Every successful business wants happy and motivated employees. Now, it might be a bit much to expect everyone to jump out of bed super excited every morning, but the idea is to make sure they enjoy their jobs. It's not just about being nice to your team – when people like what they do, they get more work done. They're also less likely to call in sick, work harder, and get along better with their colleagues, leading to more teamwork. 🤝
On the other hand, a workforce that feels neglected or unheard can quickly become demoralized and lose enthusiasm, leading to poor performance. 👎
What are employee feedback loops?
Think of a feedback loop as a constant two-way conversation between employees and management. It should be an ongoing flow of information where feedback is given, reviewed, and acted upon. 🔁
Rather than waiting for annual performance reviews to let employees know how they’re doing, managers can give regular feedback to their team members on performance to fix any issues quickly, or just to let them know they’re doing a great job! At the same time, employees can share with their managers what's going well and what could be better.
Why are feedback loops important?
- Positive Behaviors 🙂 Positivity in the workplace is contagious. When people feel happy and heard in their jobs, it rubs off on everyone else. Their positive vibes spread, creating a happy work environment and making the whole workplace a friendlier and more supportive space.
- Improved Employee Engagement and Performance 📈 Few things are as frustrating as feeling unheard or thinking your opinions don't count. When your team sees that you not only listen to their feedback but also take action based on it, they feel more valued. Employees who feel valued are more likely to go the extra mile and work harder.
- Better staff retention 🙌 Happy, motivated employees who feel heard and valued in the workplace are inherently less likely to look for other jobs. Keeping your team engaged, listening to their input, and giving regular positive feedback can improve employee satisfaction and have a positive impact on your retention levels.
How to implement feedback loops in the workplace
1. Create a safe environment for honest feedback 🛡️
If you’re committed to creating a strong feedback culture you need to ‘walk the walk’ and aim to build a positive work environment where feedback is genuinely welcomed and seen as a tool for improvement, not a threat.
When receiving feedback, treat all information fairly and constructively, being careful not to shut down conversations or dismiss negative feedback. Instead, try to offer solutions. You may not always have the answer that people want to hear, but it's important they know you take their concerns seriously and support them in speaking up.
Consider a financial services company going through a major overhaul in its enterprise architecture and solution architecture. At a town hall meeting, some employees express concerns about the changes disrupting their work and having to learn new processes.
Instead of fobbing them off and reassuring them that everything will be fine, leadership listens and invites employees to share their ideas on how they can make the transition easier.
Not everyone feels comfortable giving open or frequent feedback, especially if they are voicing their concerns or dissatisfaction. Provide feedback channels for employees to respond anonymously so they can share their concerns without fear of retribution. A relatively easy option for gathering effective feedback is to send out anonymous online surveys.
2. 360-degree feedback 🔄
Managing a team can be hectic and decisions often have to be made quickly. It can sometimes be all too easy for that dreaded ‘ivory tower’ feeling to creep in. To avoid this, managers should actively ask their team members for their thoughts, opinions, and suggestions, especially on any decisions that will affect them.
Imagine a company wanting to know how its customer service team feels about different types of phone services. Instead of just picking a new system and expecting everyone to figure it out, they ask the team for critical feedback through surveys and discussions about things like how user-friendly it is and what features would make their lives easier.
The feedback process shouldn't only include top-down reflection. Encourage giving feedback between employees too. This means that it becomes a team effort with everyone contributing to each other's growth and success. 🚀
3. Regular pulse surveys 📊
Detailed employee surveys can give you a good understanding of how employees feel about different areas of the organization and their job but it’s not realistic to be doing these more than once or twice a year.
If you want a quick, regular check on how your teams are doing, think about using short pulse surveys. This means regularly asking the team quick, focused questions to get a sense of how they're feeling.
For example, a tech company has recently introduced a new Only Domains .ae platform. During the initial launch of the new domain, they send out pulse surveys asking questions like:
- How do you feel about the recent transition to the .ae domain?
- On a scale of 1 to 5, how comfortable are you navigating the new online platform?
- Are there any specific challenges or concerns you've encountered with the .ae domain?
This helps managers receive feedback quickly and fix any issues before they potentially become a bone of contention.
4. Promote a culture of feedback during meetings 🗣️
Do your employees come to your company meeting excited to share their thoughts and ideas? Or do they sigh when the reminder pops up on their calendar and prepare to zone out for an hour?
Turn your meetings into conversations, encouraging everyone to contribute their opinion or raise concerns. By creating a culture where people feel comfortable speaking up in meetings, you can turn them into useful sessions for gathering feedback.
The continuous feedback loop in action
To look at an employee feedback loop in action, let’s imagine a company that has recently implemented a new technology platform as part of its enterprise architecture. While everyone seems broadly happy with the changes, management wants to know how they are really feeling.
So here’s what they do:
- They fire out a quick online survey asking employees for their honest opinion on the new system. 📊 They include the option for anonymous feedback so nobody feels uncomfortable giving their honest opinion.
- Management holds regular meetings with their teams, where they encourage them to share how they are getting on with the new system. 🗣️ They ask for any suggestions for improvement and clarification on things such as ”what is an enterprise architecture?” or “why have we made these changes?”
- They analyze the collected feedback and look for any common complaints or issues, along with positive experiences of the new system. 🤔
- Based on the feedback they find that most people find the new EA tools are helpful for their jobs but some people are struggling with adapting to a new system. So, they hold additional training sessions and make sure employees can reach out for support if needed. 🤝🧑🎓
- They close the loop by letting everyone know the changes they’ve made based on the feedback. This shows employees that their opinions matter. 🌐🔄✨
The key to building a healthy feedback culture
Creating a feedback loop needs everyone in the organization to be committed. You won’t transform your culture overnight, but with the right feedback training and a commitment to encouraging constructive feedback, you'll see people talking, sharing ideas, and solving problems together.
So, don't just aim for the average – aim for the perfect feedback-rich culture, because, in the end, it's the everyday conversations that shape the extraordinary. 👏
