Employee Engagement

The vice president of a Fortune 500 company is speaking at a leadership conference. He’s a polished presenter with an impressive selection of organizational “war stories” delivered with a charming, self-deprecating sense of humor.

The audience likes him. They like him a lot.

Then, as he finishes his comments, he folds his arms across his chest and says, “I’m open for questions. Please, ask me anything.”Suddenly, there is a shift of energy in the room – from engagement to uncertainty.

The audience that was so attentive only moments ago is now somehow disconnected and unable to think of anything to ask.

I was at that event. As one of the presenters scheduled to follow the executive, I was seated at a table onstage with a clear view of the entire room. And the minute I saw that single gesture, I knew exactly how the audience would react.

Later I talked with the speaker (who didn’t realize he’d crossed his arms) and interviewed members of the audience (none of whom recalled the gesture, but all of whom remembered struggling to come up with a question).

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How body language affects managers

So what happened – how could a simple arm movement that none of the participants were even aware of have had such a potent impact? And what does this mean to you as a manager?

Business relationships are all about communication. You already know that. In preparing for an important meeting – with your staff, boss, or clients – you concentrate on what to say, memorize crucial points, and rehearse your presentation so that you will come across as credible and convincing.

But did you also know that the people you’re speaking to will be subliminally evaluating your credibility, confidence, likeability and trustworthiness – and that their evaluation will be only partially determined by what you say?

https://www.slideshare.net/dbenoni/personality-traits-of-a-great-boss-44358501

12 Personality Traits Of A Great Boss from Dan Benoni

Did you know that your use of personal space, physical gestures, posture, facial expressions and eye contact could enhance, support, weaken or even sabotage your message?

The executive who addressed that conference in New York made a basic body language blunder when his gesture didn’t match his words.

And it is this kind of misaligned signaling that your staff or team will also pick up on more quickly and critically than almost any other.

When your nonverbal signals conflict with verbal statements (for example, dropping eye contact and glancing around the room while stating you are being candid, rocking back on your heels when talking about the project’s solid future or – like the VP -- folding your arms while stating you are open to questions) you send mixed messages.

If forced to choose between what you said, and how you looked when saying it, people will discount the verbal content and, instead, believe what they saw.

But why did the executive make that gesture? Did he not want questions? Was he more comfortable standing that way? Was he cold?

I didn’t ask him, because it really didn’t matter.

It never does.

Nonverbal communication speaks volumes

With nonverbal communication, it’s not how the sender feels that matters most; it is how the observer perceives how the sender feels.

And crossing arms is almost always perceived as a closed sign of resistance. That’s why your nonverbal signals don’t always convey what you intended them to.

If you pass a colleague in the hallway and don’t make eye contact, she may jump to the conclusion that you are upset with the report she just turned in.

You may be slouching because you’re tired, but your team will read it as a sign of disinterest. If you frown in a staff meeting, attendees will probably think you didn’t like what you just heard – and they will keep their opinions to themselves.

In fact, when you make any nonverbal display of anger, irritability, or annoyance, people are more likely to hold back their ideas, limit their comments, and look for ways to shorten their interaction with you.

And, by the way, since the human brain pays more attention to negative messages than it does to positive ones, what people unconsciously look for and react to the most, are signs that you are in a bad mood or are not to be approached.

Definition of body language

Body language is the management of time, space, appearance, posture, gesture, touch, expression, eye contact, and vocal prosody.

As such, nonverbal communication is a key part of your effectiveness as a manager. From a body language perspective, effective managers send two sets of signals. Both are very important, but they are each more important under certain circumstances.

For example, powerful people sit, stand, walk and gesture in ways that exude confidence, competence and status.

These are the kind of signal leaders might want to send when addressing the Board of Directors. Leaders send power and authority signals by standing tall, actually expanding into space.

You will notice, for instance, that high-status male executives at a conference table are likely to spread out their paperwork. They may put their arms on the back of other people’s chairs and even sit with their legs far apart.

But the most effective leaders also send nonverbal signals of warmth and empathy – especially when nurturing collaborative environments and managing change. The nonverbal signals that convey inclusiveness, likeability, and friendliness include open palm gestures, leaning slightly forward, giving people eye contact when they talk, nodding your head when someone is speaking, or tilting your head slightly to encourage them to speak more.

Since most of my clients are in organizations that are trying to move from a hierarchical command control structure to a flatter, more nimble, and more collaborative environment, I see a lot of senior managers who run into body language challenges.

They are so used to having to project a strong persona that they don’t realize the power of letting the other set of (empathy) signals take over.

Of course, learning to align body language with intents and messages is only one side of the nonverbal coin.

More business executives are learning not only how to send the right signals, but also how to read them.

Peter Drucker, the renowned author, professor and management consultant, understood this clearly:

In a meeting, when people aren’t completely onboard with an initiative, leaders need to be able to recognize what’s happening – and to respond quickly.

During the hiring process, the ability to read nonverbal cues can make the difference between a great hire and a big mistake. And knowing when a negotiating partner is bluffing is a skill well worth developing.

Good body language skills can help your executives influence and motivate direct reports, improve productivity, bond with audiences, present ideas with more authority and impact, and authentically project their personal brand of charisma. That’s a powerful set of skills for any leader to develop.

Do leaders in your office have bad body language?

Do you think they can do a better job of being more open and have better communication with employees? If it's something that's a little taboo to talk about within your organization, just use an anonymous feedback tool like Officevibe in order to address the situation.

If you'd like to reach our guest contributor, feel free to reach her by checking out her social media outlets provided in the bio, or contact us and we'll provide you with information.

How modern employees want to be appreciated, and how managers can make their teams feel valued

Managers have many tasks, but one that sometimes gets sidelined is giving meaningful, effective employee recognition and frequent positive feedback. Your team works hard to bring their skills, smarts, and solutions to the table—and they want to know that their efforts have not gone unnoticed.

That’s why we’ve created this complete guide to employee recognition. We want to help you make recognition a habit in your day-to-day, and contribute to a culture of recognition on your team and in your organization. Plus, we offer plenty of tips and ideas to improve your recognition strategy.

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Why is employee recognition important at work?

Receiving recognition instills a sense of pride and purpose in people, and helps fulfill our most basic human need to feel valued. Modern employees bring their whole selves to work and apply themselves not only with their technical skills, but also their passion and creativity. Simply put, work matters to people, and they want to feel that they matter to their team and their company, too.

We often think of recognition as coming after a big win, but the truth is that all of the work getting done in your organization brings value and is worthy of appreciation. Officevibe’s data on employee recognition shows a strong correlation between whether employees say their organization celebrates accomplishments and learnings, and feeling that their organization trusts them to contribute to its mission.

To reap the benefits of a real culture of recognition, you need to move beyond just applauding wins. Embracing the learnings that come from mistakes also needs to become the norm. A company culture that commends hard work regardless of outcomes drives a sense of psychological safety and personal investment from every staff member. This empowers people to be more innovative and think outside the box—a competitive advantage for any team.

Creating this kind of environment on your team starts with building personal habits as a manager to make recognition and learning a part of everyone’s day-to-day. Be intentional about acknowledging your employees’ hard work until it becomes a reflex, and share your own failures and learnings with your team. The more that you lead by example, the more that your team members will follow suit.

The business impact of employee recognition

In the purpose-driven modern workforce, having our contributions acknowledged is as important as ever. Receiving regular recognition at work impacts everything. From people’s commitment to and investment in their role, to their relationship with their manager and with their peers, and even their perception of organizational structures and values. How do we know?

When we look at our Employee Pulse Survey data, the strongest correlation between any 2 of our 26 Engagement Sub-Metrics is between Recognition Frequency and Happiness at Work. The frequency at which people receive recognition is directly tied to their levels of happiness.

However, according to Gallup, 81% of senior leaders say recognition is not a major strategic priority for their organization. By not making recognition a priority, many organizations are missing out on achieving the benefits of the impact that regular recognition has on employees:

• 56% less likely to be seeking new job opportunities
• 3x as likely to feel loyal to their organization
• 4x as likely to be engaged
• 5x as likely to see a path to grow within their organization
• 4x as likely to recommend their organization as a great place to work

We also see a strong correlation between employees’ satisfaction with recognition frequency and:

• Feeling that their work is fulfilling.
• Having a sense of accomplishment in their day-to-day.
• Feeling that the feedback they receive helps them grow and develop.
• How they rate their peers’ contribution to achieving goals and objectives.
• Their general feelings about working with their direct manager.
• Feeling that their organization trusts them to contribute to its mission.
• How they feel their organization makes use of their strengths.

Yet, 1 in 3 employees are unhappy with how frequently they’re recognized at work. Giving more recognition—and making it meaningful—is one of the most low-cost, high-impact things that managers can do to increase employee engagement. In the next section, we talk about how.

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How does your team feel about recognition?
Track employee engagement with metrics like Recognition, Personal Growth, and Satisfaction on your team. Discover Officevibe’s Pulse Surveys—try it free!

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5 steps to create a culture of recognition

Prioritizing positive reinforcement goes for both your 1-on-1s with employees and addressing your team as a group. You want people to feel that their individual contributions are valued, and to see how this is amplified when they work together. These 5 steps will help you take your employee recognition practices to the next level.

1. Learn employees’ preferences

People have different preferences when it comes to recognition. Some might enjoy receiving public praise while others find a private exchange more personal. One employee might want to get lots of recognition, while another prefers that you save it for big moments. Getting to know your employees and how they like to receive recognition is the first step in making it meaningful.

Tip: the best way to find out is simply to ask
During your 1-on-1s with employees, make a point of asking them about their recognition preferences. Ask questions like:

• What’s the best way for me to show you that I appreciate your work?
• How do you like to celebrate when you achieve a goal?
• Who do you like to receive recognition from the most?

2. Be sincere and specific

Rather than doling out compliments off the cuff, take the time to pinpoint what you appreciate before you speak. Were you impressed by your employee’s skills? By their quick thinking? Their courage? Their adaptability? Whatever the case, pinpoint it and name it clearly. Authenticity and specificity make recognition more powerful.

Tip: consider what’s important to employees
When recognizing employees, it’s equally important to consider what you know about your employee, their goals, and their values. Be specific about what impressed you, but connect it with what you know is important to them. Here’s an example:

“Great job presenting your new strategic direction to Sophia and Charlie the other day. You really did your research preparing it and it showed in your answers to their questions. I know sharing your work in this way makes you nervous, and you were totally relaxed and confident in the meeting.”

3. Make it timely

It’s never too soon to give recognition to your employees or your team. There’s always room to give informal recognition in your day-to-day. Celebrate when goals are met or big projects are completed, but don’t forget to acknowledge everyone’s great work as they’re working towards these milestones as well. Letting people know that you see their efforts in real-time shows that you’re paying attention, and that you’re not just focused on results.

Tip: make time when you’re in the thick of it
It’s easy for everyone to stick to their tasks when your team is working towards a big deadline or crunching to hit a target. But these are the moments where bringing everyone together and sharing your appreciation can be the most motivating. Find 5 minutes to let your team know that their hard work and dedication are taking you in the right direction.

4. Highlight the impact

One of the best ways to connect employees’ work with the organization’s purpose is to highlight the impact they have. Whether it’s reflected through business metrics, a delighted client, or supported teammates, showing how someone’s efforts contribute to greater objectives makes them feel like an asset. When you’re delivering recognition, always be sure to state why what they’ve done was important.

Tip: support yourself with back-up
Whether it’s numbers based on team goals, a client testimonial, or the kind words of a colleague, having something to support your recognition can give it extra significance. Find something tangible to better show people the outcomes of their efforts.

5. Centre your team around shared values

When team members are all connected by shared core values, it offers a kind of North Star. For everything from communication norms to collaboration practices and prioritizing initiatives, there’s something to guide the team. This not only contributes to healthy team dynamics and performance, it also serves as a reference point for recognition. If everyone’s aligned on what’s important to the team, they can easily point to these values when recognizing their peers.

Tip: create a set of team principles
This is something we tried on our own team, and it completely shifted our working dynamics (in a good way!), not to mention our performance. Some tips to help you out in this exercise:

• Create the principles as a team. When everyone is a part of creating the principles, they feel more personally accountable to them.
• Practice using these principles in recognition. For example, if honesty is a principle, you might say, “I admired how transparent you were about your thoughts at our town hall today.”
• Come up with catchy one-liners for each principle to make them easier to reference in your day-to-day. For example, we now often bring up our principle of “calling out the elephant in the room” both as we do it and when we offer recognition to one another for having done it.

Promoting peer-to-peer recognition

Your team wants your appreciation, but receiving recognition from their peers is just as important. Teammates collaborate and strive towards common goals, and often have more visibility on each other’s day-to-day than their manager. This is why peer-to-peer or social recognition is so meaningful; it’s coming from an equal who might have a deeper understanding of what goes into the work. We looked to Officevibe’s Survey and Feedback data to uncover some tangible takeaways for managers to promote peer recognition on their teams.

When asked if their organization encourages employees to give recognition to peers, 88% of employees said yes. This is great news, but we wanted to learn more. So we analyzed over 50,000 anonymized employee feedback messages about what organizations do well or could do better to promote peer-to-peer recognition. These employee insights helped us craft simple rituals you can establish on your team to boost recognition among peers.

Make a recurring meeting a recognition opportunity

Whether it’s a daily, weekly, or monthly meeting, employees recommend that managers make time for peer recognition in recurring team moments. Close out one of your regular team meetings with each employee giving a kudos to one of their peers. We suggest picking a meeting where you’re discussing work that’s been done, like a review or a retro, so that context is fresh in everyone’s minds.

