EVENT: Harnessing Connections to Drive Engagement

Overview

Recruiting, Retaining and Engaging your people

Do you struggle to hire, retain, and engage your workforce?  Come learn how you can implement strategies that will leverage deeper connections to enhance greater engagement.  We will share real examples and give you “DIY” strategies that are easy to implement and cost effective.  We will highlight other local companies & HR leaders who are trailblazing the way with measurable results.

Join Molly and Raine Lunke from R2R Strategic Recruiting for a SWSHRM virtual event that will share on actionable strategies, resources, and tools to attract, retain and engage the talent & workforce you need to grow your company and cultivate your culture.

R2R Strategic Recruiting

Raine Lunke

Details

• July 14, 2020

• 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Core Topics

• Differentiating your candidate engagement from your competition

• Engaging employees in your workplace culture

• Connecting employees to the community

• Leveraging technology to connect

SWSHRM

Host

Putting people at the heart of return-to-work plans

There’s an end in sight for the days of remote work, drive-up member service, and A/B shifts. So, how are you preparing? Most return-to-work plans focus on logistics like sanitization and scheduling, but it’s important to consider how we prepare and engage our people in the process. Here are five actions you can take to ensure a successful re-entry: 

Get your house in order

Many employees are craving routine and community, and we need to be ready. With all the details that will plague us, it’s important to lead with social distancing guidelines and some quick wins to get the ball rolling.  

Action: Consider repurposing conference rooms, lunch rooms, and other communal spaces to allow for more distance. Be thoughtful about the shared workplace activities where employees come together like recycling bins, printers, and entry points. 

Engage employees in the solution

Last week, Chary Krout shared how leadership will impact employee experience now more than ever. She called out the importance of including employees in the return-to-work conversation, and to be clear that this process will involve compromises, and the goal is to find the best solution for the employee and to ensure team deliverables can still be met. 

Action: Create an exercise for departments to revisit team deliverables and goals, and reprioritize as needed. Then, talk to each of your employees to understand any unique working or scheduling needs and share the plan back to the team.  

Connect on a personal level

Stress and anxiety levels are higher than ever. Additionally, some employees are dealing with logistical challenges such as child/senior care, limited public transportation, and empty PTO banks. Don’t overlook the importance of asking questions and listening to see how you can help. 

Action: Have frequent and personal check-ins with your employees. Even a 5-minute phone call just to see how they are is meaningful. If they’re struggling, encourage them to reach out to Human Resources or remind them of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Review employee goals and expectations

Work has changed over the past five months. Employee’s goals, job role and schedule might look vastly different. There’s no better time to come together, review goals, identify any changes and re-align expectations. 

Action: Schedule a 1:1 dedicated to the employee’s role and responsibilities. Consider: Is there a change in the goals and what is expected? Will a different schedule be requested or required? 

Prepare your people for what’s next

Credit unions are going to need to remain agile and pivot to address the ever-changing market conditions — and so will our employees.  Focusing more resources on professional development will not only help employees feel valued and grow their resume, but better equip your credit union for any future business disruptions.

Action: Prepare a customized development plan in partnership with your employee. Include a focus on technical skills, but don’t forget soft skills like resiliency and adaptability. Make sure you help your employees set aside time to complete plan activities and share their learnings with others.

With so much content and advice for businesses on the future of our work and how to prepare our workplaces, we can’t lose sight of what we’ve put at the center of our organizations for decades – the people. If you’re able to put your employees at the center of your return-to-work plan, you’ll not only ensure engagement, but demonstrate compassion—something we’re all craving right now.

Leadership will impact employee experience now more than ever

How we return our people to our offices and branches will be one of the most important employee engagement activities this year. Not only will our re-entry impact the bottom line, it will also impact our engagement survey scores, employees’ decisions to stay or look for other opportunities, and how they share their experience with members and prospective hires. 

