How comfortable is your staff with being themselves in the workplace?

A recent Jobsage survey posed this question to 1,900 employed Americans. They do value being authentic, according to the study. However, 7 in 10 respondents said that they adopt a different personality at work than they do at home. 

Even those who weren't hiding or altering some aspect of their identity still needed an extended period of time to be themselves in a new role, with 1 in 5 saying they needed at least six months to feel comfortable being authentic at work. 

"Employees who feel psychologically safe (as in, more comfortable being themselves at work) are more likely to put in extra effort to see the team or company's mission achieved," said Kelli Mason, chief operations officer at JobSage, which is an employer review site headquartered in Austin, Texas. "They are also more likely to feel safe enough to push back and ask hard questions, which are ultimately in the company's best interest, even if they initially create uncomfortable or difficult conversations and decisions."

Karl Ahlrichs, SHRM-SCP, a speaker and thought leader on human capital and senior consultant for Gregory & Appel insurance company in Indianapolis, emphasized the importance of recognizing that the impact of inauthentic workplaces on retention and recruitment efforts is not equal. Low performers will grip their chairs and cling to the job, whether they feel comfortable in the workplace or not. But high performers can find new positions elsewhere, and they know it. HR professionals should work to create cultures where employees can be open and honest about themselves and their work, and where leaders and managers are transparent and fair when conflicts arise.

"Having an environment of trust, transparency and accountability is necessary. It's fragile and tough to do but if people feel they can bring their full self, and there is an appropriate response if something gets crosswise, high performers don't leave," he said. 

Resignations aren't the only consequence. Work quality and quantity of output are also diminished in inauthentic workplaces.  

"When employees feel comfortable bringing more of their identity to work, they are more likely to provide different perspectives and valuable feedback," said Jill Koob, SHRM-SCP, founder of EnergizeHR, an HR consulting company in Houston, Texas. "This creates a more cohesive team and eliminates blind spots that can result in financial and nonfinancial gains."

5 Strategies to Create a Culture That Supports Authenticity

These are five strategies you can use to increase authenticity in your workplace to address high turnover, decreased productivity and poor working relationships.

1. Remain fair and consistent. 

Staying fair and consistent is the HR professional's top priority, Alhrichs said. He acknowledged this is not an easy task. Consistency is a relatively rigid set of patterns, and he explained that fairness often means being adaptable. Those objectives can conflict on emotionally charged issues. 

"Having an environment where people trust each other so that they can raise their hand and talk diplomatically and objectively about [conflicts] becomes a teaching moment."

2. Lead the way.

Seeing is believing. When HR leaders take the lead by modeling authenticity, employees understand the value of being themselves at work.

Mason said HR professionals can model authenticity by:

• Openly acknowledging times they've failed.
• Taking time off and sharing why it's important to their mental health.
• Embracing and being forthcoming about family obligations that might interfere with work.

 
"When staff see that the leadership is made up of humans, with flaws and lives outside of work, staff members are more likely to feel a sense of safety in bringing more of themselves to work," she said.

3. Provide civility training.

As politics and social movements have gotten increasingly aggressive and social media has further polarized sides, responses to disagreements must be civil. In addition to having consistent training around core values, Koob suggested including civility training.

"Civility is extremely important for employees to feel safe to be themselves and has been shown to greatly increase productivity," she said.

4. Support active listening.

Ahlrichs said active listening is critical to creating trusting workplace cultures. Active listening is giving full attention and consideration to the person speaking, which demonstrates a mutual understanding and respect for those in the conversation.

"If you have a culture of trust, it is possible to say, 'Hey, you said something at the end of the meeting that really bothered me. You might not have meant it, but I really felt it,' " he said. "When handled as a teaching moment, it can actually strengthen the culture." 

5. Focus on inclusion.

People need to feel connected to others to truly be themselves.

"Encourage employees to include co-workers in discussions outside of forced meetings and opportunities for employees to get to know one another," Koob said.

Katie Navarra is a freelance writer based in New York state.

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Using an employee survey as a tool to gauge your employees’ true opinions about your company’s benefit program is essential. Learning what types of benefits employees appreciate most — as well as the types of benefits they would like to have — can help you restructure your employee compensation package to retain existing employees and attract more long-term employees. You can readily include questions about your benefits packages in your employee survey. Read on to learn some of the best practices we’ve used while surveying millions of employees to gather their feedback about their employers’ benefits packages.