Create a dedicated space for peer recognition

Employees want a dedicated space to recognize each other. Managers can encourage people to leave recognition messages, and lead by example by leaving their own. You might not have an IRL whiteboard to write on, but you can create a virtual one or start a new Slack channel for peer-to-peer recognition. We suggest including things like company values, team principles and goals, and current projects to align everyone around what binds the team.

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Get to know Good Vibes

Now that you know that recognition can help organizations reinforce their values and understand how they translate into people’s behaviors at work, it’s time to think about how to create a culture of recognition within your organization. This starts with the right approach, and even the right tools.

At Officevibe, we created Good Vibes as a way to highlight positive efforts and give your employees a simple, human
way to recognize each other. Considering that employees
are receptive to receiving recognition in different ways, that peer-to-peer recognition should feel authentic and come from the heart, and that participation should be voluntary in order to feel genuine, it’s important to offer recognition in a way that suits everyone.

Win as a team, and recognize everyone’s hard work

Feeling valued and appreciated at work is directly tied to employee happiness and engagement. While giving and encouraging recognition is an important part of management, it can easily fall to the side of the many other tasks of your role. Make employee and team recognition a priority, so that everyone brings their all, and knows their efforts are seen.

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When measuring employee engagement and satisfaction, the employee Net Promoter Score, or eNPS, is the metric you should use to get actionable insights.

Salary is no longer the leading determining factor for employee loyalty and productivity. Employees want to take on new challenges, learn new skills, and know that their organization values their time and input.

Collaboration, flexibility, and the company’s culture also determine employee experience (EX) and retention rates.

Considering all these factors to measure employee engagement can be challenging. However, the eNPS provides a user-friendly engagement tool you can use to analyze employee satisfaction and identify areas for continuous improvement.

This guide will take an in-depth look at the employee Net Promoter Score, its scoring methodology, and how one single question can be a powerful springboard to measuring and improving engagement within your organization.

Measuring employee engagement: What is the eNPS?

The employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is a simple way to track loyalty and pride for your organization. And it’s an important part of the Engagement Metrics in Officevibe. It measures employees’ willingness to recommend your organization as a good place to work, and whether they’re engaged and enthusiastic about their work. It evolved from the original customer-focused Net Promoter System.

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The history of employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)

It started in 2003 when Fred Reichheld, a partner at Bain & Company (founders of the Net Promoter System), created a new way to measure how well an organization treats the people whose lives it affects — or how well it generates relationships worthy of loyalty. He called that metric the Net Promoter Score or NPS®.

He didn’t keep the methodology to himself. He shared it so anyone could apply it, and organizations developed and expanded it over time. It evolved to extend its use beyond customers, applying it to help build employee engagement and commitment. The new methods had broadened impact, not just on measuring customer loyalty but now also on transforming their organizations.

– The Net Promoter System

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The NPS question asks: “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our organization’s products or services to a friend or colleague?”

While the eNPS question asks: “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our organization as a place to work to others?”

The employee Net Promoter Score respondent categories

Depending on their answers, your employee Net Promoter Score survey respondents will fall into three categories:

• Promoters: Engaged employees with a score of 9 or 10
• Neutrals: Employees with an eNPS score of 7 or 8
• Detractors: Employees with a score ranging from 0 to 6

Promoters

Promoters are satisfied employees who contribute positively to promoting company image and growth. The company culture resonates with these employees and inspires them to deliver top-tier work.  

Unfortunately, many companies don’t focus on these employees when evaluating employee Net Promoter Score surveys.

Promoters’ feedback can provide valuable insights into what positively contributes to their employee experience, and companies should leverage this information to retain talented employees and increase productivity.

Neutrals

Neutral employees are generally satisfied with their work environment but remain open to offers from other companies.

These employees are not likely to recommend the organization as a workplace. Still, they won’t speak negatively about the company.

The answers from neutrals don’t form part of the eNPS formula. However, gauging neutral employee sentiment is crucial, especially since most employees might fall into this category.

Using the feedback from these employees, the human resources department can implement practical improvements, transforming the neutrals into promoters.  

Detractors        

Detractors are employees who are unlikely to recommend the business as a workplace. Even an answer of “6” in employee engagement surveys typically indicates that the employee is at least partially unsatisfied at work.

The risk of detractors leaving the business is high, and swift action is necessary to prevent this from happening. You can determine the causes of low worker engagement through a stay interview.

Gathering and evaluating this feedback is crucial to minimizing employee turnover and costs. Leading companies genuinely care about detractors’ problems and encourage honest feedback. When a detractor gives details about why they are unhappy, believe them and assume that other employees might be experiencing the same issues.

Employee Net Promoter Score Pros

Deploying an eNPS survey holds various advantages for your organization:

• Usability. One of the most significant benefits of the eNPS survey is its ease of use. Employees only need to answer one question, saving valuable time and eliminating survey fatigue.
• High participation rates. Because the eNPS is a quick and easy survey, you can expect most employees to take the time to answer this question.
• Accurate assessment of employee engagement. The eNPS accurately reflects how employees feel about recommending the company. When employees answer the question anonymously, they will likely have no problem being honest, allowing you to detect the causes of low productivity and engagement.
• Accurate reflection of team satisfaction. Employee satisfaction is one component of EX, and deploying this survey will help you detect potential issues that increase employee turnover.
• Cost-effective feedback tool. Because the eNPS only consists of one question, you can quickly deploy this survey via the organization’s existing communication channel at no additional cost.
  • For example, when you deploy Officevibe to your organization, every employee will receive the eNPS question in their Onboarding Survey. After that, the employees will receive the question again every three months.
• Continuous measuring. Your organization can deploy the eNPS survey more frequently than extensive annual engagement surveys, allowing for effective and ongoing EX monitoring.
• Benchmarking suitability. The results of an eNPS survey are easy to benchmark against your organization’s past results. Comparing how you’ve scored in the past or how you’re doing vs. other teams in your organization can give you a better idea of where and when things might have changed or where you need to focus your efforts.
• Similar to NPS. Your employees should be ambassadors for the company and be inclined to promote its products and services to others. Using similar metrics for employees and customers in your organization’s communications can help you deliver products and services of the highest quality.
• Identify general problem areas within the organization. The eNPS effectively measures employee engagement and satisfaction. However, these metrics can highlight underlying issues in the organization, helping you optimize interdepartmental communication, employee recognition, and other factors.

Employee Net Promoter Score Cons

The simplicity of eNPS is one of its main advantages over other key performance indicators. However, the fact that this score only consists of one question can also be a limitation.

Once employees respond to this survey, you will only know how many team members are promoters, neutrals, or detractors, but you won’t know why.

In some cases, using the eNPS as a stand-alone feedback tool can be ineffective, and you should consider including it as part of a more extensive feedback program.

You can also create a survey around the eNPS with follow-up questions. However, you will need to know the employee’s scores to ensure that you ask the right questions.

The employee Net Promoter Score methodology

The employee Net Promoter Score’s popularity is due to its simplicity. Completing the eNPS questionnaire only takes a few seconds, and you can encourage employees to take this survey more regularly than annual employee engagement surveys. The result? Frequent, quick surveys allow for more consistent input and support a proactive and informed feedback loop.

Short, anonymous feedback requires less effort to analyze than complex, lengthy annual surveys, allowing you to take swift action on what’s working and needs improving.

How to calculate the eNPS

The eNPS formula is relatively straightforward. To determine the eNPS score of your business or a specific department, start by calculating:

1. The percentage of promoters among respondents
2. The percentage of detractors among respondents

Next, subtract the detractor percentage from the promoter percentage. In other words:

Let’s look at a practical example of how to measure employee loyalty using the eNPS.

Suppose your organization has 50 employees, and they all participate in the eNPS questionnaire. Upon receiving their results, you notice that of the 50 employees:

• 12 (24%) are detractors
• 20 (40%) are neutrals
• 18 (36%) are promoters

In this example, 24% of your employees are detractors, and 36% are promoters. We don’t include the 40% neutral employees in the eNPS formula.

36% (promoters) – 24% (detractors) = 12%, or an employee Net Promoter Score of +12.

When calculating the eNPS, you don’t consider neutral employees, as their score alone doesn’t provide valuable insights. However, gathering feedback from these employees is critical. Employees who skipped this question are also neutrals.

As you can see from our example, if you have a positive employee Net Promoter Score, your business has more promoters than detractors, indicating relatively high employee loyalty.

If the eNPS is negative, the company has more detractors than promoters. If this is the case, you’ll need to consider employee feedback carefully to zero in on issues with employee engagement.

The importance of your eNPS

Why should you measure eNPS and consistently work to increase this score?

The eNPS gives an accurate indication of employee experience throughout your entire organization. Employee experience is how your team perceives all interactions with their employer. The various aspects affecting employee experience include the physical workspace, company culture, and the company’s technologies.

Employee engagement and optimal productivity are among the most significant benefits of a positive employee experience.

Employees who feel optimistic about the work environment tend to be proactive and resolve issues through creative problem-solving.

When the company-wide EX is positive, absenteeism rates are low. Happy employees enjoy being at work and are not constantly looking for reasons to play hooky.

Improving employee engagement also promotes team loyalty, keeping turnover costs low. These costs include:

• The cost of marketing a vacant position
• The cost of hiring a new employee
• The cost of training a new employee
• The costs relating to lower productivity due to lower team morale

You can prevent these costs and optimize profitability by keeping your finger on the pulse of employee engagement and taking appropriate steps to make sure that your employees are happy.

Calculate where you stand with your people and build a winning employer brand.

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Ensuring optimal employee satisfaction: What are good employee Net Promoter Scores?

How do you know if your company’s employee Net Promoter Score results are on track?

In theory, these scores range from -100 (100% of employees are detractors) to +100 (100% of employees are promoters). In practice, these scores range from -50 to +50, though scores outside these brackets are possible.

If your company’s eNPS is lower than -10, drastic steps are necessary to improve employee engagement. Look at the answers to follow-up questions to identify areas where improvements are necessary.

Scores ranging from -10 to +20 are normal. If the scores are higher than +10, you can be proud of your company’s level of employee engagement.

An eNPS above +40 is excellent, and you should actively work towards keeping employee engagement at this level. Consult with promoters to determine what the company is doing right.

Ways to improve your employee Net Promoter Score

Here’s how to improve your eNPS and help your company maintain optimal employee satisfaction and engagement.

Incorporate the eNPS into a feedback program

The eNPS consists of only one question, and the answers are numbers ranging from 0 to 10. While these scores are insightful, you will need to dive deeper with a more extensive feedback program to gain additional valuable insights.

Formulate follow-up surveys with open-ended questions to evaluate each eNPS response within a better context. Here are some example follow-up questions to help get you started. Including the eNPS in an employee feedback program will clarify where improvements are necessary.

Communicate with all responders

Find out why your responders gave the answers they did, starting with the detractors.

Passive responders have the potential to become detractors or promoters, and you need to ensure that they fall into the latter camp.

Neutral employees include those who didn’t respond to the survey, and you need to target them in your comprehensive questionnaire, even if you don’t include their scores in the eNPS formula.  

Don’t leave your promoters unattended because you think they’re content. Knowing why they gave a high eNPS can be valuable in formulating long-term solutions for employee engagement.

Monitor your organization’s eNPS continuously

Consistent monitoring is crucial to ensure that your goals to optimize EX are on track. After making positive changes, regularly deploy an eNPS as a feedback tool to determine how effective these improvements are.

You should also measure the eNPS results against the previous responses to gauge your organization’s direction.

For example, poor survey results might coincide with a launch of a company initiative that puts extra pressure on employees. Collecting historical data paints a richer picture of your organization’s EX state over time.

Maintain transparency and open communication channels

Listening to feedback can significantly boost team members’ engagement and satisfaction. In some cases, establishing transparency might require an open discussion about the employees’ survey results and their answers to each follow-up question. With a tool like Officevibe, this type of discussion can remain anonymous thanks to in-app feedback messaging. That way, everyone feels comfortable sharing honest insights on engagement topics.

Consider discussing team scores during performance reviews. You should also let them know how you plan to address their concerns, then check in with them after you make improvements.

The promoters’ input is valuable in boosting employee Net Promoter Scores. Thank the promoters for their feedback and ask why they are likely to recommend the organization to other highly talented individuals.

In some cases, promoters notice organizational efforts that other colleagues might not. Focusing on these efforts can help increase the eNPS results.

Continuously improve

Taking action is the key to improving your employee Net Promoter Scores.

This feedback tool lets you determine which actions you need to take to optimize employee engagement and productivity while preventing team members from leaving the company.

After deploying an eNPS and communicating with employees, formulate and implement specific actions to make improvements. Then, using following-up surveys or conversations, ensure that these actions were effective.

How often should you measure eNPS?

How regularly you deploy an eNPS feedback tool depends on your organization and your employees’ challenges. Ideally, your company should conduct eNPS surveys at least once per year.

If your organization operates within a high-intensity industry, eNPS rollouts should be more frequent, allowing you to monitor employee engagement.

Measuring eNPS once a quarter seems to be effective across most industries. You can also conduct eNPS surveys after changing company policies and incentives, gauging how they affect employee engagement. Because completing these surveys is a relatively quick process, you can conduct them more frequently than comprehensive surveys consisting of multiple questions. However, sending these surveys out once a month or more frequently can result in questionnaire fatigue.

Employee Net Promoter score benchmarking

Benchmarking your eNPS against competitors is not ideal, as getting accurate scores is not always easy. And even if it was, doing so doesn’t give you the insights you need to make practical improvements with your team.

Suppose your eNPS is higher than that of a competitor. Does that mean your eNPS is at the level it should be? Not necessarily.

Your competitors don’t have the same number of team members as your organization, and they have an organizational culture that differs from yours.

Other companies also face unique circumstances and challenges, including regulatory requirements, which might, unfortunately, take priority over employee experience and satisfaction.

Instead, your organization should be benchmarking against itself. Your eNPS should improve over time, especially after making organizational changes.