So, as leaders, are we ready to challenge our personal working preferences to ensure the best employee experience? Here are a few questions to consider:

• Have employees been successful at home, and can they continue to work from their home offices? 

• Have managers set clear expectations and understand how employees are performing both in and out of the office?

• Can managers build connections with employees, manage performance, communicate messages and give recognition remotely? 

• Are there differences in how teams or departments work that could allow for unique return-to-work plans? 

• Can everyone participate in return to in-office decisions? 

As leaders, we need to assess our current beliefs, understand the true state, and then take action.  Time is passing quickly, so here are a few actions you can take:  

Come from a place of empathy: Start by acknowledging that COVID-19 has been and is a shared experience for us all. Acknowledge that each employee is unique and psychological safety comfort levels will vary.

Engage employees in the solution: Invite employees into the return-to-work conversation. Create an exercise for departments to revisit team deliverables and goals,  and reprioritize as needed. Then, talk to each of your employees to understand any unique working or scheduling needs. Be clear that this process will involve compromises, and the goal is to find the best solution for the employee and to ensure team deliverables can still be met. 

Communicate the why: Make sure shared goals and values are not forgotten in this process. Remind employees of why their work matters. If having employees in an office/branch is needed, be clear about why, and make sure they know how you are keeping them safe. Communicate often and make sure there is a ‘source of truth’ where employees can get the information they need.  

Create or revisit remote working resources: With a long-term mindset, look at your work from home policies and practices and re-evaluate how managers and employees will connect for 1:1s, dispersed team meetings, etc.  

Don’t be afraid to do the right thing: In the absence of a playbook, put humanity first— listen and find solutions in partnership with employees. An A/B schedule can ensure you have a response if someone complains, but being inclusive will drive employee engagement. 

Don’t let your personal preferences and beliefs interfere with one of the biggest employee-impacting decisions to date. When you engage employees in the process and solution, they’ll feel an increased commitment to the credit union, their team and your members. Now more than ever, we must live out our mission of “people helping people.”

Fast Company Feature: How measuring gratitude can help entire companies work better

Last week, Chary was featured in Fast Company’s how measuring gratitude can help companies work better.

Check it out here: https://www.fastcompany.com/90436587/how-measuring-gratitude-can-help-entire-companies-work-better

ATD Magazine Feature: Building a Culture of Recognition

Check out more here! https://www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/building-a-culture-of-social-recognition

Returning to Workhuman Live in 2020!

We have exciting news to share!! We’re thrilled to be returning speakers at Workhuman Live in San Antonio, May 11-14, 2020. If you’re not familiar with WorkhumanLive, you can get up to speed here: https://workhumanlive.com/workhuman-highlights/

This will be our fourth time attending, and each year the conference gets better and better!

During our session, we’ll be diving deeper into creating a culture of belonging. Here’s a preview of what you can learn at our session:

The statement on many engagement surveys, “I feel like I belong at my company,” is believed to be the most closely tied to employee engagement and ultimately greater business success. So how do we create a sense of belonging in our workplaces? In this session, we will provide practical tips to create a more meaningful and connected experience that drives employee engagement and retention.

Together, we’ll explore and share best practices around:

– Utilizing current engagement survey tools to understand your employees’ sense of belonging

– Actions your people leaders can take to tell your story and model inclusion

– Human application that bring consistency and focus to living a culture where employees belong

– Ways to engage your employees in demonstrating your culture of belonging

Check out the full agenda here — we hope to see you there!

— Chary & Molly

CU Times Feature: Recognition Improves Employee Relations

The $12.6 billion First Tech Federal Credit Union in San Jose, Calif., had a problem – the company’s employee recognition tool wasn’t working. The previous tool was outdated, it wasn’t social and its reward amounts weren’t meaningful. In addition, the former program’s budget was parsed out to leaders and the amounts were small; because of this, it didn’t encourage employee participation or cross-team participation, explained Chary Krout, former SVP, human resources at First Tech and current founder/co-owner of Cultivate.

