Most North American workers make suggestions to their boss on a regular basis, according to a survey released Feb. 21, 2012, by the career and outplacement consultancy Right Management. But is the boss listening and responding to employee ideas?
When asked how often employees make suggestions to their boss at work, more than half (54 percent) of the 497 respondents surveyed by Right Management in January and February 2012, said they make more than 20 suggestions each year. Another 24 percent of respondents said they make between 10 and 20 suggestions each year.
Just 7 percent said they don't share ideas with the boss.
Right Management found similar results when they polled employees in 2011, as SHRM Online reported.
"Despite research that indicates workers are disengaged, on the whole they want to be helpful and have their say on issues or problems that arise in the workplace" said Monika Morrow, senior vice president of career management for Right Management, in a statement.
Some organizations seek to capture and evaluate employee ideas in a systematic way by establishing a formal employee suggestion system. According to theSociety for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Employee Suggestions Poll released Nov. 8, 2010, just 39 percent of HR professionals surveyed said they had a formal system for employees to submit their suggestions and/or ideas through a mechanism such as a suggestion box, e-mail or online application.
Though a quarter of respondents said that they reviewed employee suggestions on a daily basis, 30 percent said they did so weekly and 28 percent did so monthly.
However, rather than managers, it is HR that reviews employee suggestions most often, according to the SHRM poll. Twenty-seven percent of respondents said the responsibility for deciding which suggestions will be implemented falls to HR, while 22 percent said such decisions are made by the manager in charge of the department or function affected by the suggestion. Fifteen percent of respondents said a staff committee evaluates suggestions.
Set the proper tone so employees know suggestions are welcome. "This is essential for employees to have the confidence that their input is valued," she told SHRM Online in an e-mail.
Communicate how they want direct reports to contribute suggestions and recommendations. Managers should "establish and articulate parameters and/or guidelines associated with the nature of submissions," Ponds continued, such as noting particular business issues for which recommendations are especially welcome.
Acknowledge receipt of suggestions and consider their viability very carefully before responding to employees. Although receipt of submissions should be acknowledged, "organizational culture will determine the degree to which anonymity is maintained regarding content [of suggestions] as well as the names of those submitting recommendations," she noted.
"Requesting written recommendations is best, as it allows the opportunity for close tracking, monitoring and follow-up by managers," Ponds explained.
Above all, employees expect managers to communicate the outcome of a suggestion.