The Importance of Employee Feedback for Identifying Crises

Author : Shannon Walker 

The Problem 

Regular employee feedback is necessary for a comprehensive risk management strategy. Employees, partners, investors and management are all key stakeholders in maintaining the health of your operations. Strong employee feedback mechanisms allow everyone to ask questions, provide suggestions, and report on ethical breaches or security risks. When feedback is taken and implemented, employees feel more valued, which helps to increase retention, foster trust and create a sense of mutual accountability. The reverse of this situation is low employee engagement and satisfaction and an increased risk of internal breaches. 

Understanding Employee Feedback 

Employee feedback in the workplace should be transparent, accessible, and enforce a culture of non-retaliation. This means all concerns are taken seriously, actionable steps are outlined and shared with respective parties, and employees do not fear that they will be punished for anything they have reported on. From workplace frustrations to more serious issues like organizational fraud and misconduct, the necessary procedures must be in place to encourage reporting and facilitate escalation when necessary.

Proactive Mechanisms for Conducting Employee Feedback 

Employee Feedback Surveys 

Organizations can generally keep their finger on the pulse of company culture and employee angst–if any—through regularly scheduled employee feedback surveys. Most organizations schedule surveys every few months that ask both closed-ended and open-ended questions. These surveys should be administered anonymously and can give a general idea of overall employee satisfaction with the organization. Unfortunately, employee feedback surveys fall short of finding situational insight and identifying specific areas needing improvement. 

1-1 Meetings

A better mechanism for gaining valuable information from employees on a regular basis is through having recurring 1-1 meetings between employees and managers at all levels. This includes having the highest-level executives meet with operational managers to help avoid large disconnects in compliance and company objectives from forming. These meetings share two-way flows of feedback where employees can bring their input and concerns to the table in an environment that is focused on their professional growth. Employees should feel comfortable sharing their concerns and have confidence that when a sensitive issue is brought forward, it will be escalated to the right person. 

Anonymous Reporting Tools 

Lastly, anonymous reporting tools are used in various industries, on both large and small scales, to help encourage employee feedback and mitigate crises before they happen. Employees are provided with a process to report any wrongdoing they’ve witnessed in the workplace. In the primarily digital workforce, most companies chose to implement an omnichannel reporting system that combines online intake and hotlines. Whether the employee is reporting to an agent directly or filling out an intake form, the goal is to create a comprehensive report of the complaint without recording identifiable information about the employee. 

Whether you decide to run your reporting tool internally or outsource to a third-party provider, you must ensure it is available 24/7/365 to encourage employees to make reports at their earliest convenience. Additionally, for larger, more diverse firms, having the reporting tool available in multiple languages will be crucial for creating a truly accessible tool and encouraging participation. Tracking reports in an organized and efficient manner will be vital for maintaining the integrity of the reporting system. By streamlining the filing process, cases will be forwarded to the appropriate department and allow for any necessary investigations to take place faster. 

Implement policies and processes for employee feedback

To increase confidence in feedback tools, all mechanisms for performance reviews and employees reporting their concerns should have outlined policies and best practices. Organizations must ensure all reports are dealt with in a timely manner through auditing regularly and keeping their reporting systems up to date. Managerial levels can help maintain the integrity of feedback and the process, by only sharing details on a need-to-know basis. Ensure your policy outlines what kinds of issues need transparency, versus what issues should be kept confidential. The anonymity clauses should be supported through robust anti-retaliation policies that confirm no employee will be reprimanded for coming forward, further solidifying your organization’s commitment to creating a speak-up culture.

There is no silver bullet solution for encouraging employee feedback in the workplace. However, having the right feedback mechanisms will be vital for identifying and addressing crises sooner. Combining surveys, 1-1 meetings and self-starting feedback tools with varying degrees of anonymity will help encourage a speak-up culture in your organization. Ensure you have the necessary policy in place for how to use these tools best then work to maintain a transparent environment and catch potential crises before it affects your business.

About the Author

Shannon Walker is the founder and president of WhistleBlower Security Inc. (WBS), a global provider of ethics reporting services and the EVP Strategy at Case IQ.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post belong solely to the original author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of CPHR Alberta.