What Aren’t Your Employees Telling You?

New Ways to Think, Collaborate & Communicate: Part 2

Have you been dealing with a problem for over a year without resolution? Maybe it’s time to dig deeper into the organization. Often, leaders don’t get the information they need from the troops. With a clearer picture of reality, they can more easily diagnose the problem.

While working with a major transportation company, we consulted with all levels of employees for solutions. We found that employees were frustrated at the perceived lack of support from senior management. They didn’t feel they were kept informed or consulted about important changes within the organization, changes that impacted their jobs.

It wasn’t that the senior leaders didn’t care, but they were so preoccupied with their day-to-day responsibilities that they couldn’t find the time to keep their team in the loop. Senior management didn’t notice their employees becoming disengaged, nor did they notice the customer frustration until complaints skyrocketed.

We spent a month diagnosing the problem and quickly developed and implemented solutions to address the frustrations of the employees and the customers. In three months, we implemented a new customer initiative that included employee engagement teams. These teams contributed ideas and gave feedback on new initiatives prior to implementation. Morale improved dramatically, customer complaints dropped by 36% and employee sick time dropped by 10%.

Could you do more to engage your employees and keep your customers happy?