Employees were ultimately unsatisfied with this. They wanted more clarity and communication on performance. They felt their managers just talked at them, and that they didn’t really see the work they were doing and understand the areas where they needed development and support. The company’s leadership also recognized a need for change – they wanted a solution that would help them transition away from annual reviews, and ultimately empower employees to adapt with agility and update their priorities as the goals of the business changed, as well as reinforce a culture of shared accountability, according to a First Tech Case Study.

“Recognition is important to our people and culture. Traditional annual bonus programs are a one-time shot in the arm and key contributions are often forgotten by the time we get to the annual performance review,” Krout said.

She’s right – once-a-year recognition is great, but generally only great for that one day and maybe a short time after. Employees often need more regular engagement and recognition to feel satisfied at work.

Not only is recognition important for employees at First Tech, it seems to be important for employees across the country. However, many companies aren’t meeting the mark, and recognition may be one of the best ways to decrease turnover, and improve employee engagement and satisfaction.

An analysis by Gallup found only one in three workers in the U.S. strongly agree that they received recognition or praise for doing good work in the past week. “At any given company, it’s not uncommon for employees to feel that their best efforts are routinely ignored. Further, employees who don’t feel adequately recognized are twice as likely to say they’ll quit in the next year,” according to the Gallup analysis.

The risk for turnover is even higher for high-performing employees. “Highly talented employees who are not engaged were among those who had the highest turnover in each organization – on par with low talent, disengaged employees. In other words, when your best employees are not engaged, they are as likely to leave your organization as your employees who tend to have performance issues and are unhappy,” a Gallup article stated.

A Psychology Today article confirmed similar sentiments regarding the link between turnover and lack of employee recognition.

The article noted a study funded by Make Their Day, an employee motivation firm, and Badgeville, a gamification company, which surveyed 1,200 U.S. employees from a broad cross-section of industries. It highlighted the following results:

• 83% of respondents said recognition for contributions was more fulfilling than any rewards or gifts;

• 76% found peer praise very or extremely motivating;

• 88% found praise from managers very or extremely motivating; and

• 90% said a “fun work environment” was very or extremely motivating.

First Tech’s leaders understood the importance of a robust recognition program. They wanted to create an experience that allowed employees to not only recognize peers on their own team, but also recognize colleagues on any team within the credit union.

The credit union partnered with Workhuman to design and implement an application that connects employees to their business and coworkers, and drives measurable business results. The application is composed of two programs: Conversations and Recognize. The Conversations pilot program enables managers to frequently check in with employees to provide feedback, and set goals and priorities. The Recognition tool enables people to express gratitude for work being done. “The functionality of the tool is simple and easy to use. You can ‘Recognize’ co-workers, ‘Redeem’ awards, scroll the Recognition Feed and comment/like on awards given,” Krout explained.

Krout said the Recognize tool provides a microphone-type effect that is commonly experienced when interacting on a social media feed. Together, the two tools provide a platform for users to effectively tell the complete story of an employee’s impact and journey at First Tech.

Results for the past year are positive: 100% of employees received a Recognize award within the first year and more than 3,400 check-ins occurred during the Conversations pilot group. Initial data also showed employees who give recognition are two times less likely to leave the credit union than those who just receive recognition. Employees who receive recognition are more than two and a half times less likely to leave First Tech, according to the First Tech case study.

The Recognize tool has been especially beneficial to contact center employees, who often encounter challenging member interactions. Leaders are using the Recognize tool to motivate the call center team, lift engagement and remind employees of everything they’re doing right, Krout said. “We believe that when you are able to retain employees, you’re able to deliver better results. When retention levels remain strong, it helps ensure projects are delivered [in a] timely [manner], [that there is] minimal business interruption of daily transactions, and future planning processes continue,” Krout explained.