Protect Respondent Confidentiality

One of the most crucial aspects of any employee survey is to ensure the respondent anonymity.  You’ll enjoy better response rates, collect more accurate data, demonstrate respect, improve retention, and build trust. Whenever you collect employee feedback, use an outside vendor to protect employee anonymity.

Ask the Right Questions

It’s a big deal, to collect employee feedback. There are a lot of considerations, like technology, confidentiality, communication, and then there’s what you’ll do with the data once you have it. If you and your survey provider are to solve all those problems, be sure you’re asking the right questions before you launch. Are you isolating issues and attitudes? Are you collecting actionable demographic data? And, of course, you’ll want to be sure to ask questions about each of the benefits programs you offer. 

Benchmark Against the Competition

Knowing how you stack up against employers of your size, in your industry, is powerful intel. When you consider the questions you’ll ask and the survey provider you’ll work with, consider whether or not benchmarking data reports will be available to you. And don’t stop there! Be sure you ask questions you’d be asking again in the future. Benchmarking against yourself, year-over-year, is the only way to measure improvement.

Take Action

When your employees give you their feedback, they want to see you respond to it. The first step is to communicate. Let your employees know that you heard them, loud and clear. Tell them you appreciate the honest feedback. Tell them that the leadership is working on an action plan to address what was uncovered.

Best of all, if you work with the right survey provider, you can see employee your response data by department, location, and business unit. When you know that there’s a problem in the sales department, or a victory on the administrative team, that’s important information.

Learn More

When you’re ready to learn more about employee survey timelines, process and pricing, schedule a time to meet with one of our employer coaches. We’ll get all your questions answered.

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I hear the same objections at every HR conference I attend. “We aren’t ready for a Best Places to Work program yet…” or “I don’t think the boss wants to know how the employees feel this year…”

And, I get it. Of course, it’s not comfortable to be critiqued or hear about the ways you’re falling short– especially if you’re aware that there are problems. But, is turning a blind eye to shortcomings or problem areas really the answer?

Human Resources professionals are not typically to blame for dissatisfaction and disengagement in the workplace. However, they are the ones who can initiate and drive change. But, before you can design a satisfaction improvement plan, you must equip yourself with the knowledge of where your organizational weaknesses truly lie. Is leadership the issue? Is it leadership in one particular location or department, specifically? Without the power of the data from an employee engagement and satisfaction survey, you just can’t be sure. 

Once you’ve gathered the data and feedback from your employees, you can take action in smarter, more strategic ways that will improve whats most impactful to employee engagement at your organization– the things that your unique employee group actually responds to.

The Proof is in the Numbers

LinkedIn recently published an interesting article containing stats on feedback. One study, conducted by Gallup, found that managers who received feedback on their strengths showed 8.9% greater profitability. In another study, those who received strengths feedback had turnover rates that were 14.9% lower than for employees who received no feedback. And lastly, a study found that teams with managers who received strengths feedback showed 12.5% greater productivity post-intervention than teams with managers who received no feedback. Increased profitability, lower turnover rates, and high productivity– these are all results of giving and receiving feedback.

But, they only mentioned “strengths” feedback, so that is just the good stuff, right? According to the article, 92% of respondents agreed with the assertion, “Negative (redirecting) feedback, if delivered appropriately, is effective at improving performance.” So, hearing the bad stuff can be a catalyst for positive change as well.

They Might Be Afraid, Too

And since we’re on the topic of apprehension, it’s worth noting that your employees might be just as afraid to give you honest feedback as you are to hear it. That’s why the number one rule in surveying your employees is that anonymity must be protected.

Ensure your respondents’ identities cannot be linked to their answers by using a third-party vendor that is trained and experienced in handling, protecting and delivering employee feedback data. Reassure employees of their confidentiality and then act on that trust. Do not attempt to match comments to individuals, rather assess your results and strive to improve problem areas holistically.

Taking the leap and opening yourself (or your company) up for criticism, while potentially painful, can yield worthwhile and lasting results. After all, “We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve,” says Bill Gates

Learn More

It’s powerful to know what your employees think! You can identify problems like poor supervision, communication breakdown, and mounting plans to leave your company before expensive turnover affects your business.

When you’re ready to learn more about employee survey timelines, process and pricing, schedule a time to meet with one of our employer coaches. We’ll get all your questions answered.

