Improving Employee Engagement with FACTS

"The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously."

— Hubert Humphrey 😃😃

Jokes apart, continuous employee listening is gaining momentum due to the developments in the preceding three years. It is also an integral part of the people analytics function. We implement it for devising compelling employee experience. Like other initiatives, we took a leaf out of the marketing book and initiated a continuous employee listening strategy to enhance the employee engagement. The direct upshot of continuously receiving employee feedback is gaining instantaneous actionable insights to improve employee experience and engagement. While also facilitating lower turnover and enhancing productivity and performance. According to a Bain & Company survey, 80% of organizations are optimistic about utilizing employee engagement systems in 2023.

Active listening and passive listening are the rudimentary components of continuous employee listening. (Bersin's luciferous report is the fountainhead of the following options deployed to glean employee perspectives.)

Active listening involves soliciting employee feedback via annual and pulse surveys, polls, idea factories, online conversations, crowd-sourced feedback, focus groups, etc. [Vendors: Microsoft Viva + Glint, Medallia, Qualtrics, Workday - Peakon, CultureAmp, UKG, Gallup, etc.]

Passive listening includes interrogating employee data from analysis of social channels, videos, speech, HRIS, case and knowledge management (ESS), applicant tracking systems (ATS), other point solutions, email metadata, communication tools, call, chat, and chatbot transcripts, Performance reviews, 360 feedback, ONA, etc. [ Purveyors: Perceptyx - Cultivate, Visier, Motive, BetterUp, etc. ]

We can now track employee sentiment, activity, and productivity data. According to RJ Milnor, Head of People Analytics at Uber (Digital HR Leaders Podcast), when we meld sentiment from the active approach with data collected by passive listening. The insights we gain are materially interesting. It provides us with a holistic perspectives of our workforce and suggests correct interventions and recommendations. You may check out the remarkable Maturity model for employee listening. It involves four steps moving from 'episodic listeners' to 'topical listeners' to 'strategic listeners' to 'continuous conversationalists.'

For devising and implementing an effective employee listening strategy, we suggest applying five essential elements of FACTS, namely Fusion, Action, Culture, Technology, and Streamline. When it comes to improving employee engagement, facts-based decision-making essentially supplants speculation and conjecture. Let us look at each element.

Fusion

Mainly fusion implies effective integration pertaining to strategy, stakeholders, and ownership. It goes without saying that our HR initiatives must align with our organization's strategic requirements. We must consider our HR and overall organizational strategy for devising our continuous employee listening initiative. It is par for the course with many to implement off-the-shelf tools. However, it is better to eschew such an approach. Our organizational strategy can become the cornerstone of our people-HR strategy. From our HR strategy, we can design our listening process. Alignment with our business goals will pave the way for gathering pertinent feedback and data to implement improvements for achieving those goals.

L. Stevens, Vice President of Global Strategy, Analytics, and Employee Experience at DSM - (Digital HR Leaders Podcast), expounds that our listening efforts must have a direct line of sight to our strategic goals. She further asserts that instead of developing predefined surveys, they confer with business leaders and understand the overall company transformation strategy. She thinks it is the exciting part of the employee listening strategy. They identify the requisite behaviours and then decide better ways to measure them.

The success of our employee listening strategy is anchored in securing buy-in and support from stakeholders within the company. Hence it is essential to identify the vital stakeholders early in the process and onboard them before commencement. The valuable stakeholders may include professional leaders from business, IT, legal, line management, corporate communications, and marketing.

Usually, the employee experience team, people analytics team, or operations team within the HR function own the employee listening process. Since everyone is providing their input, mavens think everyone in the organization should own this process for the utmost effectiveness. It will facilitate the process of taking prompt action while addressing the deliverables. And enhance overall employee engagement across the company.

Action

Taking action on the deliverables on completion of the survey is by no means a nondescript component. In fact, it is irrefutably a matter of utmost moment in the entire continuous employee listening process. The Achievers report asseverates that 90% of employees expressed their countenance for staying at the company that proactively takes action on their feedback. The rationale behind the employee listening strategy is to decipher employee feedback and take meaningful action to improve employee experience, engagement, productivity, morale, and performance.

