolling up their sleeves and getting “dirty”, for instance in facing actual customers. This can also be done without going undercover, but may then create a situation which doesnt reflect reality?!
In addition to highlighting improvements, I think its also important to clearify/explain/communicate reasons for NOT making improvements, example: “we won’t order more marketing material due to rebranding with new logo is planned” or “no one gets new PC now unless emergency because all PCs will be replaced in 3 months”. This of course also goes for customers, example: “product A will not be further developed in 2011 because all our focus in this period will be on product B” or “we have a policy of non smoking on our flights as regulated by international laws” etc..
Great post Christopher! And good points Kjartan!
I totally agree in the importance to also communicate back to respondents why feedback doesn’t always lead to experienced improvements!
I agree that management of any company should, as often as possible, join customer facing employees to see how the everyday life of their colleagues are, and could be combined with my suggestions above.
My main point with this post is that if companies see such initiatives as Undercover Boss as a the best, and only, way of getting feedback from their employees – they should reconsider their strategies.
I have yet not seen any episodes of the show where the management have talked about structuring how to receive this feedback in the future. They might not have thought of it, or the producers might have cut those comments away. I hope for the last explanation, but fear that the first is more realistic.