The importance of listening to team members
Having a voice, being heard. That is one of the most important things for team members in companies today. However, companies often struggle to listen to and take actions on constructive criticisms and feedback. That’s why team members who provide feedback often get frustrated when nothing changes.
At Spark Digital, we recently conducted our second annual benefits survey, to understand team members’ perception of our benefits package. It was our focus to make sure that team members feel involved in important decisions and that their opinions and thoughts are important to us.
The overall score for our benefits package turned out to be worse than before: 4.1 instead of 4.7 (out of 5). Our detailed analysis of the results revealed three main causes for the dip:
- Changes to our habits and interactions caused by the pandemic
- A cumbersome reimbursement process
- Insufficient support for growing families
We acted fast, because we understood this feedback.
- Recreation. We learned about the new habits of our team members. So we rolled out changes to our coverages and reimbursements. Whatever people like doing in their free time, we can cover: from fishing and purchasing books, to registration for online courses and shows, subscription to platforms such as Netflix or Spotify, and the purchase of weights, mats and other equipment for exercising at home.
- Employee Experience. We simplified the reimbursement process to improve the experience.
- Parents. We launched a new maternity and paternity plan that extends leaves, offers reimbursements for child care, and allows for a staggered re-entry for returning mothers.
With all changes in benefits, we sat down to think what were the keys to providing a better experience for all. Find them below.
AGILE RESPONSE TO OUR PEOPLE
Agility was shown in the speed, the collaboration, in the decision making. The Organizational Development team lead the process by putting focus on working collaboratively with other areas, in responding creatively to the feedback received, and in doing everything in less than two months.
Timing is key. You can take forever to process results, or to make decisions until you satisfy everyone. If your approach is not agile, you may lose credibility and harm your reputation as a company that actually takes care of the needs of their team.
MESSAGE THROUGH ACTIONS
We are convinced that by allowing our staff to take a critical role in making decisions, we are fostering the virtuous circle of two-way feedback.
Regular consultations like this demonstrate that we’re doing our best to be in tune with the needs of our team members. To encourage people to keep talking, offering their ideas and helping the company to move forward, our response sets the stage for long lasting working relationships with our team members.
FOCUS ON VISION AND MISSION
An employee-listening strategy is understanding the experience of team members through an integrated approach. Achieving this, plus maintaining the objectives and mission of the company, is the ultimate goal of an organizations’ improvements. Cultures in companies are built and maintained collectively. For that, you need to offer the means to involve and integrate everyone.
Providing a human experience to your team members is more than just sending out surveys. It involves a change to the culture of the company, by behaving in such a way that employees feel heard and valued. It’s all about taking action!
Jimena Burdman
Director of Organizational Development @ Spark Digital
