Listening is a powerful tool, but it's often taken for granted. We've all been in that frustrating situation when the person you're talking to hears you but isn't truly listening to what you're saying. So imagine how our employees feel when we ask them what they need but don't deliver.
You've undoubtedly heard this before, but the goal of listening isn't to simply respond. It's to gain a better understanding in the moment so you can take meaningful action later. Fortunately, we now have more tools than ever to help us succeed in both listening and synthesizing information. Tracking carefully selected metrics is a key building block for a holistic people analytics approach to HR, allowing us to deliver actionable insights across the organization.
By combining people analytics with active listening, we can yield more positive outcomes, like improved employee engagement and satisfaction, better talent management and development and increased organizational performance.
Not All Listening Is Created Equal
Truly listening to employees is more crucial now than ever before. In a previous article, I shared that employee needs are dynamic and constantly shifting, often influenced by external factors. For example, high interest rates and the scarcity of affordable housing continue to define what constitutes affordable wages, directly affecting the well-being of our employees and their families. So if we want to develop effective organizational strategies, we must acknowledge and act on employees' real needs and concerns.
That's why it's important to understand the difference between hearing and listening. When you merely hear, you become a passive participant, which reduces the dialogue to a one-sided conversation. When you actively listen to employees, you engage with what they're saying so you can develop a strong understanding of their perspective. Honing this skill is essential for fostering a culture where employees feel valued and heard. By completely absorbing feedback, you can effect meaningful change and create a more inclusive, productive workplace.
Continuous Feedback Loops Are A Must
To create a listening strategy that benefits both employees and the organization, you must maintain continuous feedback loops. For example, when there's significant organizational change, you can gather crucial feedback through formal methods like annual engagement surveys, onboarding surveys, pulse surveys and exit surveys. Of course, strong employee engagement is vital for these efforts. Employees need to feel their feedback is valued and will lead to actual results, otherwise they're less likely to participate in these feedback-gathering opportunities.
While surveys are useful at every level, leveraging them too frequently can negatively affect engagement. Your listening strategy shouldn't feel exhaustive or overwhelming, so be conscious of what you're asking for and why. Additionally, you must recognize that, sometimes, no answer is an answer. For example, if employees aren't enrolling in a particular benefit your company offers, that lack of engagement tells you something important.
At Atlantic Union Bank, one way we encourage continuous feedback within our executive leadership team is by hosting Rose, Bud and Thorn sessions. These meetings allow us to evaluate successes (roses), identify new opportunities (buds) and discuss issues that are holding people back (thorns). This allows us to identify what we should continue doing, what may need extra attention and, in some cases, what should be reevaluated or stopped entirely.
How To Leverage Analytics For Change
Analytics can uncover many valuable insights that help you make informed decisions. When we ask customers for feedback, we gain knowledge about their preferences that can help us improve their experiences. Employee survey data works similarly, as the resulting insights allow us to determine pathways for improving retention rates and overall productivity. Industry trends can inform future programming that will resonate in the marketplace.
To leverage the data successfully, we must be willing to listen to feedback and take action to adapt accordingly. For example, I joined Atlantic Union Bank at the height of the Great Resignation. So like many companies at the time, we needed to revamp our recruitment strategy and integrate new ways to retain top talent. One problem area we determined was onboarding. The first 90 days in the employee lifecycle are the most critical, and data analysis showed that our onboarding process wasn't hitting the mark.
People analytics allowed us to find and remedy the pain points, thus stabilizing our staffing efforts. For instance, we now track indicators that signal when employees feel a lack of belonging, highlighting potential turnover risks. With this 10,000-foot view of the employee experience, we're able to see what's working and where we need to step in. But if we hadn't listened for the problem in the first place, we would've been adjusting a strategy without addressing the heart of the true issue.
Active Listening Cultures Are Vital
When executed effectively, gathering feedback and conducting people analytics are intrinsically connected. They contribute to higher levels of employee engagement and enhanced organizational performance. It's only when we actively listen that we can help turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones that have the potential to transform our workplace culture.
Fostering a sense of belonging is no longer a nicety; it's a necessity. So the next time you're in a meeting with your employees, ask yourself "Am I fully present?" By actively listening to teams' voices and harnessing the power of data, you can drive meaningful change that resonates throughout the organization. This commitment to inclusivity and responsiveness is the cornerstone of a thriving, forward-thinking company.
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