5 Surprisingly simple ways to safeguard employee satisfaction

In times of uncertainty and change, it is even more critical to have a pulse on what employees care about and what motivates them. Since joining SAP in January, I have been impressed with how the company has built employee feedback into the backbone of the company culture. For managers, gathering honest feedback can be difficult.?Employees can be reluctant to share challenges in an organization, especially when this transparency can lead to disrupting the status quo. When we create space for employees to safely communicate feedback, stay open and listen to ways we can improve, we pave a path to a healthier and more productive work environment.

This path doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are 5 surprisingly simple ways to safeguard employee satisfaction:

1.?Make listening your superpower. When we talk less and listen more, we allow others to feel heard, empowered, and better understand the needs of our employees and teams. In today’s world of constant noise and distraction, listening is our key to finding true authentic communication. In this TED Talk, the Power of Listening,William Ury, author of Getting to Yes and one of the world’s leading experts on negotiation and mediation, gives some great advice on how the simple power of listening can transform relationships in both our work and personal lives.

2.?Gather, track and measure feedback. There is commonly used phrase in business - “you can’t manage what you can’t measure.”(and many variations on this same concept). The same applies to employees - building tools to aggregate, track and measure feedback is the key to successfully impacting and measuring change. ?At SAP, we use Qualtrics to help generate the right questions, listen to employee needs,?and respond with the right actions. This process allows us to continue to track and measure our progress.

3.?Clarify roles to bring focus to goals. When job roles are unclear, everything feels out of focus. When we clarify ownership, deliverables, eliminate overlap, and break down silos, we are able to reach our shared goals together more efficiently.

4.?Simplify complex processes. Just because that is the way we have always done it, doesn’t mean that is the way we need to keep doing it. Challenging the status quo, improving workflows, and simplifying processes helps improve agility in today's digital economy. It also allows us to make decisions faster, move projects forward more efficiently, leads to better outcomes, and happier employees.??

5.?Invest in reskilling. When employees are encouraged to keep learning, growing and trying new things, they are happier and more productive. Investing and betting on smart talent and supporting their growth in the organization is key to attracting and retaining the right talent that will help drive success for generations to come.

What have you found helpful in ensuring employees are heard, happy and productive? I'd love to hear your thoughts!