For example, if your eNPS was +5 in 2022, aim for a score of +10 in 2023. Then, if all goes according to plan, you can set a score goal of +15 for 2024.

Your reputation counts

How do your employees view your organization? At Officevibe, the employee Net Promoter Score is among our most effective engagement tools to help you gauge how your team feels and interacts with your business, customers, and target market. And we’re not the only ones. Organizations like HubSpot, Salesforce, Apple, and Netflix recognize the value of this simple survey tool and use eNPS to measure employee engagement and keep an eye on their employer brand.

But eNPS is only the beginning.

Many people make the mistake of focusing too much on the eNPS. While tracking and continuously improving this metric is valuable, it’s not all that matters. The eNPS is only one part of an entire feedback loop that should include employee engagement surveys, performance reviews, and regular one-on-ones to keep the conversations and development flowing.

It’s easy to get started. With Officevibe, you can do all that. Automate eNPS question sends by including the question in their next Pulse Survey, and you’ll guarantee a follow-up and consistent scoring every 90 days. Just another way we make sure you have the most complete and up-to-date data on your reputation as an employer. Try for free today.

Calculate where you stand with your people and build a winning employer brand.

Get the full guide

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There’s been a noticeable shift in recent years towards emphasizing employee satisfaction and mental health in the workplace instead of prioritizing the dollars and cents.

Long gone are the days where companies could skate by on simply offering employees a decent wage without empowering them or creating an inclusive workplace.

Nowadays, employers need to exceed expectations to retain talent. Not only does improving employee satisfaction increase engagement, boost productivity, and reduce costly turnover, it builds a healthy company culture.

What is employee satisfaction?

Employee satisfaction is related to the contentment level of your employees in their current positions.

Factors that influence employee satisfaction may include:

• Compensation
• Workload
• Scheduling flexibility
• Teamwork
• Available resources
• Perceptions of management
• Alignment with company culture
• Career opportunities

External factors can also influence employee satisfaction. For example, an employee who has to commute two hours might be less satisfied than one who is just a short drive away from the office, or one who works remotely. Some employees may be unsatisfied in their industry, while others may have personal issues affecting their day-to-day life at work.

How to improve employee satisfaction

1. Listen to employee feedback

More and more businesses are moving towards a positive feedback culture to boost employee engagement. A professional feedback culture values open and honest communication between employees, managers, and higher leadership, and encourages a steady flow of insight and advice.

A large part of feedback culture is seeking and acting upon employee comments and responses, enabling employees to give their insights on organizational and managerial decisions and concerns.

While transitioning to this type of corporate culture takes time and effort, the effects of employee satisfaction surveys and other forms of employee feedback offer numerous benefits, including higher overall employee satisfaction and retention.

Note that simply seeking feedback isn't enough to boost employee satisfaction — employees want to see their insights put into action. When employees feel empowered and believe they directly contribute to business operations, they are more likely to provide honest input, leading to a positive feedback loop and improving employee satisfaction.

2. Stop micromanaging

Micromanagement is a productivity killer that can negatively affect employee morale and performance. It can also stifle creativity and discourage initiative.

Placing too much emphasis on the minutiae of daily operations can cause you to miss the bigger picture, and unfortunately can result in an increased risk of burnout for the manager.

While there is a time and a place for more direct involvement in an employee’s tasks (i.e., during the onboarding period), micromanagement tends to be less time efficient and cause more stress to those involved.

Not sure if you might be micromanaging your team? Check out our free template to assess your management style.

3. Recognize and reward performance

Employees want to feel valued and appreciated by their managers. They also want to feel that the work they do is both personally fulfilling and contributes to the growth of the company.

When you recognize employees and reward stand-out effort, your team will feel more confident in their work and will be more likely to push themselves to perform well or share ideas in the future.While recognition is important, the type of reward you give employees is also significant. Some people may feel uncomfortable with company-wide recognition and prefer smaller, more private acknowledgement. This recognition can come in the form of positive performance feedback and reinforcement or thoughtful perks like time off or discounted services.

4. Promote a healthy lifestyle

Health issues and work-related stress are among the most significant causes of workplace absenteeism. An office culture that supports a healthy lifestyle and programs that encourage employee well-being can help prevent burnout, fatigue, and other illnesses.

Along with health benefits, you can promote your employees' physical and mental well-being in several ways, including:

• Fitness classes
• Access to health food services
• Ergonomic office equipment
• Flexible work schedules

5. Maintain a comfortable work environment

Even seemingly minor things can have an enormous impact on employee satisfaction and experience. Lagging servers and computers, for example, can be a constant source of frustration and slow down productivity, while inadequate facilities make employees uncomfortable and feel undervalued.

Many studies have shown that the workplace environment can dramatically affect employee satisfaction. In addition to factors like lighting and temperature, even small decisions like allowing employees to leave personal items at their workstations can improve employee experience.

6. Improve communication and transparency

Nobody likes to be kept in the dark about decisions and changes in the workplace. Rumours about job security, significant workplace changes, and even shifts in corporate culture can seriously impact employee job satisfaction and morale.

A transparent culture can start with the use of internal communication tools to provide updates on current jobs, growth opportunities, and significant changes. Even better is seeking employee input about any potential changes, but the simple act of communicating helps employees feel respected and more engaged with the company.

7. Support employee development

One of the key reasons employees leave their current jobs is stagnation and lack of career growth. Managers can encourage career development with training, workshops, and expanding the scope of their roles.

An excellent way to start conversations about professional development is to ask employees what they want from their work and where they see themselves in the future. Managers should have open discussions about growth opportunities in the company and help employees set short and long term goals to move up in the company.

Training also has the added benefit of boosting productivity and improving performance by empowering employees to put their new skills to the test.

8. Develop a social culture

The new reality of remote work has left many employees feeling isolated and disconnected from their peers. Encouraging healthy work relationships between co-workers can result in stronger team bonds and lessen the risk of disengagement.

Social connections in the office can foster a more positive work environment and boost job satisfaction. Employees may feel more confident about sharing their ideas and providing feedback, while friendly teams are more likely to seek collaborative solutions in challenging situations.

9. Live the company mission

Most people want to work for a company with a strong vision and mission. Employees whose personal values align with the company's mission are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs as they know their work has meaning and contributes to the greater good.

10. Reduce ineffective operations

Ineffective or inefficient operations can be a considerable roadblock to keeping employees motivated. Job satisfaction might drop when an employee spends more time navigating processes and dealing with red tape than on productive, meaningful work.

Wasted time can result in an employee worrying about their deadlines. They may even disengage from their work completely. Managers can improve employee well-being and productivity by streamlining operations, removing hurdles, and allowing employees to focus on their work.

11. Give employees more control over their roles

While managers often understand their employees' strengths and where they can improve, letting employees shape their own roles can often produce better results. Employees who can tailor their tasks to their strengths are more likely to excel at that role and will often be more proactive and produce high-quality work.Giving employees more control doesn't mean that management cedes control entirely. Managers can use feedback sessions or performance reviews to evaluate an employee's role and function and ensure that it still aligns with the greater needs of the business.

Why employee satisfaction matters

Losing an employee can be more expensive than you'd think. Some studies estimate that losing an employee will cost an organization 1.5 times the employee's salary. In addition to losing productivity, the company will have to train a new hire and adapt to their learning curve.

Satisfied employees are less likely to leave their jobs, which can dramatically reduce unnecessary turnover and its associated costs. Happier employees are also more productive and deliver higher-quality work than their dissatisfied counterparts.

An enjoyable workplace fosters higher productivity and reduces turnover, dramatically influencing a business's bottom line. Many of the interventions necessary to cultivate happy employees are affordable and can happen at a management level.

As human resources departments and managers start to understand the importance of employee satisfaction, it may be the time to begin implementing measures to enhance your team’s employee experience.

Employee engagement vs. job satisfaction

Some people use the terms ‘employee satisfaction’ and ‘employee engagement’ interchangeably, but the two are vastly different concepts. Satisfaction provides clues as to how happy an employee is in their current position or if they are likely to seek out other opportunities.

On the other hand, employee engagement refers to how actively passionate an employee is about their work. Engaged employees are more likely to deliver high-quality work and will be motivated to go above and beyond with their tasks.

Employee satisfaction and engagement are valuable metrics, and ideally, managers should make efforts to create a positive work environment that encourages both. Satisfied employees are more likely to become engaged employees, so promoting employee satisfaction levels will inevitably lead to higher productivity.

Measuring employee satisfaction

Employee satisfaction is a key factor in reducing turnover and encouraging employee retention and engagement, but managers may find it challenging to measure employee satisfaction based on observation alone. It’s essential to put in a concerted effort using measurement tools to capture the employee experience, identify potential areas of improvement, and boost employee satisfaction.

Employee Surveys

An employee satisfaction survey is the cornerstone of measuring employee well-being. If you use them correctly, surveys are an excellent tool. They provide an easy and anonymous way for employees to provide valuable and honest feedback.

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The main challenge with any employee satisfaction survey is developing the right questions. Employees may not provide honest answers due to fear of reprisal, or they may not want to answer the survey at all. Asking the right questions can be more revealing and yield more insightful answers. Some common best practices for survey questions include:

• Avoid questions with simple "yes-no" answers, such as, "Do you like working here?"
• Avoid leading questions like, "Don't you absolutely love the new buffet lunch option?"
• Ask open-ended questions that give measurable, valuable answers, such as, "What can we do to improve the office environment?"

How often you send out the survey can also affect how many people answer it. Too many surveys, and employees will start ignoring them, while too few will feel superficial and insincere.

Short engagement surveys are an excellent option for quickly measuring the current employee mood and can be sent out more frequently. You can send out Pulse Surveys weekly or fortnightly and use a dedicated Pulse Survey tool to keep track of overall employee trends.

Longer surveys are great for discovering potential issues affecting employee morale. Standard intervals for longer surveys include monthly, quarterly, and semi-annually.

Another way to raise survey participation rates is to highlight the fact that surveys are anonymous. Anonymous surveys will often produce more genuine feedback, especially when you pair them with well-designed questions.

Group sessions and one-on-one meetings

While surveys are an excellent way to measure employee satisfaction and get an overview of the current situation, both group and individual meetings let you dig deeper and get more comprehensive answers. For these sessions to be effective, the company must foster a culture of open communication, where employees know that management hears and acknowledges their voices.

Both group and individual feedback meetings have challenges that you as a manager need to overcome.

Shy or socially anxious employees may be reluctant to speak up in front of an audience, or you may find that one or two individuals dominate the meeting by airing their grievances. However, group feedback meetings can provide an ideal space for brainstorming solutions and increasing employee satisfaction if properly managed.

Similarly, for one-on-one meetings, you need to nurture and trusting relationship when seeking input on employee satisfaction. However, these meetings do provide the best opportunity to identify barriers to employee satisfaction, with both manager and employee going in-depth about issues, concerns, and potential solutions.

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A motivated and productive workforce will take your business to new heights, while a demotivated one can lead you into a downward spiral. So it makes sense to fix problems fast, boost morale and get the best from your team.

That’s why giving constructive feedback to employees is important. If you want employees to perform at their best, you need to correct and guide them in the right direction. But delivering constructive feedback to employees can be tricky.

Thankfully, we’ve moved on from the days when feedback meant barking orders at people and issuing directives. We’ve learned that the negative approach doesn’t work. On the contrary, team members are most productive when they receive positive, constructive feedback.

Naturally, as a leader, you will get much better results when you help people and guide them in the right direction. Here's how!

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How to give constructive employee feedback that works

• Why give constructive feedback to employees?
• What does constructive employee feedback look like in the workplace?
• How to give constructive feedback that helps employees improve
• The amazing benefits of giving constructive feedback on a regular basis
• Differences between constructive and positive feedback
• The secret of constructive feedback

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Why give constructive feedback to employees?

When you look at the statistics, it soon becomes clear that people are crying out for more constructive and helpful feedback. Officevibe research on employee engagement shows that two-thirds of employees are unhappy with the quality of the feedback they receive.

Unsurprisingly, 96% of employees say that receiving feedback regularly is a good thing, while 62% wish they received more feedback from their colleagues. Employers who recognize these needs and take steps to fulfill them have a rosy future ahead.

What does constructive employee feedback look like in the workplace?

Good leaders remember that their teams are not anonymous human beings but real people with feelings. Every person has different hopes, ambitions, aspirations, fears, frustrations, and anxieties.

Constructive feedback takes all of these feelings into account. Even when used to address urgent problems, constructive feedback does so in a sympathetic and understanding way.

There are many different reasons why issues arise, many partially or wholly out of the individual's control. An employee with a new baby at home may be struggling to get enough sleep, causing them to be late for work or less productive than usual. A remote employee who has recently moved may have temporary Internet connection problems, slowing down communication. Always remember to be compassionate and strive to understand before jumping to conclusions.

How to give constructive feedback that helps employees improve

So how do you give helpful feedback to your team, exactly?

Firstly, remember that your role as a leader is to help and encourage. Your goal is to bring out the best in your team members, building on their strengths and negating weaknesses.

To help you, here are suggestions for giving constructive feedback to employees. These will provide you with a sound foundation for handling these conversations positively.

Be direct and specific

Beating about the bush won’t help. You will sometimes need to have difficult discussions with employees as a manager. When necessary, confront the problem head-on—but without being rude or aggressive.

Instead of blaming the employee for an unfortunate situation, turn the discussion around to answer the question 'why?' First, explain the issue at hand with the employee, discussing how it's impacted the team and the project. Once the impact is clear, you can discuss how the problem arose—and find out why the employee could not solve it.

{highlight}To avoid any confusion, you need to be specific, too. Ensure that the employee understands exactly what issue you are raising and the problem in detail. It's vitally important that you are on the same page to achieve an effective resolution.{highlight}

Set time aside to give feedback

As a busy manager, you have to keep a lot of plates spinning. Many of these may seem more important or more urgent than giving feedback to your team.

