Employee engagement is an ongoing process that consists of three stages: input, discussion, and action.
Once you have gathered input, make sure to recognize and celebrate strengths first. This will allow your team to continue to be successful in areas that are creating engagement! The goal of discussion is to answer the following questions rather than problem-solve:
Which issues are the most important to address, given our goals and priorities?
Which issues will get in our way if we don’t address them?
Which issues are not a high priority, even if they could use improvement?
In practice, the input and discussion phases might not be so distinct — especially if formal engagement survey data is unavailable. In those cases, input and discussion may happen at the same time.
How do I discuss the input?
Effective discussion involves making sense of the input by placing it within the context of the team/department, prioritizing the issues that affect your group’s goals, and a deeper understanding of those issues to create an action plan to address them.
How do I facilitate a discussion?
There are several ways to go about facilitating an employee engagement feedback discussion; it can be formal or informal, and with or without help from a third party. When thinking about options that will work for your team/department, consider your own emotions** and possible defensiveness as well as the ways to create trust** to ensure comfort with having difficult conversations.
Ideas for structuring discussions:
Informal discussion in 1:1 check-ins or group discussions (e.g., faculty or staff meetings).
Formal discussion with or without the supervisor. Consult with your local HR team for possible options.
If you have tried to have open and honest conversations about the feedback but it doesn’t help, or you feel defensive and cannot put those feelings aside for a conversation, or if you think employees may not feel comfortable sharing feedback specifically about a particular topic, consider bringing in an external consultant.