These results fall in line with the goals of Workhuman’s Social Recognition tool, which was created as a response to the insight that frequently sharing positive stories of gratitude and respect, in alignment with company values, motivates and inspires people to do great work, and result in measurable benefits for the organization. Here are some stats on the tool:

• Employees who receive more than five rewards per year are significantly more likely to also increase their year over year performance rating.

• Employees with 1.5 to two awards per quarter feel more appreciated for their work, and as a result, are significantly more engaged.

• On average, a rate of seven to 10 recognition moments per year is correlated to a two times lower chance of voluntary turnover.

Krout explained that other credit unions are moving forward with the concept of recognition as a way to further engage employees in their work and demonstrate how their values show up every day. “These progressive credit unions and leaders see recognition and continuous feedback is a key component in connecting their employees to their mission, vision and values, and most importantly, connecting them to their work, each other and members,” she said.

CU Times Feature: Let’s All Set Fire to the Burnout Epidemic

Everyone handles work-related stress differently, but for me, the feeling resulting from a towering pile of projects is pretty distinctive. I imagine it’s what the early stages of being suffocated would feel like, and goes something like this: My carefully-planned to-do list is set for the week. I’m comfortably busy at work, but have enough breathing room to schedule in a few workouts, a happy hour and time to prepare healthy meals. Then, within the span of a few hours, an email comes in from another department requiring follow-up, a co-worker stops by my desk with a stack of documents that need my attention, and someone from the executive team emails about a new campaign I must set in motion.

These unexpected projects, some of which have no clear directions or set deadlines, wipe out that sense of calm I had earlier, replacing it with panic, a loss of control and even resentment toward those who unapologetically came along to ruin my plan. Feeling overwhelmed, I step outside the office for a few minutes to gain my composure, because despite my frustration over the workload, I still value my professional reputation and would rather not have anyone see me in this frenzied state.

With most companies striving to accomplish as much as they can with as few resources as possible, it’s common for a single employee to be dumped with a heavy workload that should really be split between two, maybe even three, people. And most employees in this position – myself included – would hesitate to address it for fear of sounding lazy or whiny. Plus, adding salt to the wound, employees who dutifully complete additional projects often don’t get a big expression of appreciation from their employer – they just get more work.

That’s bad not only for the employee’s health, but for the employer’s retention rate. A 2018 Gallup survey revealed that 23% of full-time workers say they are very often or always burnt out at work; that group is 63% more likely to take a sick day, 23% more likely to visit the emergency room and 2.6 times as likely to leave their current employer.

Here are some ways to get rid or ahead of burnout, whether you’re an employee dying for a glimpse of light at the end of the assignment tunnel, or an employer who wants their team to be productive, engaged and happy.

For Employees: Banish Burnout Without Getting Banished

• As a first step, determine whether the workload you’ve been overwhelmed by is truly unreasonable. Review your job description, or solicit opinions from friends outside your organization who are familiar with your line of work. You may just need to brush up on your time management skills.

• Have a few stress-busting techniques in your back pocket for the most overwhelming moments at work, like practicing breathing exercises or listening to a five-minute session on a meditation app. Also, try thinking about your work in small pieces. I used to struggle with managing stress at work when faced with numerous tasks at once because I would internalize the burden of every project in its entirety. Now, I remind myself that my brain doesn’t need to solve everything at once – it only needs to wrap itself around one step at a time.

• If you’ve concluded your workload truly is a problem and want to talk to your boss about it, do two things before walking into that meeting. First, prepare a detailed list of your current projects and deadlines, what each one entails and how long each will take to complete to prove that a lighter load is necessary. Second, be ready to present a few solutions, like using technology to streamline tasks or outsourcing items to an intern or freelancer. Then plan a check-in meeting a few weeks later to discuss how the new process is going.

