Workplace Hierarchy of Needs: Turn Feedback into Action

This is the fourth part of our Workplace Hierarchy of Needs series. We're breaking down what successful organizations do right to create a happy and fulfilled workforce.

Congratulations! If you're reading this, you've hopefully taken the necessary steps to build a solid foundation for your employee recognition program. Your processes are in place, your employees know their roles and responsibilities, and you've established a regular cadence for communication and feedback. 

But your work isn't done yet. It's time to pivot and evolve your business—something your employees play a critical role in.

The importance of feedback

One of the most critical steps in evolving your business is taking the feedback you receive from your employees and using it to make decisions. When you ask your employees to provide their insights on programs and policies, you ask them to be part of the decision-making process.

One of the worst things a leader can do is ask for feedback and ignore it. Leaders must show that they're listening—and acting—on the feedback they receive. 

Implementing feedback from employees is essential for leaders for several reasons:

• Improving organizational performance. Employee feedback can provide leaders valuable insights into the organization's performance, including what is working well and what needs improvement. By implementing feedback, leaders can make changes that improve the organization's performance.

• Engaging employees. Employees who feel that their opinions and feedback are valued are more likely to feel engaged and motivated. This feeling of engagement can lead to increased job satisfaction, productivity, and retention.

• Building trust. Implementing employee feedback demonstrates that leaders are listening to and taking the concerns and suggestions of their staff seriously. Seeing their feedback implemented can help build trust between leaders and employees, which is essential for creating a positive work environment.

• Fostering innovation. Employees are often the ones closest to the organization's day-to-day operations and may have insights into improving processes or developing new products or services. By implementing employee feedback, leaders can tap into this collective knowledge and foster innovation.

Empower your employees

According to a paper from Harvard Business Report, only 20% of organizations surveyed gave their employees the tools and authority to make decisions. In turn, those companies that did empower their employees saw an impact on their revenue growth. 

On the other hand, if employees feel like they're just cogs in a machine, with no say in how things are done or how the company is run, they may feel undervalued or unappreciated. This can lead to burnout, frustration, and, ultimately, turnover.

Employees who feel trusted and empowered tend to feel more invested in their work and the organization's success. They're more likely to feel like they're part of a team and may even feel a sense of ownership over their work and role within the company.

Giving your employees ownership over their work can help you reduce costs. How? First, empowered workers are often more satisfied with their work, and this can reduce turnover. It can cost an employer anywhere from six to nine months' salary on average. 

Empowering your employees can also improve customer satisfaction. When your employees feel they can address issues, solutions to customer complaints are found faster, and customer loyalty increases. 

You can create a more engaged and committed workforce by empowering your employees to make decisions and take ownership of their work. And that can lead to higher retention rates, happier employees, and a more successful organization overall.

Now is the time to show recognition

Recognizing your employees is also critical to your business's success. However, giving another sheet cake isn't going to cut it. Personalized recognition that celebrates both personal and professional milestones is the way to go. Celebrating your employees' birthdays and family lives outside work shows that you appreciate them as actual people, not just workers. Giving time for volunteering or matching donations also goes a long way in showing that you care about their values and beliefs.

Recognizing your employees in these ways doesn't feel like an intrusion into their personal lives. It's a genuine appreciation of their contributions to the business and their individuality.

Furthermore, providing your employees a day off on their birthdays, for instance, or recognizing their performance, helps build trust and loyalty. It shows that you care about their well-being and value their contributions to the business.

Getting your house in order is the beginning of your journey toward building a successful business. Taking feedback and turning it into action is one way to achieve that. Recognizing your employees as people is another. 

Celebrating their personal and professional milestones and giving them time to volunteer or match donations shows that you care about their well-being and values. This helps build trust and loyalty—critical components of any successful business.