Good leaders pay attention to what’s going on around them. This includes listening to their employees. While you can take some time to speak with many of your people, you may not be able to get to each and every one of them. It’s a good idea to set up some way for employees to offer feedback to management – a way for information to flow up the ladder. This can be as simple as a suggestion box, or something more involving like a meeting of the minds where ideas are exchanged in person. Make sure that ideas that make a difference are recognized. Whether in a company newsletter, or during a company meeting, give credit where credit is due.
Why is this important? For one, you never know where the next great idea can come from. Your company is full of individuals with ideas. Just as customer service reps will have the most direct feedback from your customers, process improvement ideas can come from people directly involved in said processes. However, benefits of seeking out employee feedback go far beyond process improvement and understanding what your customers want. Every time you ask for feedback, you send a message to your employees. You show them that you’re interested and that you’re listening. It demonstrates your respect and appreciation of your employees, which in turn fosters better employer-employee relationships, creating more satisfied and loyal employees. By now, we all know that a happy employee is a more productive employee. This is just another way of connecting with your employees – one that benefits all involved.