However, it's a mistake to skimp on allocating time for feedback sessions, even worse, to skip them altogether. You may be saving yourself some time in the short run, but you are just building up problems for the future.

So set aside a sensible amount of time for giving feedback to employees. And remember that this matter is far too important to deal with by email or online chat. Employees deserve your full attention and focus, so give feedback in person (whether face-to-face or over video chat).

You will find that the time invested is repaid many times over. Problems that seemed intractable can melt away after a single positive conversation.

{highlight}Pro tip: A one-on-one meeting software like Officevibe can help you plan these important meetings more easily with conversation prompts, centralized notes, and shared meeting agendas. Features like automated follow-ups make sure that feedback is regular and routine!{highlight}

Give praise

We all excel at some things while struggling with others. All of your team members will have strengths that are an asset to the team and weaker areas that need improvement.

Even if you have to tackle a negative situation in your feedback session, you can still find opportunities to praise employees. What small wins have they achieved recently? Where have they made improvements that deserve a thumbs-up?

Starting your feedback session with a bit of praise gets things off to a good start and will make the employee feel more comfortable. And if you can end the meeting with some recognition, too, so much the better!

Keep it informal

A meeting with 'the boss' may be a little intimidating for an employee. Insert this vibe into a formal setting, and the issue can magnify and create a further disconnect between employee and manager.

To alleviate these concerns, keep these meetings informal. Aim to approach it like you're having a friendly chat rather than a formal meeting.

Want to provide feedback in a way that seems less intimidating? Hold the meeting in a neutral location instead of in your office. A conversation in the staff cafeteria or even in your local coffee shop might be the way to go. You may even want to dress down a little to make the exchange more casual.

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Be genuine

Honesty and sincerity and fundamental building blocks of any working relationship. They are also chief to a successful meeting. So be genuine in your approach, whatever the subject of the discussion.

If you come across as being open and sincere, the employee is likely to respond in the same way. Then you will find you can make clear progress in moving things forward.

Listen to how the employee responds

Sure, you need to have your say and get your message across. But that’s only half the story. Being a good manager is very much about being a good listener.

Listen attentively—not just to the words but to the sentiment behind them. The way a person responds in a feedback session can reveal an awful lot about your team. Make sure you pick up on all such nuances.

Decide on the way forward together

Resolving conflicts and issues needs to be a collaborative process. If you dictate what should happen without consulting the employee, the outcome may be disappointing.

You need to ensure that the individual is on board with your ideas. Once you have talked things through, come to a joint decision on how you should proceed. Allow the employee to ‘own’ the decision—you may be amazed at how they respond!

Handle negative feedback with care

It's tough to downplay the negative feedback you will have from time to time. When that happens, it's best to handle the situation with kind gloves.

Here is where experience comes into play. But it can be learned, too! Experienced managers know how to give employee feedback the right way. When giving negative feedback, you need to balance this with positive aspects— to get the right result without causing additional drama.

The unique benefits of giving constructive feedback regularly

The short-term benefits of offering corrective feedback are good, but the long-term benefits are phenomenal.

Employees will become more confident, both in their work and sharing their feelings. As this constructive feedback loop continues, the benefits will compound. You can expect dramatic improvements in motivation, team morale, and productivity.

Differences between constructive and positive feedback

Although positive and constructive feedback have a lot in common, they are not the same. And it’s important to understand the difference.

With positive feedback, you point out positive behaviors and the good things the employee has achieved. You are giving praise as an end in itself.

But when offering constructive feedback, you show your team members how they can improve. This type of constructive feedback example could mean giving actionable advice highlighting a problem and showing them how to fix it.

The best managers know how to combine positive and constructive feedback to achieve the optimal result for everyone.

{highlight}Check out these constructive feedback examples to get more insight into how this works.{highlight}

The secret of constructive feedback

For any team leader, the ability to give constructive feedback to employees is essential. And the key to getting this right is seeing both sides of the story. Receiving feedback from employees is just as important as giving it.

That’s why many companies are finding great success using specialized employee feedback tools such as Officevibe. Officevibe uses engagement surveys to measure how team members feel and track trends over time.

For example, Workleap Officevibe’s Pulse Survey Tool measures 10 metrics and 26-sub employee engagement metrics. Easy-to-read reports make the data accessible and easy to understand.

Armed with the information from employee surveys, managers are then better positioned to deliver effective constructive feedback on the employee's performance. Data-backed insights can help reduce negative behaviors and contribute to professional development.

In today’s competitive business environment, it’s hard to retain and motivate good employees. Offering meaningful feedback to your people goes a long way to building a stronger company culture, cementing teams, and creating the productive atmosphere you need to succeed.

The results compound, and you can achieve extraordinary outcomes when you add in the power of technology to accelerate and improve your feedback loops. So now is the time to put these options to good use—provide constructive feedback and start gaining that all-important competitive advantage.

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This article was researched and written by Aurélie Michaud, former Data Scientist at Officevibe.

Only 55% of employees claim to strongly trust their manager, and just 1 in 3 feel that their manager fully understands their day-to-day reality.

Officevibe’s employee Pulse Survey database

When we came across these statistics, we wanted to investigate where that disconnect comes from. In Officevibe’s employee survey software, follow-up questions prompt employees to share anonymous feedback explaining their responses in more detail. So we analyzed over 140,000 anonymous feedback messages from employees across the world, to better understand what these real employees expect from their managers.

One of our biggest findings is that better manager-employee relations come down to one simple thing: the manager being a part of the team.

Employees expressed that when their manager acts as an outsider from their team, and not a real member, it becomes a barrier to building a fully trusting and understanding relationship.

Keep reading to get a full picture of the connections we uncovered. Plus, how you can apply these learnings to your own management style.

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The learnings from our research:

• Understanding employee challenges
• Supporting transparency and trust
• How to become a part of the team

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Understanding employee challenges

Between project management, improving team alignment, working toward business objectives, managing up, and staying connected with other team leaders, managers have their hands full. And this means that being fully aware of their team members’ pain points can be difficult.

1 in 5 employees are not convinced that their manager understands the challenges they face at work.

Officevibe Pulse Survey data

In the anonymous feedback messages we analyzed on this point, many employees expressed feeling like their manager did not have the time or interest to get a clear view of the struggles they faced in their everyday work. While managers likely want to be present with their team members, employees may not perceive these intentions. Often all they see is a manager who’s “too busy.”

Manager participation in team discussions

For employees who don’t feel their manager is aware of their challenges at work, the problem is often rooted in a lack of communication. But most of the employee feedback messages asked for more presence from the manager in the day-to-day life of the team, rather than more frequent one-on-one meetings. Many employees expressed that they did not really crave a more privileged personal relationship with their team leader. Instead, they wished that their manager was more involved in daily group conversations.

In other words, employees expressed that the best way managers can support them is by being present to listen to them during team discussions. And, as one employee put it, it’s not only about being present, but also showing interest:

Better communication, more understanding

For those who do feel like their superior understands their reality, the manager’s presence within the team was key, too. This came down to better visibility. Employees felt like their manager being embedded in the team made them more aware of the roadblocks each person faced. They also indicated that this dynamic successfully promoted mutual understanding.

Employees often mentioned the need for ongoing conversations in their responses. So it was without surprise that we found a 53% correlation between how aware of employee pain points managers are, and how satisfied employees are towards the frequency of their communication with their manager.

The more often managers communicate with their teams, the more likely they are to understand their challenges. Many Officevibe messages put it simply: presence in the team leads to visibility, and visibility leads to better understanding.

Supporting transparency and building trust

At this point, we were convinced that the embedment of managers within their teams could promote better communication and visibility of team challenges. And, our analysis revealed that having the manager be part of the team could have even deeper benefits.

Employees whose managers participate in the team’s daily lives feel that they receive more organizational information and updates.

This nurtures the feeling that their manager is transparent with them. Time and time again in the feedback, it appeared that employees whose managers are keeping them “in the loop” felt more valued and trusted. This creates a better employee-manager relationship. One employee explained:

A sense of fairness and equality

We were also struck by another point that was made by several employees in their Officevibe feedback. Team communication creates a sense of equality and fairness on the team. When a manager shares news with the entire team, employees know that they're given access to the same level of information as their peers. This one aspect was key for many survey respondents.

The fear of being left out or disadvantaged compared to colleagues is a source of distrust and disengagement for workers. Managers can ease this by favoring team communication.

This is not to say that employees don’t value their one-on-one meetings with their manager—these are still essential to effective manager-employee communications. But when it comes to information sharing and visibility, employees want to feel that their manager is being fair and the entire team is treated equally.

The power of sharing

The good news for managers is that when they offer visibility to their team, they will likely also get it in return. In fact, we found a 69% correlation between a manager’s perceived transparency and their perceived openness to employee opinions. In other words, employees who find their manager to be transparent also feel that they're welcome to share what’s on their mind.

By being a real member of their team, managers can foster a dynamic of mutual trust. It helps to keep the conversation going with their team members, and welcomes upward feedback from employees. Employees feel trusted to receive information, and they also feel more inclined to share their own ideas—it’s a win-win!

{highlight}Do you struggle with how to communicate important information to your team? Try our 4-step framework for communicating change.{highlight}

How can managers become a part of their team?

The results of our analysis on Officevibe anonymous feedback messages left no doubt that, for managers to have amazing relationships with their employees, they need to be more present with their team. But how can this be achieved?

How can team leaders increase their presence in the team and their involvement in conversations, without becoming micromanagers?

1. Frequent, informal team check-ins

First, it’s not about being present with the team at every hour of every day. That’s not what employees want, and it’s also not realistic for managers. Instead, employees who are satisfied with their manager’s role within the team often use the term “check-in” to describe the type of interactions they have with them. Frequent, informal 5-minute conversations with the team appear to be the most effective approach for staying involved, without being too involved.

2. Facilitating two-way communication

How managers approach these quick chats is also key. What employees expect from their managers are two-way conversations, where they get to share and receive information. We found that when managers simply ask for updates without disclosing any news from their side, employees are less likely to voice their opinions and to be honest with their manager.

This dynamic is founded in trust. To develop a trusting manager-employee relationship, employees need to feel that they are valued members of the team, and that their manager is not only interested in supervising their work. So when managers check in with their team, they should think about what valuable information they have to share in addition to discussing their team’s current work. When asked about what makes them trust their manager, one survey respondent said:

3. Balancing conversations effectively

Finally, our study highlighted the importance of balancing the type of interactions managers have with their team members. Individual and sensitive subjects such as career development, personal feedback, and performance management should still be discussed in one-on-one meetings. But, when it comes to understanding the team’s reality and fostering transparency, presence in group rituals like daily stand-up meetings or virtual social hours truly makes a difference.

Employees expect a manager who's their equal

When managers become more embedded in their teams, it can have a host of benefits. They're able to better understand employee challenges, establish healthy levels of transparency, and ultimately, build trust with their teams. The trick is setting the right tone with their presence so it doesn't trickle into micromanagement.

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Key takeaways for managers:

• Show up for team meetings, and be present and engaged.
• Contribute to team discussions without always having the 'final say'.
• Increase your information sharing and share big news in a group setting.
• Make room for two-way communication with your team members.
• Reserve time for private, individual conversations with employees.

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When you go into work, how often are you being given advice or feedback from your management?

The tayloristic approach is to give employees the task and expect them to succeed. They do the same thing over and over and the paycheck is the reward. No questions asked.

However, we have advanced in workplaces since the early 1900's. Labor and productivity has increased, but unfortunately, happiness and communication between management, has been on the decline, till now.

HR managers are using advanced metrics and data to better their office. Employee engagement survey tools have been a new craze that people are using in order to receive employee feedback.

Employee feedback is becoming a major point of emphasis as of late, as managers are utilizing feedback to make workplaces better and recognizing their employees by giving them more than the metaphoric pat on the back.

The importance of employee feedback is undeniable.

The feedback they're obtaining from employees is coming in many forms, recognition platforms, employee surveys, and even employee engagement platforms. And the endgame is to give and get information from the employee and managers.

But before we can improve, we have to look at what's wrong. So here are some employee feedback statistics:

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1. Are Employees Feeling Appreciated?

39% of employees report that they don’t feel appreciated at work.

As I've mentioned previously, employee recognition is a humongous deal! When you're employees are not feeling appreciated it's really hard for them to accept any form of feedback.

Think about when you work with a horrible boss. Do you really want to listen to anything that they may have to say as advice?

If you're a manager my advice would be to spend some more time with your employees and really getting to know them. Like that, you'll be able to get to know how to properly word any feedback that you may have for them. Remember, the best communicators are the ones that know their audience.

{emphasize}💡Find out how to deliver the perfect feedback with our best employee feedback examples for every situation.{emphasize}

2. Can Employee Feedback Lower Turnover?

It's quite simple, if there a regular amount of feedback, your company will be able to lower employee turnover.

This is one of those things that companies like Google and Zappos get right; they make sure to constantly communicate with their employees and create an atmosphere that is caring and caters to employees.

Keep it simple and as a manager give constant real-time feedback to your employees.

3. The Last Thing You Want Is To Have Disengaged Employees

Quite frankly, it's bad to have disengaged employees. They are wasting the company's time, along with their own. It's also estimated that employees who are not engaged cost the U.S economy about $500 billion per year.

When you lower the chances of disengaged employees, your office will be able to run at full force. Think about it like an athlete, if you have an injury, you're not going to be able to go full speed. So take all the preventative measures to (metaphorically) minimize the chance of injury.

4. You Can Engage Employees By Giving Feedback

When your office open the communication floodgates between leadership and employees, it'll be able to thrive as a workplace.

