As Executive Director or key member of community management, you are invested in retaining a high quality, committed workforce.  You know that turnover costs you time and money and understand the importance of creating a rewarding work experience for your team members.

So you decide to conduct an employee engagement survey.

The results are in.  You crack the cover and read.  Key take away:  Community management is a primary source of dissatisfaction among employees and the number one opportunity for improvement.

  • Your employees do not feel appreciated.
  • They have ideas to share but do not feel valued in offering them.
  • There is a lack of communication and teamwork.

 

OK, now what?

Naturally, you wonder what exactly you could be doing differently (or should stop doing).  You wonder how you will tackle the monumental task of transforming numbers on a piece of paper into positive change.

Unfortunately, some directors shy away from the challenge and instead choose to do one of the worst possible things he/she could do.  Nothing.  Doing nothing in response to an employee survey sends the message that you don’t care.  At best, the outcome will be a lack of participation in future surveys.  At worst, feelings of resentment, decreased motivation, and reinforcement that “I am not a valued member of this team.”

 

TEAM FEEDBACK EXERCISE

Here is a group exercise you can do with your team members during post-survey action planning that will allow you to collect their specific concerns and ideas for improvement in a safe, open environment.  It is designed so that you lead the first half of the meeting then leave while the employees provide their concerns and ideas to a selected peer.

1.  Get your team together in a private meeting space and share the results of the survey, starting with a celebration of strengths followed by improvement opportunities.

2.  When it comes time to talk about selected improvement areas, present a flip chart or worksheet with an improvement area written at the top.  Example improvement area:  Provide recognition and praise for a job well done.

Tell the group:

  • We are committed to making positive change in this area.
  • We need to know your specific concerns and ideas to make it happen.
  • The purpose of the exercise is to get a sense of the group’s feelings and perceptions, not to pinpoint individual feedback.
  • We would appreciate your full participation — everyone’s input is valued.

3.  Select two peers, one as presenter and one as recorder.

4.  Leave the room while the presenter and recorder work with the group to complete three lists on the flip charts or worksheets relative to the focus area:

  • What should management CONTINUE doing?
  • What should management START doing?
  • What should management STOP doing?

5.  Have a representative bring you back into the room when lists have been completed.

  • Listen to the sharing of items on the list.
  • Ask clarifying questions only — do NOT defend.  The less you say during this phase, the better.
  • Thank the group for their input and promise to keep them informed.

Other probing questions that can be fleshed out using the flip charts:

  • When management doesn’t ______________ (fill in your improvement area), how do you know? What does it look like? Provide specific examples.
  • Why do you think management doesn’t ______________?
  • List 3 things you would like to see management do to ______________.  What behaviors would be different?

 

Now it’s your turn!  Tell us what you do to obtain honest feedback from your employees by posting a comment below.