1.Review your feedback at least three times before drawing any conclusions. Initially, it’s tempting to become defensive but after re-reading the feedback several times, you’ll view it more objectively.
2. Don’t automatically zoom in on the lowest scoring questions, which for most companies are normally around pay and benefits, which may be outside your direct influence. Instead, look at areas where the team scored below the company average and based on comments received, you can influence.
3. Share the results with your team promptly, so the WorkBuzz survey is fresh in their minds.
4. Rather than just present the feedback, invite their perspectives:
- “How do the results compare with your expectations?”
- “Are there any areas you think we should celebrate?” If any team members were singled out for praise, this could be a good starting point.
- “What are the top areas we should focus on improving? What are the next steps or required changes?”
- “Are there any items that haven’t been raised in this survey that you would have expected or you’d like to talk about now?”
5. Try to spend more time listening than talking and avoid any temptation to become defensive.
6. Invite your team to share their ideas and suggestions for making improvements. By involving them in the solution(s), you’ll maximise their buy-in and sense of ownership.
7. Empower team members to take ownership of the agreed actions and make changes, so you aren’t the only person owning this.
8. Share what’s working well and praise colleagues for their contribution and part in this. If improvements have arisen from acting on their feedback, make sure you explain how the change arose and came from their ideas.
9. Close the feedback loop – when actions have been completed or milestones reached, celebrate these at team meetings and 1:1 meetings. Use “You said, We did” branding to make it clear that the initiatives have been delivered because of employee feedback.
10. Set goals for how you can improve your participation rate in the next WorkBuzz pulse.