When managers start looking at the strengths of their employees, they will be able to match up teams/groups better and allow projects to be completed faster. So give your employees constant feedback and get to know their strengths (and weaknesses), it'll make you a better leader.

5. Lack Of Employee Feedback Leads To Disengagement

Being actively disengaged means that you really hate your job. When someone feels like this, they're looking for a way to get out of the company asap.

So when you're not giving employees feedback, whether it's positive or negative, they're becoming stagnant and they don't feel as if they belong. So start providing feedback in order to keep your employees.

6. Highly Engaged Employees Receive Feedback

On the other end of the spectrum, if an employee is getting a lot of feedback they feel as if they're a large part of the company, thus, making feel engaged with the vision and values of the company.

As a manager take some time every week to hear your employees out and listen to what they have to say. It can really make all the difference.

7. Majority Of Employees Want To Be Recognized

Over half of your employees want to be led a little more.

Are you sending out the right vibes when you're out in the office? Are you really trying to make your company's employees be heard and satisfied? Try a bit harder to give your employees the feedback that they want ... and don't want. It'll make you a better leader, and them a better employee.

8. A Little More Than Half Of Managers Think They're Good

Think about that statistic, a little over half of managers think they're good at communicating and giving feedback. So how many of them are actually viewed as good by all their employees? Probably a lot less.

Either way, the number still has room for improvement. Managers need to focus on making their employees better, and the real way of doing so is giving them feedback.

9. Only 2% Are Actively Engaged Post Feedback

This goes back to some of the numbers that have been posted here previously. But there is a bit of a chicken and egg theory to this one. Are the employee not feeling engaged because they're already disengaged before and they don't care anymore? Or is because from that moment on they stopped caring?

Regardless, managers need to be more careful when instituting employee feedback methods, as it may be detrimental  to the employees growth.

10. Employee Recognition Needs To Be A Thing

We had written an extensive blog about the importance of employee recognition and even worked with some of the leaders in the industry.

That's right, it's important to have an initiative set up to begin recognizing employees. So start giving them feedback and mentioning some of their previous accomplishments in order to show that you appreciate them.

11. Being Recognized Helps You Work Better

As we alluded to previously, when employees are getting feedback, it means that they're getting recognized . For better or worse, they are getting spoken to by a leader within their company.

Where we are coming at with this article is that it's extremely vital for your employees to have communication with their managers. It's going to lead to a lot of success in the future for the individual and the company.

This is something that can be changed immediately. As a manager, just go up to your employees and start letting them know of your thoughts and feelings toward their work. So be the change and your office's catalyst. Start working better.

Thoughts On Employee Feedback?

Do you have any tips and tricks that you may want to share with the audience to better employee feedback? Let us know your thoughts on twitter @Officevibe.

Hybrid work is no longer just a trend — it's the new norm. But that doesn’t mean it's not without its challenges, and maintaining a strong company culture in such an environment is one of them.  

HR experts have their employees’ well-being at the forefront of their responsibilities. How do they ensure remote employees feel just as included and valued as those in the office? How can they foster a cohesive, engaged, and productive team when people aren’t in the same physical space?  

If you’re asking yourself those same questions, look no further! This article covers the practical strategies to help you create a thriving hybrid work culture in your own organization.

Too good to be true? The challenges of hybrid work

Unless the world plans to return to the Middle Ages, the hybrid work model is here to stay. And there are plenty of good reasons for that! Flexibility, improved work-life balance, and access to a broader talent pool are just a few of the advantages that hybrid work offers. 

Still, it’s not without its hurdles. According to a study by Buffer, even if nearly 97% of remote workers expressed their desire to continue working remotely some of the time, many feel disconnected from their teams. 

The disconnect hybrid teams feel can lead to communication breakdowns and feelings of isolation. It can cause uneven access to resources, like in-office perks, information sharing, or mentorship opportunities that leave remote employees at a disadvantage.  

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Breaking down common issues faced by hybrid teams 

Understanding the common pain points of hybrid workers is the first step to creating a more connected and productive workplace. So, what kind of challenges are we talking about here? 

• Communication barriers: When your team is split between the office and home, communication can take a hit. Remote employees might feel left out of the loop, especially when they miss those spontaneous office chats that build camaraderie.

• Unequal access to resources: Not everyone has the same setup at home as they do in the office. A remote worker might be stuck with slower internet or outdated tools, which can put them at a disadvantage compared to their in-office colleagues who have direct access to IT support.

• Fragmented culture: A split work environment can sometimes create an "us versus them" vibe. Remote employees might feel like they're on the outside looking in, especially when they miss out on team events or informal gatherings, leading to a sense of disconnection.

• Lower engagement and productivity: When remote workers start to feel isolated, it can take a toll on their motivation. This lack of engagement can lead to lower productivity, with potential ripple effects like missed deadlines or reduced overall morale.

Whether it's communication hiccups or feeling out of the loop, these issues can strain team dynamics. But, by being proactive, you can keep your team engaged, supported, and thriving — no matter where they’re working from. 

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Impact of a fragmented culture on engagement and productivity 

When a hybrid work culture starts to splinter, the effects are real and noticeable. Employees who feel cut off from their team are less likely to be engaged. And, as we’ve seen before, the relationship between employee engagement and productivity is strong. 

But a drop in engagement caused by disconnection doesn’t just slow down individual productivity — it can also affect the morale of the entire team. Even the ones in the office. Over time, this can lead to higher turnover rates because employees eventually seek out workplaces where they feel more included and appreciated. 

The trick is to build an environment where everyone feels like they belong, whether they’re working from home or the office. This means HR leaders and managers must make a conscious effort to close the gap between remote and in-office workers, ensuring everyone has the same access to resources and opportunities. If not addressed, these issues can cause major problems company-wide. 

So, how do you keep everything running smoothly in a hybrid setup?

Hybrid? No problem. Communication and collaboration are the keys.

Imagine providing your employees with an instruction manual, but where one-half of the team reads only the left-hand side of pages and the other half reads only the right side. It’s not going to go well. But that’s exactly what poor communication in a hybrid team feels like. 

And look — we’re not exaggerating. According to Gartner, 70% of hybrid teams struggle with communication, which often leads to things like project delays and job dissatisfaction. 

This might sound simple, but fostering good communication and collaboration dynamics is the secret to creating a great hybrid work culture (and ensuring it sticks). To keep your team aligned, it’s essential to set up clear communication channels and practices that connect remote and in-office employees seamlessly. 

Creating leadership best practices for hybrid teams 

Leading a hybrid team effectively requires a fresh set of strategies that prioritize connection, clarity, and community.  

Share these tips with your managers to encourage them to rise to the occasion: 

1. Overcommunicate (but don’t overwhelm): In a hybrid setup, it’s easy for remote workers to feel out of the loop. Regular communication helps bridge that gap.

{highlight}Use a mix of communication channels — email, instant messaging, and video calls — to keep everyone informed. Send out weekly updates summarizing key projects and priorities and ensure they reach both remote and in-office team members. {highlight}

2. Set clear expectations: Ambiguity can lead to misunderstandings and frustration, especially when team members are scattered.

{highlight}Clearly outline tasks, deadlines, and the preferred methods of communication. Create a shared document that details team norms, like response times for messages or guidelines for virtual meetings.{highlight}

3. Foster inclusivity: Remote employees often miss out on impromptu office discussions and social events, which can make them feel excluded.

{highlight}Make inclusivity a priority by scheduling regular virtual social events, like team lunches or coffee breaks. During meetings, ensure that remote workers have equal opportunities to contribute by actively inviting their input. {highlight}

4. Regular check-ins: Personal connections are harder to maintain remotely, but they’re essential for a cohesive team.

Schedule regular one-on-one check-ins to discuss not just work progress, but also personal well-being. These conversations help managers understand the unique challenges remote employees may face and offer support where needed.

5. Lead by example: Employees take cues from their leaders. If you prioritize communication, transparency, and well-being, your team will likely follow suit.

{highlight}Be transparent about your own challenges and successes with hybrid work. Show your team that it’s okay to set boundaries and take breaks when needed. {highlight}

6. Provide the right tools: The right tools can make hybrid work seamless, while the wrong ones can cause frustration and inefficiency.

{highlight}Ensure your team has access to reliable communication and project management tools. Provide training on how to use these tools effectively, and be open to feedback on what’s working and what’s not. {highlight}

Tips for improving virtual communication 

Effective virtual communication is crucial for a thriving hybrid team, and HR leaders play a pivotal role in shaping the policies that make it possible. Here are some strategies to guide your organization: 

Tip #1 Establish comprehensive communication policies

Clear communication policies reduce misunderstandings and ensure alignment across teams. As an HR leader, define and disseminate guidelines for response times, preferred communication channels, and meeting norms. Make sure these policies are well-documented and accessible, so managers and teams can easily adhere to them. 

Tip #2 Optimize the use of video calls

Video calls can strengthen personal connections more effectively than emails or instant messages. Encourage managers to schedule regular video meetings that are purposeful, while also advising them to be mindful of video call fatigue. Use video for discussions that benefit from a personal touch, such as brainstorming sessions or one-on-one check-ins. 

Tip #3 Foster informal communication channels

HR leaders can facilitate virtual water cooler moments by promoting tools and spaces for casual, non-work conversations. Encourage the use of dedicated chat threads for informal interactions and suggest managers start meetings with a few minutes of casual conversation to help build team bonds. 

Tip #4 Promote the use of instant messaging

Empower teams to reduce unnecessary meetings and emails by leveraging instant messaging tools like Slack or Teams. HR can set guidelines for when these tools should be used for quick updates, questions, or check-ins, ensuring they are integrated seamlessly into the daily workflow. 

Workleap’s recommended tools to facilitate collaboration 

Choosing the right tools and technology is crucial for seamless hybrid collaboration. Here are some essentials that both your in-office and remote teams can benefit from: 

Communication platforms

These platforms are the lifeline of hybrid teams, enabling real-time communication.

• We recommend: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom.

• Pro tip: Choose a platform that supports both group and one-on-one communication, and make sure everyone is comfortable using it.

Project management tools

Keeping track of tasks and deadlines is harder when your team isn’t all in one place.

• We recommend: Asana, Trello, Monday.com.

• Pro tip: Use these tools to assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress. Regularly review project boards to ensure everyone is on track.

File sharing and collaboration

Seamless file sharing ensures that all team members have access to the same resources, no matter where they are.

• We recommend: Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive.

• Pro tip: Organize files in a way that’s easy to navigate and set permissions to protect sensitive information.

Virtual whiteboards

Virtual whiteboards are great for brainstorming and collaborative problem-solving.

• We recommend: Miro, MURAL.

• Pro tip: Use these tools during brainstorming sessions or when you need to map out complex ideas. They’re super useful for visual thinkers too.

Time-tracking tools

These tools help manage time effectively, especially for remote workers who might struggle with work-life boundaries.

• We recommend: Toggl, Harvest.

• Pro tip: Use time-tracking tools to monitor project hours, but avoid using them to micromanage. The goal is to help employees manage their time, not to track every minute they spend working.

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Why open and transparent communication matters 

Open communication is the backbone of a cohesive hybrid team. Everyone should feel safe expressing their opinions, whether they’re remote or in-office. Genuine open communication should also be two-way: we call that the feedback loop. 

In hybrid settings, it’s easy to forget to update everyone — so try to create a system where regular updates on company progress, changes, and challenges are shared universally. 

Want to gauge how your hybrid setup scores on communication? Regular surveys or open forums where employees can share their thoughts are good place to start.  

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Hybrid success: Building a cohesive hybrid culture

Navigating the hybrid work environment can be tricky, but getting it right is crucial for your team’s success. The key to thriving in this setting lies in fostering trust, creating a sense of belonging, and implementing hybrid-friendly policies that are both flexible and fair. 

Building trust and accountability 

In a hybrid setup, trust is a must-have. Without it, accountability suffers, and team dynamics can quickly deteriorate. 85% of leaders have trouble trusting that remote employees are working productively —  but up to 80% of remote productivity gets lost through miscommunication. So, there’s room for improvement. Being transparent by keeping everyone in the loop, no matter where they’re working from, is a great foundation for trust building. Plus, fostering relationships through virtual hangouts or the occasional in-person meetup will boost trust through connection. Setting clear expectations and celebrating wins across the board will also keep everyone motivated and accountable to one another. 

Creating a sense of belonging 

Making everyone feel like they belong in a hybrid team is crucial. When employees feel connected, they’re more engaged and stick around — and it takes a bit more effort to make that happen when there’s no physical space to bring everyone together. Keeping communication inclusive and regular (think team check-ins, virtual social events, and open forums) makes sure everyone feels part of the same conversation. Reinforcing company values and celebrating the diverse backgrounds and perspectives in your team are other ways to bridge the gap across a workforce. When everyone feels seen and included, they’re more likely to be engaged. 

Implementing hybrid-friendly work policies 

For hybrid work to really work, policies need to be both flexible and fair. While 52% of employees prefer more flexibility, it’s important to balance that with clear policies that ensure productivity and inclusivity. It’s important to creating policies that work for both remote and in-office staff, such as flexible hours and remote workdays. Scheduling challenges should be tackled with shared calendars and meetings that fit everyone’s schedule. Lastly, and most importantly, HR leaders must ensure remote workers have equal professional development opportunities via virtual training sessions and online courses — as this can easily become an afterthought! 

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Spotlight: Workleap’s Communication and Collaboration Playbook

At Workleap, we've fine-tuned our hybrid work approach, turning it into a well-oiled machine. How? By sticking to a few key principles that keep our teams connected and effective, no matter where they’re working. 

7. Written and asynchronous communication: We rely on clear, concise written communication, allowing team members to absorb and respond at their own pace.

8. Optional office attendance: The office is always an option, never a requirement. We trust our team to choose the environment where they work best.

