Listen to Your Employees!!

Over the last 3 years, being involved in long term projects have solidified my view that within organizational relationships, there are a few experiences that are as disheartening as not being heard in the workplace. Free dog terrier puppy illustration

When, for example, you have just contributed a new idea – one that may have the potential to improve an issue – and your contribution is brushed aside with minimal acknowledgment, you get this sinking feeling that “I am not valued here!!” After several dismissals, you may reach a point where you question whether anyone is truly listening. From personal experience, this is one of the worst feelings one can have, whether referring to personal or professional relationships.

Don’t get me wrong here. If you are a leader, I am not implying that you have to agree with what you are hearing from your direct reports. I am simply implying that it would be a good idea to, at least, have the willingness to have the conversation about what is being said, whether it is immediately or at a later time.

Unfortunately, these incidents represent only the surface of a much deeper issue. Beneath the obvious, there may be a severe deficiency in overall acknowledgement that, if unaddressed, has the potential to affect both motivation and productivity.

Would you rather keep your top talent or let a disengaged team fall behind competitors? The answer may seem obvious, yet I’ve observed that more attention is often given to completing tasks rather than fostering the kind of relationships that accelerate productivity.

When employees don’t feel heard, a few things can happen:

➡ A disconnect emerges within the leader/employee relationship – Research by Nudge reveals that 39% of employees don’t feel heard by their organization, yet, 78% of leaders believe they’re fostering a feedback culture. If you have taken the time to define values and behaviours…take the time to demonstrate them!!! They will be the source of differentiation.

➡ Productivity is affected – Employees are more effective at their job when they feel heard. If not, sharing ideas and feedback in the future will be hampered.

➡ Retention becomes an issue – Keeping people may not be the only issue. When word gets out that this is the way your culture presents, attracting the best talent can become an issue as well.

➡ Profitability can drop – According to The Workforce Institute at UKG, organizations are much more likely to perform well financially (88%) when their employees feel heard, engaged, and a sense of belonging.

The following is a note from “The Heard and the Heard-Nots” – by Dr. Chris Mullen, Ph.D., SPHR, SHRM-SCP, executive director of The Workforce Institute at UKG:

“Perhaps this stems from the decades-long notion that employees are an organization’s most valuable asset, when, in fact, they are so much more. They’re tactical and strategic change-makers who see inefficiency firsthand and often seek to voice critical points of observation and ideas for improvement. However, more often than not, organizations don’t have the right mechanisms in place to actively listen to their people — leaving many employees to feel like another cog in the machine rather than a crucial contributor to company success.

Through this research, we have discovered three core truths about the voice of the employee:

People leaders must ensure that all employee voices are heard equally and equitably.
Employees count on their managers to not just listen to their feedback, but embrace and meaningfully act upon it.
Investing in the voice of the employee isn’t just good for culture — it’s good for business.”

Fortunately, there is a solution. Listening to employees isn’t just the right thing to do from a diversity and equality point of view — it also has meaningful business benefits.

Here are three business benefits of listening to employees:

1️⃣ It boosts commitment to goals as well as the process to get there.

2️⃣ It drives healthy conversations through an increase in psychological safety

3️⃣ In turn, it drives productivity

Remember this is about making a choice to listen or making a choice to examine what it is about you that prevents it. Is there a skill you need to develop?

Here are some important questions to ask:

Do employees feel comfortable speaking up?
When they do voice their concerns, are we using or at least discussing there opinion?
Do we instill transparency, trust, and the values we have defined as an organization?

By answering these and other important questions, leaders can create an organizational culture of psychological safety and trust that thrives when its people thrive.

Remember that if the energy from you is negative, the listener’s attitude will be negative as well.

If this content resonates with you, follow me Tony Ragoonanan for more on the importance of CLARITY in performance management.

Tony Ragoonanan is the Founder of V-Formation Training & Development. As a Trainer and Performance Management Specialist, he helps individuals and organizations to align emotion, skill, and behaviour with outcomes. Outside of this, it’s all about family, football, and fitness!!

868-681-3492 | tonyr0909@gmail.com

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