For Employers: Give the Space and Recognition Your Team Deserves

• Consistent, transparent communication with all of your team members is one key to preventing employee burnout. A 2017 Forbes article on the subject recommended that managers maintain an open-door policy, give employees regular feedback (including a full, in-person explanation if the company chooses not to use something they just worked hard on) and include employees in the decision-making process instead of just giving orders.

• Clearly define what is expected of each employee. Forbes noted that when roles are not clearly defined, blame gets spread throughout the team, causing frustration and potentially burnout. It also emphasized managers should ensure employees have what they need to fulfill those expectations, whether it’s training or an additional new hire.

• Know the signs of burnout so it can be promptly addressed. According to Forbes, common signs to look for are exhaustion, disengagement from work, a drop in performance, and when an employee who is typically chatty during meetings becomes unusually quiet.

• Create a compliment-heavy culture. When we’re busy, it’s easy to move from one project to the next without pausing to thank others for a job well done, but it’s critical to take that pause. Feeling appreciated and valued at work is a major key to engagement, and ultimately, retention.

I’ll end with an example of how one credit union put that last tip into action. The $12.6 billion, San Jose, Calif.-based First Tech Federal Credit Union partnered with Workhuman to launch a digital platform with two tools: Recognize, which allows employees to recognize each other for demonstrating the CU’s core values, and Conversations, which enables managers to frequently check in with employees, provide feedback and set priorities.

“Employees’ response and adoption was overwhelming, so we harnessed their support and buy-in to launch across the credit union.”

As part of its launch strategy, First Tech hosted a “gratitude bar” at its employee conference, where representatives from each team got a hands-on experience with the new tool, Chary Krout, former SVP, human resources at First Tech and current founder/co-owner of Cultivate, explained. “Employees’ response and adoption was overwhelming, so we harnessed their support and buy-in to launch across the credit union.”

In less than a year after implementation, 100% of employees received a Recognize award, and there were over 3,400 check-ins through a Conversations pilot group, according to a First Tech case study. First Tech also found through internal data analysis that employees who recognize others are two times less likely to leave First Tech than those only receive recognition, and those who receive recognition are 2.5 times less likely to leave the CU than those who are never recognized.

“Neuroscience research supports that sharing appreciation has the same psychological benefits of receiving recognition from others.”

“Sharing gratitude and recognizing others helps remind us about the work we do, and the great people we get to do it with,” Krout said. “Neuroscience research supports that sharing appreciation has the same psychological benefits of receiving recognition from others. Ultimately, when we have busy days and work is challenging, stopping to recognize others helps connect us back to our work and appreciation for what we accomplish together.”

EVENT: Join us in Minneapolis for A Taste of Workhuman Live!

We’re teaming up with Workhuman to bring you an exciting event!

Join us in Minneapolis for A Taste of Workhuman Live, an interactive, invitation-only program designed to help you live the core tenets of “working human” and take them back home to your community.

This experience will give you a sneak peek into what you can expect at Workhuman Live 2020 – and everyone who attends will receive SHRM credits, a discount code, and be eligible to win two complimentary tickets.

The night will kick off with friendly conversation among your peers, followed by "The Gratitude Effect” presentation and conversation on how the most admired global companies are increasing employee performance and ROI. Then enjoy dinner on us!

Mingle, eat, drink, create connections, share experiences, and bring back actionable strategies to your team.

Details

October 3, 2019 | 6:00 - 10:00 pm | Butcher & the Boar

 

Agenda

• Arrivals, Introductions, Cocktails and Appetizers

• “The Gratitude Effect” Presentation & Discussion

• Dinner

• Networking

Register!

For more information and registration details, visit: https://whc.workhuman.com/whregional.html

HR Today Feature: Feedback is Welcome

What is a feedback-focused culture? It’s one where all employees feel confident voicing their perspectives. One where relationships are grounded on trust and respect. One where positivity and openness are the norm, and even people who aren’t skilled in giving or receiving feedback are happy to participate.