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Organizations that value employee engagement has much to gain by adopting a no-layoff policy. This game-changing, people policy assures employees that the organization will not issue pink slips when the economy goes south. A no-layoff policy provides one more competitive advantage for being a Best Places to Work business..

During the recession in 2008, a small business owner in the residential and commercial wood-flooring business considered options to keep his organization afloat. Wanting to avoid layoffs, he decided to involve employees in the decision-making process. The team identified cost-cutting measures and voluntarily reduced work hours to counteract the slowdown. Together they solved the organization’s financial shortfall and prevented layoffs. When sales rebounded, they were poised to immediately respond to demand. Below are some reasons to consider a no-layoff policy.

1. Employee Trauma

Those who lose a job are hard hit, especially if they have families to support. They go from being gainfully employed one day to wondering how will they pay their mortgage or rent, utility bills, or car payments the next. Layoffs not only have residual effects on those let go but on staff that remain. It can erode trust in future job security, create a distrust for employers well into the future and cause anxiety and reduced performance for those that remain.

2. Survivor Mode

Some managers believe surviving employees should be happy to keep their jobs. Those surviving employees, however, have developed important bonds with coworkers. It is emotionally difficult for survivors to see laid-off workers go. Survivors may be relieved to have avoided a pink slip, yet are afraid they might be next. Similar to departing employees, surviving employees may begin networking too.

3. Leaders in Limbo

Layoffs are tough on leaders. Fielding questions from surviving employees and facing the predictable drop in post-layoff productivity, leaders must deal with the added stress of an already difficult time.

When leaders are required to lay off their employees, they may begin to question their organization’s core values; internalizing the conflict between treating people well and protecting the organization’s interests.

4. Customer Confusion

Customers like to establish working relationships with organization representatives over time. For that reason, turnover can damage customer service. When an employee knows your customer well, s/he delivers goods and services more effectively. It is difficult to assign a price to the loss of goodwill when familiar employees suddenly disappear.

5. Lost Cost Savings

Rarely does a layoff save an organization money. After paying severance, outplacement assistance, and retention bonuses for key survivors not to abandon ship, when will the organization begin experiencing cost savings? Add into the mix lost productivity, disengaged employees, employee relations issues, and the recession could be over before the cost savings start to kick in.

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There’s no doubt that employee engagement surveys can be very useful and powerful tools to gain some insight and a more accurate view of how your workforce views your company. Properly implemented, a survey can help you shift your staff from being mere content with their work (or worse) to becoming fully engaged.

One of the most crucial aspects of an employee survey is to ensure the respondents’ anonymity. There are several reasons for this. Here are just a few.

Better Response Rates

Employees who are concerned that their identity could potentially be linked to their answers are less likely to complete the survey at all. In fact, anonymous employee surveys can achieve response rates upwards of 90%.

More Accurate Data

Safeguarding the anonymity of respondents will help assure the accuracy of the data you receive. Employees who feel their identity may be revealed are more likely to offer the kinds of answers they expect upper management want to hear. They’re also more likely to sugar coat responses relating to their immediate supervisors for fear of possible reprisals or hurt feelings.

When surveys are not anonymous, respondents will play the political game. They answer in ways that they feel will most benefit them or cause the least amount of friction, even if it means overlooking important concerns and issues. Under the cover of anonymity, employees feel safe psychologically, allowing them to be more open about what may be bothering them at work.

Some individuals are less likely to share their opinions and ideas in a public forum. Perhaps it’s due to an innate shyness, insecurity, or fear of being ridiculed. Thanks to anonymous employee engagement surveys, these individuals can contribute as much as all of their colleagues. As a result, you may get great ideas and invaluable insights that you might not have received otherwise.

Employees Feel Respected

In addition to seeking ways of improving the workplace environment, anonymous employee engagement surveys also serve to make employees feel valued and that their opinions matter. They’re more likely to feel that they have a voice and an active role to play in shaping the future of the organization.

When employees feel like they’re valued and are active participants in creating a better workplace, they are likely to become more engaged, and therefore more productive.

There is a caveat to add to this section, however. In order to maintain the sense that employees are respected, management must take the steps required following the employee survey to address any issues that have been uncovered. It’s also a good idea to involve employees in the process of finding solutions to those issues.

Improved Retention

When you take action based on the data you receive from your anonymous employee survey, you’ll be going a long way towards improving employee engagement within your organization. This will eventually lead to better retention rates.