However, according to Bersin's report, only 42% of companies promptly take action on employee feedback. It further avers that companies need to create numerous response teams to act on gleaned insights. It also suggests assigning responsibilities in advance based on the nature of feedback and forwarding it to the concerned team, e.g., IT, legal, HR, finance, and line management. These team members should promptly receive the insights and successfully tackle the issues immediately. The report highlights that continuously engaging and responding to employees becomes the apogee of creating an effective workforce.

We can classify actions on deliverables based on their nature. So we can tackle them on numerous levels, e.g., Organizational, Functional, Managerial, and Individual. One has to be circumspect while managing organizational deliverables because of the involvement of various stakeholders and COE and the need for careful deliberations. We can apply the same tactic to functional deliverables. The managerial deliverables may require appropriate training and cautious interlocution with HR (COE). And equip the line leaders to tackle the issues successfully. Continuous employee listening entails establishing a mechanism to immediately forward individual concerns (deliverables) to service center, line managers, or HR representatives. They are authorized and equipped to tackle the issue successfully.

The importance of employee communication is incontestable in the process of employee listening. Seemingly the success of the constant listening strategy is inextricably linked to transparency and effective communication with our employees. We must ensure that our employees are well up on the latest developments. We must ceremoniously acknowledge their feedback and expatiate the actions taken or not taken in the process. Also, ensure that the actions taken on the areas of improvement are actually leading towards enhancing the employee experience and engagement. We can sum up this point with a quote from Josh Bersin,

"The bottom line is simple: We need to collect employee opinions in many ways, and we have to quickly funnel these to people who can interpret the data appropriately and then take action on the issues identified."

Culture

According to Mr. Schein, culture is invariably a work in progress and evolving. Successfully implementing an employee hearkening strategy leads to developing an open, employee-centric, and inclusive culture. In contrast, if we have an open, employee-centric, and inclusive culture. We can effectively implement our employee listening strategy. Come to think of it, its a reinforcing loop. Here we focus on culture as an essential element for implementing an effective employee listening strategy. So we will concentrate on having specific cultural components to facilitate our implementation.

In his improving book Reinventing the Organization, Dave Ulrich says, "A subtler part of culture is how people in an organization think, behave, and feel, according to internally defined criteria. Culture shows up in people’s values, norms, and unwritten rules and their responses to how things are done in a company." We expect our leadership to exemplify specific values and behaviours and set the norms. Specifically to welcome open communication and provide impetus to unequivocal and straightforward feedback. It would pave the way for employee to follow their lead. And evince the expected behaviour in the process to develop an appropriate culture.

"In fact, management doesn’t change culture. Management invites the workforce itself to change the culture." — Louis V. Gerstner

To foster a culture that facilitates the effectual implementation of an employee listening strategy, we must ensure transparency in communication. While encouraging empathy for employees, we must monitor their actions and hold the teams and individuals accountable. To devise a culture of persistent

improvement, we must foster inclusion as part of our DEIB efforts. We can create a secure and welcoming atmosphere by promulgating these values, norms, and behaviors. Encouraged employees will feel valued and freely express their opinions and ideas. Ultimately leading to enhancing employee engagement and productivity. An entire article may be insufficient to underscore the importance of culture for employee listening. And how it impacts employee experience, productivity, and engagement, not to mention the significance of smooth and effective implementation of our organization's strategy.

Technology

HR Tech analysts think that the demand for employee listening tools will increase. Numerous organizations are utilizing multiple channels for employee listening, including active and passive listening options. Given the pace of innovation in this field, vendors are innovating steadily. And HR professionals are trying to stay up-to-date with neoteric tools and technologies. Effective continuous employee listening strategy implementation inordinately depends upon the soundness of the tools utilized in this process.