This type of culture is embraced by leading HR software provider Paycor. “We have what I would call a ‘by the people, for the people’ relationship with our employees,” says CHRO Karen Crone. By making leaders accessible and giving employees ample opportunity to provide feedback, Paycor’s workforce has adopted a forward-thinking growth mindset and a better understanding of the company’s priorities and business goals.

According to Jeff Gelinas, vice president of product and people at Engage2Excel Inc., this approach has multiple benefits: better organizational alignment resulting from frequent communication, improved engagement, and increased productivity.

But how can it become a reality? Chary Krout, former senior vice president of HR at First Tech Federal Credit Union, says that cultivating a feedback-centered culture goes beyond surveys and meetings with management. “A first step is for employers to foster an atmosphere where employees have greater trust and feel empowered to give and solicit feedback,” she explains. “While it’s a leader’s responsibility to ensure these conversations and check-ins are ongoing throughout the year, employees can take the driver’s seat to their performance and development.”

“Cultivating a feedback-centered culture goes beyond surveys and meetings with management.”

There are other best practices organizations can follow to create such an atmosphere. Paycor’s approach involves a number of different programs and initiatives:

• Regular meetings with leadership. According to Crone, the company ensures that employees engage frequently and directly with their leaders by hosting monthly and quarterly meetings. “Pulse” business updates run monthly and feature a live webcast with an employee-driven agenda, while “the Leads” quarterly meetings are led by executives at the director level and above and focus on larger business strategy.

“It’s really an opportunity for employees to lean in on our strategy, so we take a deeper dive on an element of our strategy and let employees reflect on it and understand how the leadership team got to that decision,” she explains. “Our perspective is that when people understand the direction, health, and key priorities of the business, they ask questions about those things and there’s more of a framework for them to reflect on. That gives you a chance to take action on their feedback instead of having feedback that’s not connected to your business.”

These meetings also give leaders an opportunity to address the ways that the business is integrating past feedback into its strategy. By being transparent about plans and intentions, leaders help employees feel heard and respected.

• Field visits. Paycor’s leaders also engage with their employees through regular field visits to the company’s various branches. These visits include a town hall with open question sessions followed by a social event where executives can get to know their people personally.

• Employee resource groups. Self-managed employee resource groups are another way that Paycor empowers employees and makes their voices heard throughout the organization. For example, a young professionals group works to develop training programs and shape its own self-development through a program called “Accelerate.” Another community partners group leverages employee feedback to develop community improvement efforts and initiatives that the entire company can get behind. These are examples of the company’s “for the people, by the people” philosophy in action, says Crone.

• Debriefs after major initiatives. “Another thing we’ve done is we try to steal a page from agile,” Crone says. “One of the agile messages is making sure you have a post-mortem after your agile window. We make sure we have debriefs around a lot of our major initiatives -that’s an example of everyone coming into the room with the same voice. Everybody has a chance to weigh into what went well and what didn’t go well.”

Pulse surveys are used at the end of onboarding, training, and any other company initiatives to instantly capture an authentic reading of employee perceptions and ideas. By building a feedback loop mechanism into everything it does, Paycor assures employees that their opinions are valued, improving engagement while collecting valuable data about the employee experience.

Feedback Transforms Performance Management

A feedback-based culture also has a positive impact on the performance management process. When organizations are open to hearing feedback, they become accustomed to giving it more frequently as well.

“Our research demonstrates that implementing a continuous performance management program is an effective strategy to cultivating a feedback-rich environment,” says Gary Beckstrand, vice president of the O.C. Tanner Institute. “This strategy includes multiple methods of conversation and development: one-to-ones, quarterly reviews, and annual reviews. One-to-ones are deliberate conversations that include feedback, celebrations of micro-victories, and guidance. Organizations that want to institutionalize feedback should start with ensuring one-to-ones are occurring. From there, they should ensure their strategy integrates quarterly and yearly reviews.”