Again, failure to follow up on the feedback from the survey could potentially have the opposite effect that you had envisioned. Employees could become angry, disillusioned, and further disengaged, increasing their likelihood to seek employment elsewhere and leave your company.

It’s estimated that the cost of replacing an employee can be as high as 60% of his or her annual salary, and that doesn’t factor in the cost of orientation, training and lost productivity through the transition period. When you consider those figures, it becomes clear that better retention should be a top priority.

Trust

Safeguarding the identity of respondents is of primary importance. If employees feel that their anonymity is not protected or taken seriously by management, it could create distrust and even animosity.

The best way to protect your employees’ anonymity and to underscore that you take their concerns seriously, used to use a third-party engagement survey. Unlike surveys that are entirely created and managed internally, third-party surveys utilize tools and technology that guaranteed total anonymity.

When you plan your next survey, make sure you get accurate data, a good response rate, and show respect for your staff by employing a qualified third-party engagement survey provider who will protect your employees’ identity.

Learn more

You need to know what your employees think. Are they happy? Are they engaged? Do they plan to leave? Would they go the extra mile to see you succeed? That’s where we come in.

When you’re ready to learn more about employee survey timelines, process and pricing, schedule a time to meet with one of our employer coaches. We’ll get all your questions answered.

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These days, we’re hard-pressed to find an employer in disagreement with what is now common wisdom: employee engagement is essential to organizational success. Whether it’s customer service, profitability, or employee retention, the canon of data supporting the positive effect of employee engagement has become impossible to ignore. 

That said, what engages or disengages an employee is her level of satisfaction with the things that are most important to her. While the drivers of engagement are different for every unique organization, it’s important to understand each area of employee satisfaction. So, what does satisfaction with leadership and planning look like? 

Our Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey is comprised of 78 questions, rated on a 5-point Likert scale, that measure attitudes in eight core focus areas. Additionally, there are two open-ended questions at the end of the survey in which respondents can share what they love about working for their employer as well as what they’d like to see improve.

We surveyed nearly one million employees in the last 12 months and we asked them each a standard set of seven questions to measure satisfaction with leadership and planning at their roughly 6,000 respective organizations. Over the past 15 years or so, we’ve learned that when employees agree with the statements below, they’re satisfied with leadership and planning.

1. I understand the long-term strategy of this organization

The long-term strategy of an organization is the road map we use to move the collective to the next peak. That strategy includes vision, alignment of goals across department, and a sense of the tactical choices that will need to be made along the way.

Sharing long-term strategy with employees empowers them to act on behalf of that vision. If your employees don’t know where you’re headed, how will they get you there?

 2. I have confidence in leadership of this organization

Great leaders remove obstacles and inspire. When team members have confidence in their leadership, they’re able to follow that lead, contributing to the growth of an organization.

3. The leaders of this organization care about their employees’ well being

When employees feel that leadership cares about them, it builds trust and rapport. Furthermore, mutual respect and admiration is a big part of the recipe for the success of any team.

4. Senior leaders live the core values of the organization

It’s not enough to proudly display a bronze plaque in the lobby, declaring corporate values. When senior leaders live out those values in their own choices, business decisions and otherwise, team members know what really matters to the organization.

5. There is adequate planning of departmental objectives

Thorough planning is what separates great ideas from results. Adequate planning of departmental objectives creates the kind of environment where employees can participate in achievement of those goals and do their best work.

6. There is adequate follow-through of departmental objectives

Have you ever worked for an employer with a “black hole?” It’s when amazing ideas are tossed around, diligence is done, and then nothing happens. Just as it feels amazing to achieve goals, it’s deflating when said goals get sucked into the black hole. Commit to goals only when they are achievable.

7. The leaders of this organization are open to input from employees

In addition to having a plan and following through, when leaders are open to input from employees it does more than make team members feel good. It nurtures an environment of collaboration and professional development.

Learn More

It’s powerful to know what your employees think! You can identify problems like poor supervision, communication breakdown, and mounting plans to leave your company before expensive turnover affects your business.

When you’re ready to learn more about employee survey timelines, process and pricing, schedule a time to meet with one of our employer coaches. We’ll get all your questions answered.

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Our clients often want to know the best practices for conducting a successful employee engagement and satisfaction survey project. One critical aspect of a survey’s success respondent anonymity. Protecting people’s identities be difficult – the stakes are high in the minds of your staff. We ensure a highly secure and confidential survey specifically designed to protect each respondent’s anonymity.

