How can you create action plans from employee feedback?

In my experience, long action plans don't work. They are often over-engineered and full of things that teams don't have enough capacity to actually do. HR then gets overwhelmed with trying to get as much as possible done. If your team is in this boat, instead of an action plan, choose 1 to 3 focus areas and assign a lead to each one. Pick a goal for each that can be measured over time and run with it. Sometimes simpler is better!

Storylistening ist hier eine bew?hrte L?sung????: Es ist vorteilhaft, quantitative Daten mit qualitativen Daten zu verknüpfen, um nicht nur die "was"-Ebene, sondern auch die "warum"-Ebene von Themen zu verstehen. Hierbei unterstützt die Storylistening-Methode, bei der Mitarbeitende ihre Arbeitserlebnisse in Form von Geschichten reflektieren. Durch die Analyse der geteilten Geschichten und die Mustererkennung über mehrere Interviews oder Fokusgruppen entstehen rasch die notwendigen Priorit?ten. Diese bilden die Grundlage für die Ableitung von Aktionspl?nen, um gezielt auf die identifizierten Themen einzugehen.

One thing I've found to be helpful is that analysis is paired with internal review and discussion. People leaders can more effectively test their assumptions and verify their understanding of their data if they don't analyze feedback in a vacuum. Insights helping to confirm or refute the outcomes of analysis may come from reports, peers, or managers.

Start by gathering and analyzing feedback through surveys, focus groups, or suggestion boxes to identify common themes and areas for improvement. Prioritize the feedback based on impact and feasibility, determining which issues are most critical to address. Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to develop specific, measurable action plans that outline objectives, timelines, and responsible parties. Clearly communicate the action plans to all employees, highlighting how their feedback has led to tangible changes. Regularly monitor progress, providing updates and adjustments as needed. By actively involving employees in this process, you foster a culture of engagement and continuous improvement.

In my experience, successful organizations enhance employee feedback by prioritizing actions in a targeted manner, typically focusing on 3-5 key areas. Three effective approaches to prioritize action areas include: Urgency, Impact & Feasibility: Evaluating actions based on urgency, impact, and feasibility ensures a practical focus. Alignment to Goals and Employee Value Proposition: Prioritizing actions aligned with organizational goals and the Employee Value Proposition enhances strategic relevance. Business Strategy Alignment: Prioritizing action areas based on alignment with the overall business strategy ensures that employee feedback initiatives contribute directly to the organization's long-term vision.

Prioritisation is so important. The average employee survey exercise can yield an incredible amount of data. And, while all feedback has value, the process of pinpointing those key, highest priority items is essential. We work with 1000s of organisations to run such surveys, and support them post-survey too. Our counsel is always to limit the number of issues to a maximum of 2-4 things. This ensures proper attention can be given to each, and you are far more likely to then deliver the desired changes where they are needed most.

Organizations that witness superior performance often exhibit a distinct pattern: People managers and business leaders actively assuming ownership of culture goals and actions. In contrast, organizations where employee engagement is solely delegated to HR tend to lag behind. Through my experience, I've observed successful organizations involving employees in a unique way – by creating a cohort known as Culture Champions or Culture Architects. This dedicated group of employees assumes responsibility for driving transformative change within the organization. Their proactive involvement adds an extra layer of engagement and ensures that the entire workforce actively contributes to and champions the desired cultural shifts.

Getting employees involved in implementing the ideas that they provided to you is the only surefire way for change to work in the long-run. Take the time to sit with each employee to determine a role that aligns with their personal goals and that will give them ownership. This is the ultimate driver for motivation and will ensure the success of your action plan.

Based on my experience, this is one of the most essential steps. People like to know they are being taken into account and their voices are being heard. ?? Start by acknowledging and appreciating the feedback provided by employees. ?? Communicate the steps to address the feedback immediately (but not reactively), clearly, and assertively. ?? Be transparent about the strategies and realistic about timelines and expectations. ?? Employees appreciate being in the loop about the process, and when the environment encourages ongoing communication, they feel more comfortable and confident in expressing themselves at any given point.

When it comes to conveying action plans, the mantra is simple: tailor first, clarify next. Effective communication of action plans isn't one-size-fits-all. It's crucial to first identify the communication styles that resonate with your team. Whether it's emails, infographics, or meetings, the right medium is vital. Then, focus on clarity and brevity in your message. It's not just about informing; it's about engaging. You may choose to encourage feedback and suggestions to transform your communication into a two-way conversation. Remember, tailor your message for understanding, not just for dissemination.

Communication is key at every stage of an employee engagement survey, but not least as part of the follow up process to 'close the loop'. Play back to your employees/other stakeholder groups the headline results, tell them what's happening next (and when) in terms of action plans and keep an open dialogue on progress. The big thing is recognising that this is an ongoing cycle, rather than a moment-in-time exercise. Employees have taken the time to tell you their views, it is therefore imperative to their continued buy-in and engagement that you keep them up to date with what actions are taken as a result.

The best approach to action planning is to avoid making it a separate activity. Take insights from the feedback and embed them in your business plan and performance objectives. For example, if you have the goal of improving customer service, what does the feedback tell you about where you should focus? What will you commit to doing as a result and how will you be held accountable?

The best action plans are set before you ask for feedback. What do you wish to learn from feedback, what are the possible outcomes - would you be able to take SMART action based on this feedback? Rightly or wrongly employees see giving feedback as their contribution to making a difference, and if their contributions are ignored enough it will disengage them. So consider the impact before the action, or get ahead of the challenge and be clear in your intentions. Maybe employees to hear a presentation or sign an 'agreement' before they contribute to feedback - ask them to bring solutions to any negative feedback, or at the very least examples to support your decision making moving forward too.

Employee engagement is vital to the success of an organization. Gallup reports that organizations with engaged employees are 23% more profitable. They also report that organizations with engaged employees - those that feel like they have a passion and purpose in their role, are three times more likely to stay at an organization. Recruiting is expensive - not just monetarily, but also all the associated process debt. To keep financials healthy (and growing), it's best to have an engaged workforce.

Collaborative efforts in prioritizing action areas are paramount for success. Involving a group of business leaders in the decision-making process ensures diverse perspectives and a holistic understanding of organizational needs. This collective approach fosters buy-in from key stakeholders, promoting a shared commitment to the chosen priorities. In summary, successful organizations streamline their efforts by prioritizing action areas collaboratively, focusing on a limited number (3-5) of key initiatives. The prioritization methods, whether based on urgency, impact, and feasibility; alignment to goals and Employee Value Proposition; or business strategy, contribute to a targeted and strategic approach to improving overall employee feedback

1. Communicate the value of engagement - explain impact on customer satisfaction, retention, performance and absence. 2. Explore and understand data at a local level - give managers access to data to boost ownership of action-plans to the front line. 3. Be aware of the overall business data and focus areas - don’t allow managers to become too narrow in their thinking! 4. Take an inclusive, team-led approach - involve teams in the action planning process as much as possible. 5. Make use of internal resources - i.e. an ‘action toolkit’. 6. Record and track agreed actions - measuring on-going progress against these. 7. Keep up momentum - agree ownership and make different team members accountable, make actions visible and celebrate wins!