Broken Windows Need Fixing Quickly
Sunday, June 21st, 2009If a single broken window is not repaired it won’t be long before more windows are broken. Fixing 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 problems and deal with them before they get out of hand. Keeping the initiative is important and it is nearly always better to give a little and often.
This turns out be a vicious circle. Fixing the problem when it’s small is also when it’s easiest and when it’s cheapest. If management wait to introduce change until they are prompted by employees then they risk having to implement change from a weak position. 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 those managers who are out of touch. If they are late in addressing problems they are always on the defensive, having to concede to demands they run the risk of losing credibility which in turn can lead to having to agree to less reasonable demands. It is not big and it is not clever.
How then can a company monitor the morale of the employees without a big budget and an abundance of spare time?
Online employee surveys. They represent a quick, easy and low cost solution. Instead of weeks and months surveys can now be designed and published in hours and minutes, by harnessing the power of the internet invitations can be sent out instantly and free of charge using email, links on websites and postings on social networks; the results are collated in real-time and can be automatically displayed as charts.
The perfect delivery platform is the corporate internet.
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 ability of online surveys to produce real-time results the mood of the workforce can instantly gauged and collective and individual concerns highlighted.
Businesses can use survey results to identify problem areas and then use follow-up surveys to specifically target raised concerns. With good intelligence 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.
The majority of employees appreciate being consulted, asking their opinion is not a sign of weak management but an indicator of good decision making.
It’s unusual to find a solution to management problems that is quick, easy and won’t break the bank but here one is.