Employee listening is an area within employee experience and talent management that presents companies with significant opportunities for adding business value. In today's complex labour market, employees are demanding more and initiating listening strategies, and taking action from employee feedback can result in highly positive and impactful results. That's why more leading companies are investing in people analytics and strategies for employee listening.

Company Benefits from Effective Employee Listening Strategy

Successful employee listening develops a more engaged and productive staff. According to Forbes, employees who believe their voices are being heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered and perform at their best. This is done because employee listening:

• Shows you care about employees - by valuing their opinion and concern

• Provides real-time information - that offers a means for actionable changes

But many employees feel they are not listened to within the organisation throughout different parts of the employee lifecycle. And surprisingly, only one in three employees have stated they feel comfortable expressing their views to managers. 

Four Major Types of Employee Listening Channels?

Several channels can be used to gather information on what employees think, feel, and want to see a change in the organisation. And some channels can be utilised together. Determining the specific information you seek will decide the best channel.

Employee Surveys

An employee survey or engagement survey can be used to collect data by asking employees questions regarding challenges they are facing, obstacles preventing efficiency, or issues causing disengagement. Engagement surveys can be delivered quarterly, annually or as pulse surveys allowing every employee a channel for their feedback. What is also crucial when employing surveys is knowing how to analyse them.

Performance Reviews

Performance reviews are an ideal opportunity to gather information during a one-on-one. Here strategic questions can be asked, such as what an employee needs to improve or advance in their career. Employee experience and performance go hand-in-hand.

Internal Social Channels 

Internal social channels involve daily work platforms/resources where employers can learn about employees' social networks and get real-time insight into company workings. This enables better communication within the workplace and promotes a more streamlined workflow.

Focus Groups

Focus groups provide a way to create inclusion within the company culture. Focus groups also offer a wide range of insights from a more extensive gathering of employees to drive increased business results.

Six Steps to Building an Employee Listening Strategy

The best approach to building an effective employee listening strategy is to view your employees like customers. When you take this approach, you will strive to make your employees happier and more likely to remain with you. The employee experience is similar to the customer experience in that they need processes to be easy, the interactions of others to be pleasing, and the results rewarding. So, to build a future-proof employee experience strategy that will be most successful with employee listening, focus on what is important to them.

Step 1. Identify the Problem 

It can be easy to be ambitious and want to work on issues on a grander scale. It could be to research new technology to improve performance or tackle learning & development challenges. But if the company is not in a position to make the adjustments from the input employees offer, it is best to take on real issues that can be handled. 

Turn to asking the "why" question and being honest. Why are we looking at this? Why will this solve our problem? Why is the problem happening in the first place? Once the 'why' is answered, the root cause of the issue can be addressed, and business leaders can make tangible changes. 

Step 2. Be Transparent and Communicate

Let employees know why the employee survey or focus group is being issued. Explain the problem you are striving to improve and clearly explain the process and what you would like from them. This encourages more participation and more helpful information shared, which is what you want.

To ensure privacy and security of the information being gathered, have governance over the information. Adding a committee that will oversee the employee listening project and take ownership allows data to be monitored and protected. Governance also provides rules to abide by, protecting the information collected, and develops an agreed process of how the program will be rolled out.

Step 3. Release the Surveys or Hold Focus Groups

Consider the technology you are going to use to gather the information. Is it user-friendly? Will employees find it easy to use and convenient? Implementing the technology into daily use will encourage more participation when surveys are issued. But this strategy can also be instilled to offer an open-ended means for employees to share at any time.

Depending on the questions you are looking to have answered during focus groups, have a diverse group of participants who can provide multiple insights into what you are looking to improve on. Also, consider how the employee listening sessions will be handled. If it is one on one through managers touching base with employees or through yearly performance reviews, the manager should be trained to ask the right questions and not go on the defence if the employee has something constructive to say.

Step 4. Collect and Analyse Data

Avoid making a first-hand assumption with the information you have before you. It can be overwhelming to look over the answers once the data comes in. A data-based approach to your findings will help you develop actionable hypotheses and conclusions. 

This, in turn, does not always mean the more data, the better. Be leery of sending out too many employee surveys. Employee burnout is a factor to always consider when collecting data. Employees can become burned out with information requests or numb to the process, causing lower response rates and poorer quality of information. 

Step 5. Act on the Results

Employees can, at times, be hesitant to give out information. Employees often feel their employers do not act on requests and ask why they bother. This can be counterproductive to your efforts.

Changing the policies or procedures that employees point out for improvements shows that their time and input are valued. This means also being timely about the changes. If an approach is not adapted shortly after the issue has been presented, this too can cause mistrust of the employee listening program entirely.

Step 6. Continue to Measure Results

Once you have the process in place, continue to monitor the results. If employee engagement and productivity are still showing no improvement, that can indicate that things are still not where you want them.

Enabling Success With Employee Listening 

Getting employee listening right takes time. Be sure you and your staff have the skills needed to not only develop and implement the strategy effectively but that you can interpret and actively act on the information accurately.

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