Last month, I talked about what you can do at the manager level with action planning and how important that is. Now let’s focus on 3 simple things senior leadership can do in response to employee feedback data.
I’ve been doing quite a bit of work recently with trucking clients on current employee feedback of a variety of populations – from the entire organization down to just the drivers, and sometimes even specific departments. This feedback provides valuable insights on employee morale and engagement. Whenever I meet with these companies to review their current employee feedback data, I come prepared with recommendations for next steps and action planning. Although each company’s action plan will differ based on their data, resources, and goals, one of the most effective things that senior leadership can do in any organization is to recognize and appreciate that employee feedback, and communicate what will be done with it. Here’s the how and why:
- Recognize and value opinions – The response “My opinion is valued” often comes up as a low score for trucking organizations. Acknowledging your appreciation for peoples’ feedback and committing to do something with the data lets people know that their feedback is valuable.
- Demonstrate Commitment to Action – People will be much more willing to give their feedback in the future if you do something with the feedback they’ve already given you. A complete plan isn’t necessary to communicate right now, but it’s important to at least touch upon some of the problem areas and one or two things that you’ll look into based on the data.
- Show Appreciation – Employees took the time to give their feedback, and a simple “thank you” can go a long way.
A brief memo or letter sent from your organization’s CEO or president that covers these three bases can be an extremely effective way for senior leadership to get involved and make a difference with your current employee population.
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