Why having anonymous surveys is critical

It’s quite common that there are concerns for employers and employees regarding survey anonymity. Employees worry that if they provide honest but negative feedback, they’ll suffer retribution from their managers. They can also be hesitant to provide honest and candid feedback if they feel their feedback can be tied directly to them.

Employers fear that their investment can be wasted if the responses are false or a watered-down version of true perceptions. Addressing these concerns before starting a survey will help achieve the highest response rates and most accurate data possible.

How to protect employee identities in surveys

Anonymity is one of the most important aspects of a customized employee survey. Building anonymity directly into the survey process you will see better response rates, increased trust and credibility, and more accurate data.

Here’s how we design our survey process to protect the identities of each survey respondent:

• For any given demographic, such as department, age, or location, require a minimum number of respondents to report on that area.
• Before each open-ended question, include clear language that informs the user not to include self-identifying information. This helps to guide employees to answer honestly, but without including self-identifying information.
• If your employees have questions about confidentiality, encourage them to contact your survey provider directly to address their concerns.
• Use confidentiality language in all of your communications to let staff know that you will protect their identities at all costs.
• Offer videos explaining confidentiality (in both English and French). We designed those videos for our clients to share with their employees before their survey project

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Employee trust is one essential part of a healthy and growing workplace. Employees thrive in an environment where they feel appreciated and respected for their hard work. Trust is a delicate relationship and can be grown or damaged by the actions of employers and supervisors. When intact, trust can create a powerful connection between an employee and there employer. Read on to learn more about how to grow trust amongst your employees.

Get to Know Employees

First and foremost, you need to give trust to build trust. This can be accomplished by getting to know the people on your team, as well as letting them get to know you. Talk! Find common ground with each individual employee, such as favorite sports teams, a shared home town or movies you both like. Connections are easily built by creating regular team lunches, where everyone can get together and have open conversation. Most importantly, get to know your employees by visiting each department within the business. Give help where it’s needed.  Employees feel like they’re part of a team when they know that the boss values every role in the business. No job is too small.

Be the Boss and an Employee

While you may be in a position of power and should take on the role of leadership, you’re also a part of the team and should treat your employees as equals. Your employees are not going to be impressed by your power, but how you wield it. In fact, a person who rises up the ladder is at risk of losing the trust of their former peers. To overcome this barrier, demonstrate to employees that you are all working together toward a common goal. Roll up your sleeves. Engage and empower your employees by doing your best to communicate with them and entrust them to accomplish important tasks.

Create an Open Atmosphere

It’s hard to build connections if people are hesitant to open up and express themselves honestly. Communication is key to success and employees should feel comfortable talking with one another and seeking help if needed. Open and direct communication about company culture, financials, and strategy not only fosters trust, but also empowers employees to help the company achieve its goals.

Encourage Rather than Demand

Rather than micromanaging and demanding tasks to be completed, find areas of opportunity to encourage employees to succeed. While handing out orders won’t gain you trust, encouraging and coaching employees toward the goal not only builds trust but is an investment in the development of your staff. For managers, develop your ability to delegate (while granting as much autonomy as possible). Make clear your expectations performance measurements, to maximize success. Improved employee skills will only improve your business, causing all boats to rise.

Leaders should Accept Responsibility

Remember, all employees are part of team no matter their rank. When a mistake is made, leaders should take responsibility rather than become defensive and pass blame on employees. Defensiveness and blame is a quick way to damage trust.

When we give recognize employees for a job well done, however, employees are more likely to put in extra effort to see the company succeed. Overall, you’ll be improving morale in the workplace and building trust.

Grow with your Employees

It’s hard to gain employee trust when they believe they know more about the business than you do. You should grow as your business does and work together with employees to learn and implement new strategies. Even if you have a good relationship with your employees, they will not trust a leader who doesn’t take the time to learn and assist employees when needed. Attend training sessions and develop new and existing skills alongside your employees. Be curious and humble. Be willing to learn.

Best Employee Surveys: Improving Employee Retention

It’s powerful to know what your employees think. You can identify problems like poor supervision, communication breakdown, and mounting plans to leave your company before expensive turnover affects your business. Getting your hands on your Employee Feedback Reports has never been so easy and affordable.

Content in partnership with Best Companies Group