9. Virtual first: Even when we're in the same physical space, we prioritize virtual teamwork to maintain consistency and inclusivity.

10. Healthy disconnect: Disconnecting is encouraged. We respect boundaries and ensure that everyone takes the time they need to recharge.

11. Proactive communication: We don’t wait for updates to come to us; we actively reach out, keeping the flow of information steady and transparent.

Curious about how we make hybrid work, work? We’re happy to share more about our approach! Learn more about our work culture here. 

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Creating a cohesive hybrid work culture that works

Building a cohesive, engaged, and productive hybrid work culture isn’t easy — but with the right strategies, it’s absolutely achievable. By focusing on communication, trust, inclusion, and flexibility, HR leaders can bridge the gap between remote and in-office employees, creating a work environment where everyone feels valued and motivated. 

For more insights and tips on navigating the hybrid work environment, check out our blog on building hybrid work culture. 

Managers have a huge impact on how employees feel about their jobs. When managers are on top of their game, their teams are engaged, productive, and just plain happier. But when they’re not? Well, you can guess how that goes. 

As an HR pro, you know manager productivity is important. But here’s the thing: Enabling managers to be their best selves is just one of a million things on your to-do list. Whether you’re flying solo or leading an HR team, you simply don’t have the time to create detailed manager enablement programs from scratch or keep tabs on every little thing managers do.

But don’t worry — we’ve got your back. This article is packed with ready-to-use templates, tools, and resources that’ll help you boost manager productivity without burning yourself out. 

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Why HR is key to enabling manager productivity

Where fast-paced hybrid setups and digital overload are the norm, managers are facing more challenges than ever. With only 34% of U.S. employees feeling engaged at work, it’s clear that middle managers, who juggle countless responsibilities, need support. When managers struggle, the whole team feels it — engagement drops, productivity suffers, and turnover increases. That’s where HR steps in. By prioritizing manager productivity, HR can create a ripple effect, boosting engagement and driving team success across the board. 

How productivity happens (and how HR can support it)

Understanding how productivity works is key to helping managers stay on top of their game. It’s not just about telling each other to work harder — it’s about understanding how our brains work.  

It’s not about willpower 

It turns out our brains don’t always help us stay on task. For instance, did you know that procrastination often happens because our brains like to tackle simple tasks first? This isn’t just laziness — it’s how we’re wired. HR can step in by creating systems that encourage managers to focus on what really matters, regardless of how they’re feeling in the moment. 

The Zeigarnik effect 

One key concept to understand is the Zeigarnik effect — the idea that unfinished tasks weigh heavily on our minds, causing stress and distraction. By helping managers prioritize and complete tasks effectively, HR can reduce this mental burden and keep managers focused and less overwhelmed. Additionally, HR can promote the importance of breaks and focused work periods, much like how athletes pace themselves during a marathon. These breaks are vital for maintaining productivity over the long haul.

Reconsider multitasking

Multitasking isn't for everyone. Sometimes, when people try to juggle too many things at once, their efficiency plummets. HR can support managers by encouraging single-tasking — focusing on one task at a time to get better results. This might involve providing tools that help managers set clear priorities and minimize distractions, ensuring they can give their full attention to each task. 

By understanding these aspects of productivity, HR can craft training programs and systems that help managers stay productive regardless of their natural inclinations. It’s about setting them up for success with the right tools, knowledge, and support.

HR toolkit: Scalable solutions for manager productivity

The ideal scenario is that your productivity support tactics have longevity. That’s why scalable solutions are your best bet. The goal here is to provide managers with tools that are easy to use and consistently deliver great results, all while keeping your workload manageable. 

Templates, resources, and tools to boost productivity

Effective management is all about having the right tools available. Streamlining processes with templates, resources, and software can make a significant difference in boosting productivity. These resources are designed to simplify complex tasks and improve efficiency to boost productivity. 

Here’s how you can leverage these tools to enhance managerial effectiveness: 

1. Welcome guide for new managers 

Starting a new managerial role can be overwhelming. That’s why a solid welcome guide is a must. It sets the tone, introduces key processes, and gets new managers up to speed quickly. A good guide should cover everything from how to communicate with their team to the tools they’ll be using. Need a place to start? The Workleap New Manager Guide is a great resource. 

2. Manager training courses 

Learning never stops, especially for managers. It's crucial to keep them engaged and constantly improving their skills. With a learning management system, you can easily set up training courses that cater to your managers’ needs, from handling remote teams to improving time management. And with Workleap LMS, it's all customizable.  

3. One-on-one meeting templates 

One-on-ones are where the magic happens. These meetings are key to addressing issues, clarifying roles, and setting expectations. But let’s be honest — planning and tracking meetings can be a hassle. That’s where templates come in handy.  

Meetings for poor performance 

Leverage this template to address performance issues effectively. Discuss specific concerns, set expectations, and agree on action steps. This approach ensures that the conversation is constructive and focused on improvement. 

Regular one-on-ones meetings 

These meetings are essential for ongoing feedback, support, and alignment. Using a consistent template helps maintain focus and ensures that both parties are prepared, leading to more productive conversations. 

Meetings to address disengagement 

You may start to see signs of disengagement through your pulse surveys or engagement tools. React fast by equipping your managers with this template for addressing disengagement.  

Meetings to clarify roles and responsibilities 

Use these meetings to clear up any confusion about roles. A good template will guide the discussion, helping both manager and employee define expectations and responsibilities clearly. 

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💡 Pro tip: Track performance in Workleap Officevibe 

Workleap Officevibe’s performance management feature allows you to document one-on-one meetings, follow up on action items, and monitor progress. This keeps everyone accountable and ensures continuity between meetings. 

Whether you’re dealing with a performance issue or just doing a regular check-in, having a template saves time and ensures consistency. Tools like Workleap Officevibe can also help you track these meetings so nothing falls through the cracks. 

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4. Team-building exercises 

A team that trusts each other works better together. Simple as that. Whether it’s fun icebreakers for new hires or trust-building activities for established teams, these exercises are essential for keeping the team spirit high.  

Sample meet-the-team questions 

Start with icebreaker questions to help team members connect on a personal level. This can be as simple as “What’s your favorite hobby?” or “What’s one skill you want to learn?” 

Want more? Grab a list of "get to know your staff" questions here.  

Onboarding video templates 

Managers can create engaging onboarding videos using an LMS to introduce new hires to the team. This ensures that new employees feel welcomed and informed from day one. Grab these templates to streamline video creation. 

Trust-building templates 

Implement trust-building exercises like team challenges or problem-solving activities. Your managers can also leverage these trust-building questions in their next one-on-ones.  

5. Team and individual goal-setting guides 

Setting goals is like giving your team a roadmap to success. Whether for the whole team or individual members, clear goals help everyone stay focused and aligned with the company’s objectives. With these templates, all your managers can be aligned on how they set goals with their teams and reports.  

Team goal setting 

Set team goals that align with the organization’s objectives using a collaborative approach. This template can help structure these sessions, ensuring that all voices are heard and that goals are clearly defined and actionable. 

Individual career development plan  

Assist employees in creating career development plans that align with their personal aspirations and the company’s needs. This guide (with a template attached!) will ensure that these plans are comprehensive and actionable, contributing to individual productivity. 

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💡 Pro tip: Use Workleap Officevibe to help managers document goals

Workleap Officevibe’s goal-setting feature allows managers and employees to set, track, and adjust goals over time. This tool helps ensure that goals are aligned, progress is monitored, and achievements are celebrated. 

HR can support managers by providing goal-setting templates and career development plans. And with tools like Workleap Officevibe, tracking progress is a breeze.

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Implementing the right templates, resources, and tools can transform managerial efficiency and productivity. These solutions not only support your managers but also contribute to a much more cohesive and motivated team. 

Mastering prioritization: 5 tips to pass on to managers 

To improve your manager’s prioritization skills, we’ve distilled key insights from research and expert advice. Apply these tips to boost productivity and help managers stay on top of their tasks. 

1. Address team needs first 

Encourage managers to be proactive about understanding and solving team issues before they escalate. Survey and feedback tools can help managers monitor team well-being well-being and know what to prioritize. 

2. Use a tier system 

Organization is an essential skill for every manager — and something you can help them develop. A great practice is to apply systems like priority tiers: 

• Tier 1: High-priority tasks needing a manager’s direct involvement. 

• Tier 2: Important but less urgent tasks that can be delegated or outsourced. 

• Tier 3: Routine tasks that can be handled independently by their team. 

This tier system helps managers quickly assess whether their attention is required or if tasks can be managed by others. 

3. Apply a prioritization method 

Suggest managers use the Eisenhower Decision Matrix to sort tasks by urgency and importance. This method helps identify what to delegate and what to decline based on two criteria: importance and urgency. It’s a good trick for streamlining a manager’s workload and making their own to-do lists feel less daunting. 

4. Trust and delegate 

Effective delegation hinges on trust. Managers need to empower their teams to handle tasks independently — that’s the only way to nurture self-sufficient employees. There’s a big difference between giving support and limiting an employee’s opportunities for growth. Encourage managers to embrace trust and delegation, even if it’s not always easy, as this will allow them to focus on higher-level responsibilities. 

5. Adjust digital habits 

This is a good tip for everyone (manager or not)! Productivity can be improved when digital distractions are well managed. Suggest to your managers to: 

• Turn off unnecessary notifications. 

• Check emails and messages at scheduled times. 

• Reduce or eliminate meetings where possible. 

By applying these changes, managers also communicate healthy habits to their team and ensure they maintain clarity and availability for urgent issues. 

The HR edge: Enabling your managers to drive team excellence 

When managers are productive, their teams and the entire organization benefit. And while enabling manager productivity might seem like just another task on your never-ending HR to-do list, it doesn’t have to be. By leveraging ready-made templates, tools, and resources, you can absolutely make a big impact by helping managers without a ton of extra work. 

So, start working smarter, not harder! With the right tools in place, you’ll be able to support your managers effectively and ensure consistency across the board.  

Ready to get started? Check out tools like Workleap Officevibe to help track one-on-ones, engagement data, goals, and more. With the right support, your managers — and their teams — will be unstoppable. 

Stress, burnout, and low morale — these challenges are all too familiar in today’s high-pressure workplaces. This not only affects employee well-being but also impacts performance and overall company culture. As a result, many companies grapple with how to create an environment where employees feel supported and productive.  

The answer? Mindfulness. 

That’s right! Mindful practices, like deep breathing and being present, can be a game-changer for both individual well-being and collective experience. This isn’t just philosophical — there’s real science behind it! 

Sounds interesting, right? Keep reading, as this article explores the why’s and how’s of mindfulness: why it matters at work and how it can transform your workplace for the better. Plus, we’ve included a few tips HR leaders can suggest to managers.  

Understanding mindfulness and why it matters 

Mindfulness has been buzzing across the world of work, but it’s so much more than just a buzzword. And the science behind mindfulness shows that it’s a powerful tool for improving mental and emotional well-being — which directly impacts work performance and job satisfaction.

What is mindfulness in the workplace? 

First, let’s get on the same page. What is mindfulness, exactly? And how does it translate into the workplace? 

Mindfulness is all about being fully present and engaged in the moment. It’s a mental state where you’re aware of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings rather than being overly reactive or overwhelmed by what's happening around you. In the workplace, practicing mindfulness can lead to better focus, enhanced creativity, and higher productivity levels. 

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What does work-friendly mindfulness look like? 

• Desk meditation: Taking a few minutes each day to sit quietly, focus on your breath, and let go of distracting thoughts. These moments can be done before, during, or at the end of a workday. 

• Breathing exercises: Simply focusing on your breath as it goes in and out can help ground you in the present moment. This can be done at your desk between tasks. There are also great apps for this! 

• Mindful eating: Enjoying a snack or lunch without distractions (no phone or emails) and focusing on the taste and texture. This is similar to body scans, which involve mentally scanning areas of tension and consciously relaxing them. 

• Mindful walking: Paying attention to the sensation of your feet touching the ground and your surroundings as you walk, during a solo walk to the coffee machine or a brief stroll around the office.

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The science of mindfulness at work: More than just a buzzword 

In a busy work environment, it’s easy to get caught up in the rush of tasks, deadlines, and meetings. But this constant state of ‘doing’ can lead to stress and decreased job satisfaction. Mindfulness helps employees slow their roll, reset, and approach their tasks with a clearer mind. 

Here’s a bit of science for you: Medical studies have shown that mindfulness can physically alter the brain, increasing gray matter in areas associated with learning, memory, and emotional regulation. In other words, regular mindfulness practices can actually make you better at managing stress, staying focused, and navigating complex tasks — which is a plus for any professional. 

Pretty cool, right? 

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💭 Sit down with Dr. Joe Flanders: For more on how mindfulness intersects with workplace wellness, don’t miss our interview with Dr. Flanders, founder and regional director of MindSpace, and workplace stress and personal growth expert in our “Vibe” magazine. You can download it here.

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How mindfulness can help teams thrive: The employee benefits 

By integrating mindfulness, you can cultivate a work environment where employees are happier, healthier, and more engaged. This isn't just about boosting productivity — it’s about creating a space where your team feels supported and motivated. Productivity is simply a result of the positive ripple effect of a mindful workplace.

Let’s look at the tangible benefits mindfulness can bring to your team in a bit more detail: 

Mindfulness reduces stress and burnout 

Stress is a common issue in any workplace, but when left unchecked, it can lead to burnout. Mindfulness practices can help employees manage their stress levels more effectively because they encourage a pause in the day. This allows employees to take a step back and approach their work with a fresh perspective when things get too hectic—ultimately reducing the risk of burnout. 

{highlight}A recent European study demonstrated that mindfulness-based programs could help reduce the effect of burnout — by up to 67%! {highlight}

Mindfulness enhances focus and concentration

In a world full of distractions, staying focused can be a challenge. Mindfulness practices help train the mind to concentrate better on the task at hand.  

