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HR directors and department managers play a pivotal role in gathering employee feedback, as well as using it to begin tangible improvements within the company. However, the art of collecting and acting on employee feedback effectively is a nuanced and crucial endeavor.
Here, Forbes Human Resources Council members discuss actionable strategies and best practices that empower HR directors and managers to gather, analyze and leverage employee feedback in ways that lead to meaningful and lasting improvements. Read on to discover the path to fostering a workplace culture that thrives on feedback-driven growth.
1. Involve More Employees
Greater employee involvement enables HR to provide context on business needs and involve employees in co-creating solutions that impact their experience. Addressing burnout is an example of where a lack of continued involvement from employees beyond survey feedback risks creating misaligned solutions instead of getting to the root cause of what’s contributing to burnout on each team. - Jennifer Rozon, McLean & Company
2. Leverage Continuous Listening
An effective manner to drive true change is to leverage continuous listening (both formal and informal). This creates a cadence of active listening and active response. Addressing issues in real time can mitigate their magnitude and drive a culture of engagement and psychological safety. Associates feel comfortable “saying something” because the feedback becomes part of normal business interactions. - Andrea Ferrara, PepsiCo Beverages North America
3. Send Surveys Regularly
Have regular temperature checks (surveys). Limit action points to a digestible value (i.e., three) and address them in a very targeted actionable manner. Ask each department head to take ownership of the action points with clear pre-arranged KPIs that are meant to monitor progress over time. - Nick Frey, Avomind
4. Use Software That Enables Communication And Feedback
Use technology to your advantage by adopting software that enables a culture of continuous communication and feedback sharing. If you do so, then my three rules are to answer all comments, no matter how positive or constructive they are, invite employees to reach out to discuss in greater detail and accept that some employees prefer to stay anonymous. - Philippe Dorion, Aptum Managed Services
5. Address Feedback With The Right Audience
Once HR really understands and organizes the root cause of the anecdotal or official feedback in themes, the important next step is to address them with the right audience—mainly with people leaders—addressing issues at the team level. Then putting together an aligned action plan with well-established steps, rigorous follow-up and communication back to the employees, helps close the circle. - Gonca Icoren, Energy Vault Inc.
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6. Communicate To Employees That Their Feedback Is Valued
It's important to communicate to employees that their feedback is valued and will be used to make meaningful changes. Creating a culture where team members are comfortable sharing what works, as well as what doesn't work, is essential to creating a safe workplace, and one that demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement and employee satisfaction. - Laura Spawn, Virtual Vocations, Inc.
7. Develop A Channel To Gather Feedback
Develop a channel to gather feedback in a way where employees feel safe being honest, such as an anonymous survey. Quickly analyze the feedback and always close the loop with employees afterward. Acknowledge the feedback publicly, humbly and honestly. Create a detailed and specific action plan for how to act on what you heard and follow up at least quarterly on progress on the commitments. - Lauren Tropeano, Skillshare
8. Craft Strategic Action Plans Based On Feedback
HR leaders should use pulse surveys to genuinely understand employee needs, crafting strategic action plans based on this feedback. Transparency is key; sharing survey results and progress updates in company-wide meetings fosters a culture of trust and continuous improvement, driving meaningful organizational change. - Chad MacRae, Tinder
9. Establish Diverse Channels For Employee Feedback
Employee feedback is a key driver in shaping organizations. HR directors and department managers should establish diverse channels for employee feedback. These channels can range from engagement surveys, listening sessions, pulse surveys, town halls and so on. Whatever methods are used, understanding and acting on the feedback is essential for organizations to adapt and thrive in a changing landscape. - Katrina Jones, Acacia Network
10. Don't Bombard Employees With Extensive Surveys
Resist the temptation to bombard employees with extensive surveys. Prioritize targeted, action-oriented questions that directly inform actionable changes. Ask yourself: "If every question received a negative response, which ones could we realistically address within the next year?" This ensures feedback is digestible and impactful, leading to tangible improvements for all stakeholders. - Michael D. Brown, Global Recruiters of Buckhead
11. Send Out Short Pulse Surveys More Frequently
While an annual engagement survey may be helpful, more frequent pulse surveys can be more effective in identifying trends at any given point in time. Pulse surveys won’t work, however, if organizational leadership isn’t continually reviewing the feedback and acting on any concerning trends. - Lisa Shuster, iHire
12. Listen And Ask Questions
Be willing to listen and ask the real questions—not just the ones you want to hear the answers to; do it consistently and cyclically to help people know what to expect. Act, act, act. Once you listen, don’t just go back and ask people to brainstorm the solutions. Come up with multiple ideas, test them with different groups and put low-hanging fruit things into place immediately - Paaras Parker, Paycor
13. Be Consistent And Intentional About Sharing Feedback
Through the gift of feedback. There are many ways and platforms to obtain feedback, but leaders have to be consistent and intentional about sharing the feedback and the actions taken. They must also monitor, and re-engage with those initiatives. They then must remind employees of the actions that they have taken and consistently introduce new initiatives. They are your customers, make them happy! - Omar Alhadi, Adobe Population Health
14. Provide Anonymous Survey Results To Leadership
HR can conduct quarterly or annual surveys (whichever cadence works for your company) and provide the anonymized results to leadership. From there, the leadership team can discuss the results during a company all-hands meeting. They can highlight action items that they can positively change and focus on one to three items and show the change in future communications. - Erin ImHof, CertiK
15. Empower Employees To Be Part Of The Process
Empower employees to be a part of the process. I understood employees were not happy with the cost of benefits or the services they were receiving. As a result, the people and culture committee members were invited to the interviews of our prospective benefit brokers. The interviews were recorded and provided to the members who were not able to attend. In the end, it was a win for that change. - Tish Hodge, The Shine Institute
16. Ask Questions That Let You Take Action On The Answers
Only ask questions that you believe you will be able to take action on. The biggest frustration for employees is that after they are asked for their feedback, they don't see any meaningful action taken from it. After you have the information, share the insights with your employees and make a public commitment to make a change. This will help greatly in making sure it remains a priority. - Sanja Licina, QuestionPro
17. Allow Employees To Drive Change
While HR plays a critical role in employee feedback, those closest to the work (managers and employees) are best positioned to make change happen. As in the case of an employee survey, for example, actions taken by HR and senior executives are important. However, the real action is driven by managers and employees. Don't just involve them—let them drive the action. - Tracy Maylett, DecisionWise
18. Analyze Feedback For Trends And Consider Smaller Focus Groups
Analyze employee feedback to understand any trends and consider smaller focus groups to further define potential opportunities. Pulse surveys and checking in with managers quarterly allow HR managers to continue tracking feedback. Employees are quick to assess if feedback is being used. If you don't plan on taking action, pick feedback where there is openness to make changes and measure results. - Yvette Kennedy, Kennedy Talent Strategies
19. Set Small, Meaningful And Measurable Goals
I’m always a fan of small meaningful and measurable goals. Working in the DEI space, I’ve found that companies see the mountain of change ahead and become overwhelmed by the work that needs to be done. It’s great to understand the depth of an issue, but real change—a change that sticks—takes one step at a time. - Ursula Mead, InHerSight
20. Include Employees In The Changes That Need To Be Made
Health checks with teams and/or individuals are a great way to gather feedback from employees. Look for themes across the conversations. Include employees on what changes to make to address concerns. Make sure to continue talking about the concerns, changes and progress made. Reinforce that the changes came about due to the feedback and how much the feedback is appreciated by HR and leadership. - Amy Casciotti, TechSmith Corporation