According to Crone, Paycor leverages these performance management strategies and provides ample opportunity for two-way feedback between managers and employees. After learning that employees were not satisfied with infrequent performance reviews, the organization developed “Connect” sessions that occur four times a year. “Connect Light” sessions check in on performance while “Connect Heavy” sessions dig deeper into employee goals and development progress. These quarterly performance conversations promote ongoing feedback and coaching that encourages constant development and performance improvement. And they are hugely popular: Crone reports a 92 percent participation rate.

Employees also receive the opportunity to comment on their managers’ performance through an annual coaching index of 15 to 20 behavioral-based questions. Based on this feedback, managers receive a performance score that helps compare skills and identify points of improvement.

“So often in performance management systems, it’s not unusual for the boss to tell you how you’ve done or for the manager to just parrot feedback that employees wrote about themselves,” explains Crone. “What we’ve tried to do is create balance in the relationships. We allow the employee to have a voice about what they’ve accomplished that is not seen by the manager, and allow the employee and manager feedback to stand side by side. Then when they’re together in their one-on-ones, they’re talking about the differences or gaps in perspective, or validating a shared perspective.”

Recognition’s Role

Creating a positive, trusting, and feedback-friendly workplace is a difficult task, but an effective recognition program can help. “When employees offer ideas, it’s important to listen to those ideas and show appreciation -and not just for the best ideas. By creating a culture of recognition and appreciation, employees feel more respected, care more, work smarter, and stay longer,” Gelinas says.

First Tech Federal Credit Union leverages a tech-driven recognition solution from Globoforce that enables frequent and meaningful feedback, and cultivates deeper connections across the organization. The company’s strategy includes social recognition, frequent check-ins, and employee-led conversations that strengthen workplace relationships.

“We have found that one of the major benefits of promoting recognition and continuous feedback at work is that it builds a deeper sense of belonging and trust across companies,” says Krout. “By recognizing people for their work in timely and meaningful ways that align with the goals and values of the organization, employees will feel more engaged and encouraged to speak up.”

“By recognizing people for their work in timely and meaningful ways that align with the goals and values of the organization, employees will feel more engaged and encouraged to speak up.”

In fact, formal recognition increases an employee’s sense of appreciation by 355 percent, says Beckstrand. And it doesn’t end there -spontaneous feedback in informal settings increases an employee’s sense of appreciation by 172 percent. By consistently providing recognition and then amplifying it throughout the organization, Beckstrand explains that managers can build and support employee confidence while helping workers feel more connected to their organization, their leaders, and their accomplishments.

Another strategy to better enable a feedback-rich organizational culture is manager training. “You have to get managers comfortable with employees having a voice,” says Crone. “Getting comfortable with letting people plan and execute on their role and adopting a coaching or mentoring role provides a richer environment for feedback.”

According to Gelinas, managers and employees should also be given training on the art of constructive feedback. “Constructive feedback needs to consider the individual and his or her preferences. For example, some individuals prefer frank or blunt feedback while others appreciate a softer approach. For some, constructive feedback may be best communicated in person versus virtually. Managers need training on the art of constructive feedback, as well as how to document it.”

Krout says First Tech Federal Credit Union didn’t go the training route but started slow instead. “We didn’t know where to start with training on providing constructive feedback, so we started small with recognition while piloting the conversations tool with 50 percent of our workforce. To our surprise, the vast majority of leaders and employees in our pilot were having meaningful conversations and recognition,” Krout explains.

By implementing these best practices and actively providing opportunities for both employees and managers to share feedback, business leaders will be well on their way to creating a self-sustaining organizational culture of growth, awareness, and transparency.

The Gratitude Workout

Learn how infusing the power of gratitude in the workplace helps empower employees to do their best! An article from our friends at Workhuman featuring quotes by Chary, Molly, and more Workhuman Live 2019 speakers. Read more, here!