The Importance of Employee Feedback: How to Break the Spell

Lurking in the shadows, where its presence grows more imposing by the minute, fueled by fear, scary rumors, and the unknown… Is it a ghost? Or employee morale?

Employee feedback can be scary for a lot of employers, especially in frontline industries where jobs are demanding and turnover is high. Likewise, when employees feel kept in the dark, their imaginations can run wild, conjuring up fears that pervade the workplace.

WorkHound brings it all into the light, establishing a key new form of ongoing real-time feedback that illuminates the path forward — free from fear. Employee feedback is a powerful tool to motivate and boost morale, reinforcing good practices and achievements.

This approach to feedback, focusing on specific behaviors and outcomes, can be used to build skills and capabilities, offering a blend of positive and constructive feedback aimed at fostering a culture of open and honest communication and continuous improvement within the organization.

Employee feedback is important for creating a sense of connection and belonging, driving positive change, and contributing to a robust, inclusive, and productive work culture.

3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Fear Constructive Feedback

1. Employee Feedback Can Improve Customer Service

Up to 80% of customers say their experience with a company is as important as its products or services. And it makes sense. Imagine you go to a shoe store to buy a pair of shoes, but the sales representatives are rude and unhelpful.

Even if you did find the shoes you wanted at the store, you would still probably consider it a poor experience. In many ways, the worker’s experience overlaps with the customers’.

By building a positive workplace that empowers and supports employees, you create a culture of empowerment. This positive worker experience spills over into the customer experience, which in turn creates a happier environment for everyone.

Happy workers are empowered. Providing actionable feedback is key to empowering employees by offering them specific, timely guidance for improvement and enhancing employee performance.

➡️ Empowered workers deliver better service. ➡️ Better service creates happy customers.

Actionable customer feedback fosters a positive company culture, which in turn creates a cycle of happiness among employees and clients.

2. Information Breeds Confidence

…And silence breeds fear. When left unchecked and ignored, the pressures of frontline work mount, leading to a dysfunctional workplace, dissatisfied workers, and a disengaged workforce. It typically starts with fear, which quickly pervades the work experience.

With fear of layoffs, change, and other things left to gossip and imagination, workers become increasingly dissatisfied with their jobs and more focused on their well-being.

Conversely, when armed with information, workers can anticipate change, understand what it means to them, and know what to expect for the future.

Remember, information should flow in two directions, sharing messages from the company to the workforce and listening to what the workforce has to say. Positive feedback plays a crucial role in this process, as it helps to acknowledge and reinforce good practices and achievements.

With anonymous mechanisms in place to capture anonymous feedback, employees can ask questions about everything from big organizational changes like mergers and acquisitions to the nuances of day-to-day work, like mileage discrepancies or pay changes.

Emphasizing the importance of regular feedback is crucial in maintaining a transparent and dynamic work environment, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and open communication.

3. Employers Don’t Know What They Don’t Know About Employee Engagement

Recent research from McKinsey suggests there is a stark difference between what employers think frontline workers want and what they do want. Most employers have an “incomplete picture,” of employee needs and goals — especially when it comes to career opportunities.

For example, employers tend to think highly of job titles, vacation time, and sick time. Meanwhile, research shows that most workers actually prioritize job growth, learning, and pay. Those are strikingly different goalposts.

Even with good intentions, leaders can miss the mark and misinterpret the employee experience. However, with a steady stream of feedback, they can dial in and ensure they’re on the same page as their team.

This alignment is crucial for fostering personal and professional growth, making the workplace more in sync, productive, and supportive of continuous learning and development.

Take Regular Feedback Out of the Shadows

Collecting feedback in a timely manner is essential to illuminate the path forward for employees and organizations alike.

Don’t let the shadows of uncertainty loom over your workplace. Embrace employee feedback, including constructive criticism and honest feedback, as key components of effective feedback to light the path to a more engaged, motivated, and productive team.

Managers should seek feedback from their direct reports to improve workplace culture, fostering an environment where negative feedback is delivered effectively, focusing on behavior, and offering a pathway to improvement.

The significance of leaders and organizations being open to receiving feedback from employees cannot be overstated, as it is crucial for growth and development. A culture that values feedback fosters positive employee engagement, which has an immediate impact on morale, retention, and company culture.

Collect Honest Feedback From Your Employees With WorkHound

Regular, honest employee feedback can guide your organization through the fog of uncertainty to a future where employee engagement and productivity thrive. Don’t let fear of feedback keep your organization in the shadows.

Instead, let WorkHound illuminate the path forward with our real-time feedback solutions. By integrating WorkHound into your feedback strategy, you can ensure a continuous loop of communication that fosters a positive, inclusive, and responsive workplace environment. Book a free demo now to discover how anonymous, real-time communication can transform your business.