Page 53 - Warwickers Communication Counts v2015
P. 53
sensing 53 EMPLOYEE SENSING
employee dialogue
2 WAY Employee listening and dialogue to measure and make
sense of THEIR world.
What are they interested in?
What makes them tick?
How can you engage them?
Sense making - Face to face through focus groups, world cafes, open space events, surveys (satisfaction,
culture, pulse), discussion forums and interviews. Online using interactive discussion boards, Facebook,
blogs, twitter and innovative tools to track opinions. They should be structured and scheduled as part of
the ‘way we do things’ to measure communications impact on business effectiveness and to really
understand your audiences. Establish a regular timeframe for your surveys and stick to it.
Employee sensing sends out a message – ‘we are actively listening’. It is about involving people – gaining
different perspectives, learning, identifying priorities, creativity and new ideas, articulating the business
language, giving people the opportunity to contribute, engaging hearts and minds, challenging stuck
mindsets and having fun. It also means you need to show you have heard by taking action.
1. Begin with the end in mind – what are you trying to find out/ achieve?.
2. Aim to capture qualitative and quantitative information from employees by engaging and involving
them. Treat them as intelligent business partners.
3. Face to face sessions can be from a traditional ‘Q & A’ to an ‘off the wall’ adventure. Consider using
surveys, voting, listening walls, creative expression, games, storytelling, challenges, role plays within
the groups. The sessions should be a learning experience for everyone.
4. Sensing exercises are a commitment in resource; and as they engage hearts and minds they raise
expectations that something will change as a result of the dialogue. So there needs to be a
commitment from leaders to follow through before you begin.
5. Provide feedback on the results to show: You have listened; what actions you will be taking; what
you won’t be doing and why. It is OK not to do but you need a ‘why not’ communication.
6. Take meaningful action and get buy-in by continuing to involve people in action groups and
implementation teams.
Feedback as an employer of choice Testing new approaches/ systems Checking awareness Testing
understanding Appreciative inquiry Gathering new ideas/ improvements Identifying motivators
Identifying improvements Articulating what the brand means to employees Gathering stories and
anecdotes
employee dialogue
2 WAY Employee listening and dialogue to measure and make
sense of THEIR world.
What are they interested in?
What makes them tick?
How can you engage them?
Sense making - Face to face through focus groups, world cafes, open space events, surveys (satisfaction,
culture, pulse), discussion forums and interviews. Online using interactive discussion boards, Facebook,
blogs, twitter and innovative tools to track opinions. They should be structured and scheduled as part of
the ‘way we do things’ to measure communications impact on business effectiveness and to really
understand your audiences. Establish a regular timeframe for your surveys and stick to it.
Employee sensing sends out a message – ‘we are actively listening’. It is about involving people – gaining
different perspectives, learning, identifying priorities, creativity and new ideas, articulating the business
language, giving people the opportunity to contribute, engaging hearts and minds, challenging stuck
mindsets and having fun. It also means you need to show you have heard by taking action.
1. Begin with the end in mind – what are you trying to find out/ achieve?.
2. Aim to capture qualitative and quantitative information from employees by engaging and involving
them. Treat them as intelligent business partners.
3. Face to face sessions can be from a traditional ‘Q & A’ to an ‘off the wall’ adventure. Consider using
surveys, voting, listening walls, creative expression, games, storytelling, challenges, role plays within
the groups. The sessions should be a learning experience for everyone.
4. Sensing exercises are a commitment in resource; and as they engage hearts and minds they raise
expectations that something will change as a result of the dialogue. So there needs to be a
commitment from leaders to follow through before you begin.
5. Provide feedback on the results to show: You have listened; what actions you will be taking; what
you won’t be doing and why. It is OK not to do but you need a ‘why not’ communication.
6. Take meaningful action and get buy-in by continuing to involve people in action groups and
implementation teams.
Feedback as an employer of choice Testing new approaches/ systems Checking awareness Testing
understanding Appreciative inquiry Gathering new ideas/ improvements Identifying motivators
Identifying improvements Articulating what the brand means to employees Gathering stories and
anecdotes
