Companies are currently facing labour shortages; they have many open positions and are struggling to find qualified people to fill them. The key could be engaged and satisfied employees and hight employee retention.
What we have learned during the Covid pandemic is that we need to continuously work with our current employees. We need to focus more on their development, satisfaction and needs.
Listening to employees is one of the most important things you can do to improve employee engagement. All employees want to be heard, and hearing what they have to say can help our company progress and innovate.
Management staff should be trained to listen actively and seek out ideas and opinions. Listening should be as much a part of their supervisory duties as any other. When managers listen to their employees, they build cohesive teams.
All levels of staff should be encouraged to offer their thoughts, ideas, and concerns, either to their direct supervisor or to management. These can lead to inspiring others. An open-door policy should be present in every company.
What are the benefits of listening to your employees?
1. It builds trust
Building trust is necessary for an effective relationship with your employees. Active listening helps your employees build trust in the organization, get aligned with Organization’s goals and contribute to the success of an organization.
2. Improves Productivity
Actively listening to your employees has countless benefits to improve productivity. When your employees feel heard, they are motivated to contribute more. On a contrary when higher management doesn’t listen to their views and ideas, it can lead to resentment and lower engagement and productivity.
3. Improves Retention
It’s not just about listening to employees, it’s about making them feel heard. And this helps to grow engagement. When employees are engaged, they are much less likely to be seeking job opportunities elsewhere.
Listening is an on-going activity, but if you include it to your daily routine, you will definitely see positive results.
Don’t lose good employees and their potential by failing to listen.
Article written by Tatiana Majerová, CFR Global Executive Search Czech Republic
Photo source: Unsplash