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Organizational
Development &
Measurement
Jordan Pallitto , Consultant |
Sustaining Advantage through
Measurement and Accountability for Change
Why managers must engage and act upon employee opinion
“People may be our ‘most important asset,’ and even our most expensive asset, but they are rarely our most measured asset.”
Today’s data-driven corporate climate is far removed from the days when “gut feelings” set company policy, and successful managers recognize that there is no substitute for evidence-based decision making. While a keen business sense is still prerequisite for company prosperity, today it must be coupled with a constant flow of timely and accurate information upon which managers and executives base their actions.
As companies begin to face increasing competition for human talent, it will become more important to adopt a data-driven culture within human resource departments, as well.
Today’s human resource climate is unlike any we’ve seen before. The pending retirement of the baby boom generation coupled with changing workplace attitudes and preferences of generations X and Y mean that human resource departments will continue to continue to face attraction and retention problems. In order to attract and retain a competent and, more importantly, dedicated workforce, managers should understand what drives employees.
In addition to knowing employees’ values, managers also must be held accountable for embracing those values and considering them in everyday decision making. Data-driven Human Resource managers are able to allocate resources to keep employees engaged, satisfied, and working productively. Data-less managers, on the other hand, can’t ensure engagement, satisfaction, and productivity because their lack of information makes each HR investment a shot in the dark.
How can your firm keep its pulse on indicators of employee commitment and productivity?
First, determine what data is critical to employee committment and the execution of your firm’s mission and vision. Potential metrics may include work/life balance, compensation, and promotional opportunities to name a few. Then, an employee opinion survey must be designed to collect information on those important dimensions. The survey must be carefully crafted to foster candid responses from your workforce, and must be administered throughout your entire organization, whether 20 employees or 20,000 employees strong. Results then must be collected, analyzed, and compared to some standard- whether internal performance targets or external benchmark data. Finally, management must be made accountable to feedback the results of their employee opinion surveys company-wide and utilize employees to help develop solutions and foster organizational change.
Without this accountability for action, employee opinion surveys are merely snake oil.
For example, if survey results show that most employees are dissatisfied with communication between levels or departments, it is the responsibility of management to implement a new and improved communication plan that will satisfy employees. If survey results unveil a desire for greater promotional opportunities, management must at least consider promoting from within the next time a position opens. A well-designed employee opinion survey will categorize results based on demographic traits as well. If survey results reveal that the majority of younger employees would like to see a greater balance between work and home life, management should investigate ways to decrease in-office hours without sacrificing productivity.
It is important to understand, however, that the intricacies of generational, geographical, and societal differences affect different companies in distinct ways. Assuming that the needs and wants of your employees are identical to those of other organizations could lead to suboptimal results from misplaced human resource investments.
In an era of business when data must drive each decision and in a time when pressure to attract and retain a talented workforce is unprecedented, companies must take the initiative to assess employee opinions and must be accountable to initiate change based on them.
For more information on how The Hill Group can help your organization design, administer, analyze, and act upon employee opinion surveys, contact our consultant specializing in survey and diagnostic measurement, Jordan Pallitto, at 412.722.1111 or jpallitto@hillgroupinc.com
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