Creating a More Inclusive and Accountable Workplace through Employee Feedback
What is direct employee feedback, and how can it help you? Building a cohesive, effective team requires effort and intentional communication at every level. As we strive to improve our skills and abilities, expand our knowledge, and strengthen our teamwork, we rely more and more on open and clear communication. To boost our efforts, we have instituted a new set of guidelines for giving and receiving internal feedback, and we’d like to share a bit about it with you.
Why Direct Employee Feedback?
In our world, the stakes are high, and things move fast. Effective communication and teamwork are vital to keep things running quickly and efficiently. The better we can communicate as a team, the better we can operate as a company. A direct employee feedback model has the potential to revolutionize our work. Here's how:
- A More Inclusive Workplace: Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just buzzwords for us—they are at the core of our identity. By implementing direct employee feedback, we empower all our team members to have their voices heard, regardless of their position or background. This promotes a more inclusive environment where everyone's unique perspectives and experiences contribute to our collective success.
- Encouraging Accountability: We believe in holding ourselves accountable for the change we seek in the world. Direct employee feedback encourages personal accountability and a sense of ownership of our work, as team members are empowered to provide and receive feedback for growth directly.
- Timely Issue Resolution: In our dynamic work environment, direct feedback acts as a rapid-response mechanism. It ensures that issues are identified and resolved swiftly, minimizing the chances of these concerns snowballing into larger, more complex problems.
- Improved Employee Engagement: We believe that an engaged team is the cornerstone of our success. An open feedback culture plays a pivotal role in making team members feel valued and heard. When we know that our opinions and contributions matter, we can be more engaged and enthusiastic about our work. Better engagement translates into greater satisfaction with our work, and a stronger connection to our mission and purpose, which drives our organization forward
Potential Challenges
While a direct employee feedback model aligns with our DEI values and provides invaluable benefits to our team, it also brings certain challenges to the surface:
- Handling Difficult Constructive Feedback: Some feedback discussions may touch on areas where a team member is really struggling—for example, maybe some project just isn’t clicking. Constructive feedback here can bring up feelings of resentment, and disagreements may arise. We want to approach these discussions with empathy and respect, fostering a safe space for dialogue.
- Navigating Hierarchies and Power Imbalances: Wherever hierarchies exist, employees might have concerns or doubts about providing feedback to supervisors. This can be caused by a fear of consequences or a reluctance to criticize those in positions of authority. We work to address this challenge by fostering an open and safe feedback environment that everyone is fully engaged in, and by reiterating the importance of feedback for growth.
- Promoting Inclusivity: We are committed to ensuring that all team members, especially those from underrepresented groups, feel comfortable sharing their perspectives and experiences. We recognize that some of us may face additional barriers when it comes to expressing ourselves. Our commitment to promoting inclusivity extends to providing individualized support to ensure that all team members have a platform and a voice.
Setting Criteria for Direct Employee Feedback
To establish effective criteria for direct employee feedback, we started by defining clear objectives and expectations for the feedback process. We are committed to regularly reviewing and refining these criteria based on feedback from employees to ensure that our direct feedback system remains aligned with our evolving needs and values.
We identified the following criteria to help guide our initial dive into direct feedback:
- Feedback is direct and attributed.
- Feedback shouldn’t be given in anger.
- Feedback should be timely.
- Feedback has to be constructive.
- Feedback has to have a learning element.
- Feedback should be mutual.
- Feedback should come from a place of mutual respect.
- Feedback should be solution-based.
- Feedback should be specific.
- Feedback can be asked for.
- Feedback should be expected.
Who Thrives in a Direct Feedback System?
Direct employee feedback can be particularly beneficial for team members who:
- Value Transparency: Those who appreciate open communication and see it as an opportunity for growth.
- Are Proactive: Those who actively seek opportunities for self-improvement and welcome constructive criticism.
- Foster Collaboration: Those who understand that constructive feedback is a means to strengthen team dynamics.
Who May Face Challenges?
A direct feedback model is transformative, and can particularly unearth new opportunities for personal growth for team members who:
- Prefer Privacy: Those who are uncomfortable with open discussions and prefer a more private feedback process.
- Struggle with Conflict: Those who find it difficult to manage disagreements, conflicts and receiving feedback.
- Resist Change: Those who are resistant to change and prefer established feedback systems.
Conclusion
Our commitment to making the world a better place extends beyond our work with progressive causes, organizations, and candidates. It encompasses our internal culture, where diversity, equity, and inclusion are non-negotiable values. Our commitment to greater employee feedback is an important step in the growth of the company.
We look forward to this transformative journey with our employees, knowing that it will require empathy, understanding, and a shared dedication to progress. Together, we are working to create a workplace culture that reflects the inclusive and progressive values we hold dear.
Fostering a culture of open communication and continuous improvement creates value not just for our team members, but for our clients and partners, and every campaign we work on. We’re proud to have officially started along the direct employee feedback path, and we’re excited to see where it takes us!
Have questions about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and building a culture of direct feedback? Drop us a note!