A Stitch In Time Really Does Save Nine
Left alone it doesn’t take long for a building with a single broken window to rapidly become a building with many broken windows. Addressing problems when they are small will prevent them from developing into larger problems.
When considering the level of employee satisfaction the same is true. Dissatisfaction can spread rapidly throughout an organization and before you know it you can have morale problems that can be hard to resolve.
To be confident that your employees are satisfied you need to be aware of any day to day concerns and deal with them before they get out of hand. Keeping the initiative is vital and it is nearly always better to give a little and often.
This turns out be a vicious circle. Fixing problems when they are small is also when they are at their cheapest to fix. Taking the initiative without being prompted allows the manager team to operate from a position of strength, which most employees would also prefer. Staff like strong, confident management and this approach generates respect not least because someone has taken the time to understand some of the employees’ issues.
Compare that with managers who are out of touch. Arriving late to a problem they are on the defensive, their credibility at risk as they may have to concede to demands which can lead to further and less reasonable demands. It is not big and it is not clever.
How then can an organisation monitor the morale of the employees without a big budget and an abundance of spare time?
An online employee survey. They are quick, easy to use and a low cost solution. Surveys can be created in minutes and deployed in seconds, with the results compiled in real time; and by using email and websites they cost nothing to disseminate.
A corporate internet is the perfect delivery platform.
By linking through to an online survey website a company can regularly conduct surveys so they become part and parcel of the daily operations.
With the real-time results that are a by product of online surveys the mood of the employees can be accurately gauged and individual and collective concerns highlighted.
Using the survey results companies can quickly identify problem areas and follow-up surveys can be used to target specific concerns. With good information managers are able to identify specific problems and prepare a considered response.
A major advantage of regular surveys is that it allows a company to address small problems in a timely manner avoiding ‘the straw that broke the camels back’ syndrome where a relatively insignificant incident unleashes a torrent of pent up concerns.
And don’t forget that the majority of employees appreciate being consulted so asking their opinion is not a sign of weakness but an indicator of good decision making.
It’s unusual to find, but there it is – sometimes management problems can be solved with something that is quick, easy and won’t break the bank.
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Tags: employee, employee relations, employee satisfaction, employer, feedback, human resources, management, Online surveys, personnel, satisfaction surveys