When running a department, one of the most important factors to consider is making sure that the employees within that department are satisfied. Ensuring a high level of satisfaction, engagement and motivation within your workforce means that not only will you see better results, you’ll also be better equipped to face challenges in the future and will see better levels of customer satisfaction, development, growth, and profit. But, the key to ensuring employee satisfaction is encouraging your employees to leave feedback.
Feedback from your employees is vital to making sure that as a manager, you’re providing your team with what they need to be satisfied at work. We’ve listed some of the best ways to get honest, constructive feedback from your employees that you can use to improve your department as a whole.
Employee Surveys
Conducting employee surveys is one of the simplest, yet also one of the most effective methods to get feedback from your employees. Providing your team members with individual surveys or questionnaires that can be filled out in order to give you more of an insight as to how your employees feel at work is a good way to learn what needs to be done to improve employee satisfaction and workplace morale.
One of the biggest advantages of employee surveys is that they can be done online and anonymously, encouraging employees to give honest answers and speak freely. Click here for more information about employee surveys and their benefits.
Encouraging Good Communication
Encouraging communication not only between employees at the same level, but also with higher- and lower- level workers if applicable, is a good way to encourage a culture of leaving feedback within your workforce. When employees feel that everything that they say is valued and do not feel anxious about truthfully expressing their concerns to management right from the beginning, they will be more satisfied at work as they know that none of their concerns are deemed invalid.
Listening to what employees have to say, being non-judgemental and allowing employees to provide you with constructive criticism regarding the department or their jobs is important for encouraging honesty and good communication at work.
One to One
Talking to your employees on an individual basis, and encouraging managers of other departments to do the same, is a good way to get to know them on a more personal level and find out what it is that keeps each of your employees motivated at work.
Performance reviews and appraisals are an ideal way in which to do this, as not only can you discuss an employee’s performance with them and let them know what they are doing well and what could be improved, it’s also a good chance for you to ask them what it is that they would like you to improve, too.
Getting feedback, opinions and suggestions from your employees that you can use to make vital improvements is not only vital to employee satisfaction, but also to the development and success of your department as a whole.