We may require numerous tools depending on our needs and employee listening strategy. Invariably our HCM and HRIS systems come with basic inbuilt employee listening capabilities. However, the point solutions offer the latest features. HR Tech analysts can enwisen us to select apposite survey platforms, pulse survey tools, and analytics software. Essentially improving and streamlining the data collection process. (especially requisite features, e.g., instantaneous analysis and dashboards, survey options, ready-made reports, bespoke reports, compatibility with existing HCM, analytics tools, external standards comparison, RPA options, nudges, mobile optimization, audio & video support, data management options, regulatory compliance, data protection, algorithm explainability, data export options, API integrations, identifying vendors providing white glove service and better after-sales support, our specific focus on analyzing DEIB, wellbeing etc.)

Bersin's report emphasizes the need for instrumentation, action tools, and information transmission systems to disseminate insights to the right place at the right time. These systems must be simple and user-friendly. Employee can effortlessly provide feedback in the flow of work without spending time learning new tools. The report further suggests that the system must identify individual deliverables. And instantaneously forward them to concerned people authorized and equipped to address them.

We must avoid information overload and maintain employee privacy, confidentiality, and data protection by complying with various statutory regulations. Essentially secure employee consent for passive listening and avoid over-monitoring. We must be cautious about employee privacy and confidentiality while adhering to the highest ethical standards in the process. The HR Tech analysts can help us to ensure that the tools comply with statutory regulations, just the job. It is vital to follow technology developments in the employee listening domain, including the impact of Generative AI.

Streamline

Obviously, we need to install appropriate procedures to monitor the progress and take suitable action on specific issues for course correction. Indubitably integration with our organizational goals should be the primary objective of our streamlining efforts. We can initiate a four-step process to streamline. Step one, identify performance indicators. Step two, measure performance. Step three, analyze variance. And step four, take corrective actions. Streamlining highlights the efficiency and effectiveness of the comprehensive listening strategy in achieving expected results.

First, we need to identify performance indicators of our listening strategy, including qualitative and quantitative criteria. Second, we start measuring our progress. Periodic evaluation of our continuous employee listening strategy involves asking specific questions relating to objectives achievement, the effectiveness of the tools and channels, and expected alignment with organizational goals. Third, we can identify variance by comparing expected and actual achievements. Concurrently we can utilize these insights for process improvement. Fourth, we can take corrective actions on various issues identified in step three. And accordingly, modify our employee listening strategy. We may tinker with survey length, cadence, and suitable cross-section of employees. It will help us to avoid survey fatigue. While analyzing and experimenting with tools, we must focus on the channels that work well for our strategic objectives.

Not to forget celebrating the jubilant successes on the way. Occasionally leaven by eventful celebrations, we can energize our exultant employees. As suggested by Tom Peters, the 'Hoopla, Celebrations, and Verve' will enable us to maintain the momentum. Seemingly also creating an open and enthusiastic work culture and encouraging employee participation. We must recognize specific feedback champions, especially those conscientious employees who actively contribute with valuable feedback and suggestions. It will encourage other employees to participate in the process. Ultimately resulting in enhancing the effectiveness of our employee listening strategy.

Conclusion:

In accordance with the above essential elements (FACTS), we can devise and successfully implement our employee listening strategy. It's horse sense to ensure that our listening efforts are congruous with the overall strategic objectives of our company. We must secure buy-in from our stakeholders and onboard them before commencement. Taking prompt and effective action on the deliverables, incontrovertibly emerge as the hallmark of effective employee listening strategy. Indubitably developing enabling culture would facilitate the process of implementation. And lead to creation of an open, welcoming, inclusive, employee-centric, and innovative culture. Implementing the latest technology & tools would facilitate the process of data collection and analysis to provide instantaneous and actionable insights. Streamlining the employee listening strategy will ensure the achievement of expected outcomes while enhancing employee experience and engagement. And celebrating our wins will help us to maintain the momentum, ultimately improving the atmosphere and employee participation. We can conclude with the following quote:

"Employee voice is often the most important indicator we have to make our company better. The faster we listen and respond, the better our organization can be."

- Josh Bersin