Regular practice can help employees stay on track, reduce distractions, and improve their overall productivity. It’s like giving your mind a workout to build its focus muscles! 

{highlight}Research has connected the dots between mindfulness and meaningfulness. Employees utilizing mindfulness techniques at work feel more connected to their jobs, which in turn enhances their work engagement and focus. {highlight}

Mindfulness helps improve emotional regulation 

Workplaces are social environments, and emotions play a significant role in how we interact with others. Employees who practice mindfulness are better equipped to manage their emotions, leading to improved relationships with colleagues and a more harmonious work environment. 

{highlight}According to a collection of studies by HBR, mindfulness can be especially useful for roles with high interpersonal interaction —  leading to better workplace relationships and reduced conflict.{highlight}

Consider how stress and overwhelm show up in your teams and explore the ways mindfulness can help everyone. Of course, mindfulness isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s more like a toolkit where employees choose what works best for them, where small changes lead to a big impact.

Creating a mindful organization: The business benefits

Fostering a positive work environment is crucial for the overall health of the business, too. HR leaders have the power to initiate a ripple effect of engagement and satisfaction across teams, which then reflects in organizational performance.

So, how does mindfulness tie into the wider picture? 

Mindfulness increases productivity (the people-centric way!) 

While the link between productivity and mindfulness is clear, it’s important to approach the topic of productivity from a people-first perspective. Mindfulness shouldn’t be seen as a tool to squeeze more work out of employees. Instead, it should be about helping employees manage their workload more effectively, reducing stress, and creating a work environment that supports their well-being.  

Remember: When employees feel supported and less stressed, they naturally become more productive — without feeling like they’re being pushed to the brink. 

{highlight}General Mills found that 80% of employees who took part in their meditation or stress reduction program improved their ability to make better decisions, enabling them to work more effectively.{highlight}

Mindfulness fosters a positive work culture 

A mindful workplace is a positive one — infused with empathy, collaboration, and enthusiasm. When mindfulness is part of the daily routine, it promotes harmony between teams, reduces conflicts, and creates a supportive atmosphere.  

And, as we all know, positivity can be contagious, leading to a snowball effect of employee engagement and satisfaction, which benefits the company's reputation, too.

{highlight}Mindfulness has been shown to promote positive social connections in the workplace — most especially empathy and response flexibility. And the functioning of an organization depends on interpersonal relationships of employees!{highlight}

Mindfulness helps strengthen retention 

High employee turnover is a major issue for many companies — especially when it comes to retaining top talent. Creating a work environment where employees feel heard, valued, and supported can change the game for hard workers. Even through the most challenging work crunches.  

Employees are much more likely to stay with a company that prioritizes their well-being, which builds stronger teams and yields better long-term results. HR leaders should leverage mindfulness as a retention tactic in today’s competitive job market. 

{highlight}APA’s Work and well-being survey revealed that 81% of respondents said that an employer’s culture around mental health support strongly factors in their job search.{highlight}

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Psst! If you’re looking for more human-centric retention strategies to keep those top employees happy and committed, take a look at our blog on employee retention. 

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Mindfulness in action: How to implement mindfulness practices in the workplace

Introducing mindfulness in the workplace doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require some thoughtfulness and consistent effort on a manager’s part. The key is to start small and build a culture where mindfulness integrates into the day-to-day. 

Practical mindfulness strategies for managers 

{highlight}Not sure where to start? Rest assured, managers don’t have to be mindfulness wiz to become mindful leaders. In fact, we bet your company’s managers have already applied some of these practices without realizing it. {highlight}

1. Start with education 
    
   Begin by introducing mindfulness through workshops. Education helps employees understand the benefits and build acceptance for integrating these practices into their work lives — rather than feel this being forced upon them. 

{highlight}Once a month, leaders can organize a company-wide lunch session, inviting a guest speaker who is an expert on mindfulness in the workplace. This creates a great opportunity for everyone to learn and ask questions. {highlight}

2. Create a mindful space 
    
   Designate a quiet, distraction-free area where employees can practice mindfulness during breaks. This space should encourage relaxation, reflection, and mental rejuvenation, offering a sanctuary for moments of calm. 

{highlight}Many companies already offer quiet zones for concentrated work or to use as a prayer room. Make sure employees are aware of the different ways such spaces can be used — including for meditation! {highlight}

3. Integrate mindfulness into daily routines 
    
   Mindfulness doesn’t have to take up much time. Encourage small practices like mindful breathing, stretching exercises, or a few minutes of silent reflection between tasks. These brief moments can have a cumulative positive effect on the work environment. 

{highlight}Try it together! Encourage managers to book time throughout the day for “stretch breaks” — inviting those who can break away from their screens and have a mind reset before getting back to regular programming. {highlight}

4. Practice mindfulness in meetings 
    
   Managers can start their meetings with a brief mindfulness exercise, such as a minute of silence or deep breathing. This helps everyone focus and sets a calm tone for discussions. 

{highlight}People leaders can take five minutes before the start of every team meeting to come together in silence and share a moment of mindful deep breathing. Share the intention of this moment or invite someone from the team to do so. {highlight}

5. Encourage regular breaks 
    
   Promote taking short, mindful breaks throughout the day. Encourage employees to step away from their desks, take a walk, or do some simple stretching to reset their minds. 

{highlight}Invite employees to book 20-minute meetings instead of 30 or 45-minute meetings instead of 60 if possible. This helps keep meetings focused and allows for a few minutes to take a break between back-to-backs. {highlight}

6. Incorporate mindfulness into team activities 
    
   Consider organizing group mindfulness sessions, like guided meditation or yoga, as part of team-building exercises. This can foster a sense of community and shared purpose. 

{highlight}Schedule a weekly 15-minute guided meditation session during lunch breaks, where employees can join in person or virtually. This shared experience can help build team cohesion and create a supportive atmosphere. {highlight}

7. Lead by example 
    
   {highlight}A manager’s behavior can set the tone for the rest of the team. Encourage them to practice mindfulness and openly share its benefits with the team. When employees see leadership prioritizing well-being, they’re more likely to follow suit.{highlight} 

Start your day with a mindful check-in or a quick meditation, and mention it during team meetings. Share how it helps you stay focused and manage stress, encouraging your team to try it, too.

Mindfulness must: Regularly check in with teams

Mindfulness works best when it’s a shared experience. Regular check-ins allow you to assess how your team feels about the mindfulness practices in place. This ongoing feedback is crucial for making adjustments that enhance the effectiveness of your initiatives.  

Here are our top recommended methods HR leaders can suggest to managers to make check-ins more impactful: 

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Method #1: Pulse surveys 

• When: Weekly or monthly 

• What to ask: Get a read on how your team is feeling about mindfulness practices and their overall well-being. 

• Pro tip: Keep it brief! Mix in some yes/no questions with open-ended ones to capture both hard data and personal stories. 

Method #2: One-on-one meetings 

• When: Weekly or bi-weekly 

• What to discuss: Chat about how mindfulness fits into their workday and any roadblocks they’re hitting. 

• Pro tip: Tailor support to what employees need, tweaking the approach as you go. 

Method # 3: Feedback loops 

• When: Ongoing 

• What to do: Make sure what you’re learning from surveys and meetings actually shapes future mindfulness initiatives. 

• Pro tip: Be transparent. Share the results with your team and bring them in on the next steps to refine practices. 

Method # 4: Encourage open dialogue 

• When: Ongoing 

• Action: Build an atmosphere where talking about mindfulness is no big deal — just part of the norm. 

• Pro tip: Offer anonymous tools for those who might be hesitant to share their thoughts openly.

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Want to take your mindfulness checkpoints to the next level? Check out our article on employee wellness surveys.

Mindfulness — A path to a better workplace

Mindfulness may sound like a trendy buzzword, but it’s actually an invaluable tool with tons of benefits (backed up by actual science) that can make a real difference in the workplace. 

By weaving mindfulness into your team’s daily routines, you’re not just boosting productivity — you’re building a healthier, happier work environment through workplace stress reduction. Just remember: whether you’re rolling out small practices or diving into a full-blown program, the focus should always be on supporting your team’s well-being. If you stay committed to their growth, you’ll see the whole organization thrive as a result of their individual success. 

Loving the theme of this read? For more insights and best practices on bringing mindfulness to your workplace, click here. 

Employee feedback is more than just a collection of random comments and ratings from your team; it’s a gold mine of actionable insights. And when analyzed effectively, feedback becomes a powerful tool for making better decisions — be it to improve workplace culture or drive all-around success. Yet, many employers don’t leverage employee feedback to its full potential.  

How an employee feels valued at work has a major impact on engagement and retention. As Gartner highlights, employees who feel valued are 27% less likely to quit. Factors include being informed, supported, considered, and acknowledged—which all boil down to mutual feedback (and putting it into action)! It's time to raise the bar on employee feedback analysis! Read on.

The importance of employee feedback: The good, the bad, and the opportunity 

Feedback isn’t just a “nice-to-have” — it’s a “must-have” for any thriving organization. Effective feedback is crucial for employee development and organizational growth. It serves as a mirror, reflecting a company's strengths and weaknesses. After all, who’s better positioned to tell you what’s working (or not working) than those in the trenches?  

Let’s check out some of the opportunities employee feedback can lead to. 

Feedback loops encourage employee growth 

Constructive feedback guides employees toward achieving their career goals, enhancing their skills, and becoming more well-rounded professionals. However, feedback conversations also provide opportunities for employees to express their needs so managers can better support them.  

When companies create a true continuous feedback loop — it benefits both the employee and employer.

A feedback culture creates a positive work environment 

When employee feedback is received and applied, it helps teams feel heard. The more collaborative a work environment is, the more everyone is engaged and motivated, which leads to higher productivity and job satisfaction.

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Two-way feedback says, “Hey, we’re in this together,” and that’s the kind of leadership vibe that people want to work for.

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Applying employee feedback retains top talent 

Companies that implement regular feedback exhibit lower turnover rates than those that don’t. What does that tell us? Employees who feel their feedback is valued are more likely to stay with the company.

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High turnover can be costly and disruptive. Building feedback into the work culture can be a valuable retention tactic — your HR leaders will thank you!

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All in all, employee feedback (given or received) is very much a win-win. 

Common challenges in collecting and analyzing feedback

So, the benefits of gathering employee feedback are obvious. Despite that, organizations still struggle with adequately collecting and analyzing it. What’s the deal? Let’s look at the most common challenges with feedback (and ways around them): 

Low response rates to employee surveys 

How does one collect feedback? Surveys! However, getting employees to participate in surveys can feel like herding cats. Lack of participation, survey fatigue, and a work culture that doesn’t value feedback can all contribute to low response rates.

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Make it easy and fun. User-friendly survey tools make answering surveys super simple and dynamic — through surprising prompts and gamification features. That should encourage higher participation rates.

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Biased feedback doesn’t provide an accurate picture 

Feedback can be objective, but it can also be skewed by personal perspectives (subjective) or even fear of repercussions (sugar-coated). This can lead to collecting data that doesn’t quite represent a team's true sentiments or the office's realities.

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Encourage honest feedback with anonymous pulse surveys. Anonymity reassures employees that there will be no negative consequences for honest feedback — so they can feel comfortable being unfiltered (which is a good thing).

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Data overload

So, you’ve collected a large volume of feedback — now what? Without a clear strategy for analysis, all that info can be overwhelming. Many companies gather data but lack the tools and expertise to make sense of it. 

Keep data organized with analytics tools. Feedback analysis tools can help you sort through the data efficiently. They offer advanced analytics and visualizations to make data interpretation that much easier.

Lack of follow-through

Failing to act on feedback can demoralize employees even when feedback is collected and analyzed. Managers must commit to closing the feedback loop by implementing changes based on the insights gained.

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Keep everyone accountable with action plans. Clear, actionable next steps after feedback let your team know that their feedback will lead to real change. This builds trust and reinforces the value of giving feedback. 

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Benefits of effective employee feedback analysis 

Employee feedback analysis sounds like a worthwhile investment, doesn’t it? When done correctly, the insights feedback analysis provides can completely transform an organization: 

Feedback insights improve decision-making 

Analyzing feedback provides insights that can guide strategic decisions. For example, gaining a true understanding of workload concerns can inform resource allocation and project planning.  

Feedback-driven decisions are more likely to address real issues and needs than letting managers make decisions based on assumptions, and that leads to much better outcomes.

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There is beauty in diversity. Including other people in the conversations allows multiple perspectives on a task or problem at hand. That’s the beauty of pooling from a diversified workforce.

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Employee engagement gets a boost 

Employees who see their feedback leading to real changes are more likely to be engaged… and engaged employees are more productive, committed, and willing to go the extra mile for your company! 

Surveys made specifically for engagement. Speaking of employee engagement, read how employee engagement surveys can equip managers with mind-reading insights to better support their teams.

Training needs are made clear — and can be addressed 

A feedback analysis can point out areas where employees need more support or training. Addressing these needs helps develop a more competent and confident workforce, which is the goal! 

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Everyone is different. Tailored training programs based on feedback ensure each employee has the skills needed to succeed.

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 Strengthening leadership 

It’s a two-way street, right? Feedback can equally provide valuable insights into leadership effectiveness. Leaders who are open to feedback lead by example and improve their management approach by observing their teams.

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Remember management and leadership surveys. Here are 33 questions to ask your employees, covering everything from communication skills to trust and respect.

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Best practices for collecting employee feedback 

To get the most out of employee feedback, it’s important to follow best practices in collecting it. The more accurate the data you gather, the easier it will be to analyze it and infer good insights.  

Here are some tried-and-true tips:  

Create a safe and anonymous environment 

Employees need to feel safe when giving feedback. Managers can encourage more honest and constructive input from their teams by ensuring anonymity (when appropriate) and communicating how the feedback will be used.

Use diverse feedback channels — not just surveys 

Yes, surveys are great but don’t rely solely on them. There are other ways to gather employee feedback—and they're more qualitative, too! Use one-on-one meetings, focus groups, and suggestion boxes to gather various perspectives in different formats.

Keep surveys short and focused 

Long surveys can lead to fatigue and lower response rates from employees. If you manage to keep surveys concise and focused on specific topics, then it’s easier to maintain engagement around surveys — as well as implement them more regularly. 

Communicate the purpose and intention of feedback collection 

Leaving employees in the dark will invite reticence to participate in feedback giving. Managers build trust and encourage open communication by clearly explaining why feedback is being collected and how it will be used.

Regularly collect feedback

Skip the one-time event and make feedback a continuous process instead. Regular feedback collection tracks changes over time more efficiently than leaving large gaps of time between employee sentiment pulse checks. Regularity keeps employees engaged, too!

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Vibe Check: The art of giving and receiving feedback
Looking for a deeper dive into feedback dynamics? Check out this Vibe Check episode on the art of giving and receiving feedback. It’s peppered with practical tips and real-world examples to help you enhance your own feedback culture!

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Making feedback work for you: How to analyze employee survey results 

Collecting employee feedback is only the first step. The real value lies in analyzing the survey findings to reveal opportunities for improvement (we call these actionable insights), which will inform any necessary next steps. 

Tip #1. Categorize the feedback 

Making sense of things starts with having a clear worktable (metaphorically speaking). Organize feedback into categories — it’ll help you identify patterns and areas that need the most attention. 

You might notice many comments about "lack of communication" under the leadership category. Group these together to see the bigger picture.

Tip #2. Look for trends 

Analyze feedback over time to spot trends with more accuracy. Are there recurring issues or improvements? Pay attention to those. Understanding patterns can guide long-term solutions. 

If you see a consistent rise in complaints about work-life balance every quarter, it’s a trend worth investigating further. 

Tip #3. Use quantitative and qualitative analysis 

Combine quantitative data (like survey ratings) with qualitative insights (think open-ended comments) for a holistic view of things. A mixed-method approach provides depth and context!

Your survey might show an average rating of 3.2/5 for job satisfaction. Dig into the comments to find out why employees gave that rating. 

Tip #4. Leverage technology 

Technology can help automate and streamline feedback analysis. Feedback platforms offer advanced analytics and visualizations to make data interpretation easier and more effective. 

Using dedicated tools to create visual reports that highlight key areas needing attention saves you time and effort.

Tip #5. Prioritize actionable insights 

Not all feedback will be actionable, so focus on feedback that can lead to tangible improvements — prioritizing issues that have the greatest impact on employee performance or job satisfaction. 

If employees frequently mention outdated software as a productivity blocker, prioritize upgrading your tools to improve overall efficiency.

Turning employee feedback into actionable insights: 5-step approach 

The real magic of feedback lies in turning those insights into meaningful action. Let’s dive into how to make it happen: 

Step 1. Develop an action plan 

Feedback analysis done? Now, it's time to create an action plan. Think of it as the roadmap to success, outlining all the specific steps, who's in charge, and target milestones to keep things on track. 

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Pro tip: Break it down into bite-sized tasks and assign each task to specific team members. This makes an action plan less overwhelming and keeps everyone on the same page.

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Step 2. Communicate changes with the team 

Transparency is key. Based on their feedback, let your team know about the changes you’re making. This not only shows you value their input but also boosts morale because they know positive change is coming.

Pro tip: Use different communication channels, such as team meetings, email updates, and internal newsletters, to ensure everyone gets the memo. It’s all about keeping the team in the loop.

Step 3. Monitor progress and involve the team 

Keep an eye on how things are going and regularly check if the changes are actually making a difference. Follow-up surveys can help you see if the action plan is on track and working. 

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Pro tip: Stay on top of it with sophisticated project management tools to track progress. This way, you can make quick adjustments if needed without redoing your entire plan. 

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Step 4. Celebrate the wins! 

When things go well, celebrate those wins! Recognizing positive outcomes shows that feedback leads to real change and keeps the momentum going — and that’s something worth communicating. 

Pro tip: To drive the point home, highlight specific examples of how feedback made a difference. This will encourage more employees to participate in future feedback because they understand the value, too.

Step 5. Iterate and improve constantly 

Feedback isn’t a one-and-done deal — it’s more like a lifestyle. Keep the cycle going by continuously seeking input, analyzing results, and making improvements. 

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Pro tip: Schedule regular review cycles, like every quarter, to go over feedback, assess what’s working, and identify new areas for improvement.  

By following these steps and incorporating these pro tips, you can ensure that your organization effectively turns employee feedback into actionable insights, leading to sustained improvements and a more engaged workforce.  

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Let's keep making those positive changes happen! 

Amp up your employee feedback analysis game with software 

Remember, it’s not just about collecting feedback — it’s about listening, understanding, and acting on it to build a better workplace for everyone. Effective employee feedback analysis is crucial for driving organizational success. By appreciating its value, applying best practices, and having a step-by-step process in place to analyze all that valuable survey data, you’ll be on the fast track to team improvement and growth. 

Interested in transforming your feedback process? Workleap Officevibe offers cutting-edge tools to help you collect, analyze, and act on employee feedback effectively.

Imagine walking into your office on any given Tuesday only to be greeted by a spontaneous round of applause from your colleagues. They're celebrating your small yet significant contribution to a recent project. How would that make you feel? This is the essence of effective recognition in the workplace — a simple act that can significantly amp up morale and engagement.  

And the proof isn't tied up in the hypothetical: Research shows that 37% of employees report that employee recognition is the most important thing their manager or company can do to motivate them to produce great work.

In this article, we'll explore how strategic recognition can transform employee engagement. We’ll delve into why it matters, the different types of recognition, and practical ways HR leaders can implement recognition programs that truly make a difference. 

The strategic importance of employee recognition

 The current market climate compels organizations to find innovative ways to leverage their workforce's full potential, fostering excellence in both top performers and those with less experience. However, in their search for new approaches, organizations often overlook one of the most straightforward strategies: employee recognition.

Research supports the power of recognition. For example, a report by the Brandon Hall Group found that companies prioritizing employee recognition multiple times per month are 41% more likely to see increased employee retention and 34% more likely to see increased employee engagement. Additionally, a study by Josh Bersin revealed that companies with a "recognition-rich culture" significantly outperform others. The top 20% of these companies have a 31% lower voluntary turnover rate, a critical performance measure.

Furthermore, 75% of Workleap Officevibe respondents agree that if they do great work, they know it will be recognized. Pair this with the fact that 92% of employees are likely to repeat a specific action if given recognition, and you have a recipe for consistent high performance.

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Companies that prioritize recognition multiple times a month see a

41%

increase in employee retention

34%

boost to employee engagement

92%

more likely that the employee repeats the specific action

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Types of recognition and their impact

When recognizing employees, it's helpful to understand the different types of recognition and their distinct impacts. Whether it’s celebrating major milestones or acknowledging everyday achievements, each form of recognition plays a role in cultivating a motivated and involved workforce.  

Big milestones vs. Small wins 

• Big milestones: Recognizing significant achievements such as promotions, work anniversaries, and major project completions boosts morale, fosters loyalty, and motivates employees to strive for continued success. 

• Small wins: Acknowledging everyday achievements like meeting tight deadlines or resolving customer issues creates a culture of continuous appreciation and positivity. 

Peer-to-peer vs. Top-down recognition 

• Peer-to-peer recognition: Encourages camaraderie and mutual respect within the team, creating an inclusive and supportive work environment. 

• Top-down recognition: Validates an employee’s hard work and contributions from a higher authority, increasing motivation and engagement. 

Top 3 benefits of a well-run recognition program 

Effective recognition in the workplace goes beyond simple appreciation; it enhances overall organizational performance. Research shows that individual and public recognition can boost employee motivation, improve performance, and reduce attrition. A full 91% of employees say recognition is meaningful, even if it's just a simple "Thank you!" 

1. Engagement: Regular recognition leads to higher levels of creativity, commitment, and job satisfaction, creating a motivated and dedicated workforce. 

2. Productivity: Recognition reinforces positive behaviors and motivates employees to sustain and surpass their performance standards, leading to improved efficiency and better project outcomes. 

3. Retention: Regular recognition helps build loyalty and a sense of belonging, reducing turnover rates and retaining top talent. 

Examples of companies with improved engagement thanks to recognition programs

Software company Typeform’s internal playbook includes tips to keep its culture friendly and more human. For example, the Spontaneous Applause clause encourages employees to start clapping for a colleague’s job well done, prompting the entire office to join in. This practice helps keep the work environment humble and supportive. 

Biopharmaceutical company Merck employs over 60,000 people and has established a global recognition program called INSPIRE. This program allows employees to celebrate each other through appreciation messages, points, and cash rewards, fostering a culture of recognition and appreciation. Since its launch, employees have shared over three million recognition moments, averaging one every minute. 

Data-platform company Aunalytics introduced Workleap Officevibe into its recognition program, significantly increasing employee engagement. The "Good Vibes" feature allowed team members to publicly acknowledge each other's contributions, fostering a culture of continuous appreciation. By integrating recognition into daily interactions and using data to track and improve practices, Aunalytics created a more engaged and motivated workforce.

How HR leaders can implement effective recognition programs

HR leaders play a pivotal role in fostering a culture of recognition within an organization. They set the tone for how recognition is valued and implemented by designing and promoting comprehensive recognition programs. HR leaders are responsible for: 

1. Creating recognition programs: Develop structured programs that outline how, when, and for what achievements employees should be recognized. This includes choosing appropriate tools and platforms for recognition. 

2. Educating and training: Provide managers and employees with training and resources on the importance of recognition and how to give meaningful, specific, and timely praise. 

3. Promoting consistency: Embed recognition into the company’s culture and daily operations ensures that it is routinely practiced across the organization. 

4. Tracking and measuring: Use data and feedback tools to track the effectiveness of recognition programs and continuously improve practices. 

5. Leading by example: Demonstrate the importance of recognition by actively participating in and modeling recognition behaviors. 

6. Empowering managers: Provide managers with the resources and autonomy to recognize their team members effectively. This can include budgets for recognition activities and access to recognition tools like Workleap Officevibe’s Good Vibes. 

Tips on how to give meaningful recognition: Best practices to share with your teams 

Creating a balanced recognition program involves meaningfully celebrating wins across your organization. You want people to feel that their individual contributions are valued, and to see how this is amplified when they work together. Here are some best practices to share with your team to support a culture of recognition throughout the workplace.  

1. Learn employees’ preferences  

 Understanding how each employee prefers to receive recognition is crucial. Some may enjoy public praise, while others prefer private acknowledgments. During 1-on-1s, ask questions like how they like to celebrate achievements and what kind of messages light them up. This way, you can help make sure that recognition is meaningful and personalized. 

2. Be sincere and specific 

 Authentic and specific recognition is more impactful. Clearly state what impressed you and connect it to the employee's goals and values. For example, highlight specific actions and how they reflect the employee’s strengths and contributions. 

3. Make it timely 

Recognize achievements as they happen. Timely recognition shows you’re attentive and value ongoing efforts, not just final results. Take a few minutes, even during busy periods, to acknowledge hard work and dedication, which can be highly motivating. 

4. Highlight the impact 

Show employees how their work contributes to broader goals. Use metrics, client feedback, or colleague comments to back up your recognition. This helps employees feel connected to the organization’s purpose and see the tangible outcomes of their efforts. 

5. Center your team around shared values 

Shared core values provide a common foundation for recognition. Create team principles together and use them in daily interactions. Recognize behaviors that align with these values to reinforce a cohesive and values-driven team culture. For example, commend transparency and honesty during meetings to uphold these principles. 

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Further reading: Discover 8 ways to improve recognition in the workplace.

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Practical (and fun!) ideas for recognition activities 
Implementing creative activities can make recognition a fun and integral part of your company culture.  

1. Recognition bingo: Create bingo cards with different recognition tasks (e.g., thank a colleague, celebrate a small win). Employees can fill out their cards over time, and those who complete them can win a prize. 

2. Kudos cards: Provide physical or digital cards that employees can give to each other to express appreciation for specific actions or achievements. 

3. Monthly MVP awards: Highlight and reward the most valuable players each month. 

4. Recognition wall: Set up a bulletin board or a digital channel where employees can post notes of appreciation and congratulations. 

5. Peer shoutouts: Dedicate a segment of team meetings for employees to publicly recognize and thank their colleagues for their contributions. 

6. Celebration lunches: Organize monthly, quarterly, or on-the-fly lunches to celebrate team achievements and individual milestones. 

7. Spot awards: Give instant awards (e.g., gift cards, extra time off) for exceptional contributions or behaviors. 

8. Themed recognition days: Have special days where employees can dress up or participate in themed activities while recognizing their peers (e.g., Superhero Day, where colleagues recognize each other as workplace heroes). 

9. Scratch-off cards: Create custom scratch-off cards with various rewards (e.g., extra PTO, gift cards, lunch with the CEO) that employees can win as recognition for their hard work. 

10. Virtual Good Vibes: Use the Good Vibes feature in Workleap Officevibe to send digital kudos, fostering a culture of continuous peer-to-peer recognition. 

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OFFICEVIBE

People celebrating people

Discover Good Vibes

From recognition to results

Incorporating recognition into your organizational culture is not just about boosting morale — it's a strategic move that can significantly enhance employee engagement, productivity, and retention. HR leaders can create a motivated, loyal, and high-performing workforce by understanding and implementing various forms of recognition. Start recognizing your employees today using Good Vibes and see the positive impact on your team’s motivation and engagement.