You’re working hard to move your career forward. You show up on time, focus on your job and actively try to make a difference with your work. You’re doing all the right things, but how can you tell you’re truly moving forward?
Easy: You need feedback. A regular and timely feedback loop can help set you up for long-term growth and success.
If you feel growth is an important part of your career path, you’re not alone. Today’s employees are committed to self-optimization in their work.
Workers want more than the annual review and compliment sandwich from their supervisor. Instead, they crave regular, thoughtful feedback. Employees want to know how to improve and seek guidance from managers they trust.
According to recent data from Gallup, only 21% of U.S. employees strongly agree they have received meaningful feedback in the last week. If your career path includes any sort of development, you want an honest, constructive assessment of your strengths and weaknesses. Here are just a few features you can expect from a feedback-driven workplace.
Regular one-on-one meetings
Face time with your manager is critical to your professional growth. One way is through consistent one-on-ones. During these meetings, managers can gauge how employees feel about their current responsibilities, identify roadblocks and offer guidance and insight their workers can translate into success.
Often, we are more critical of our performance than others, so getting the perspective of a trusted mentor can instill confidence, unearth hidden talents and encourage continued success. Look for a workplace where regular feedback sessions with immediate supervisors are built into the organizational structure.
When those conversations are part of the regular review process, Paycom’s Performance Management tool simplifies the resources and documentation managers might need. When reviews are simple and efficient, consistent development and engagement follow.
Leverage technology for real-time feedback
Surveys are another important element of a feedback-driven culture. Gathering feedback through even brief questionnaires allows organizations to get an accurate read on the honest sentiments of their workforce.
Delivering surveys via employees’ mobile devices is a convenient way to get wider participation and start meaningful and open conversations.
A well-implemented survey also demonstrates that leadership values employee feedback as a necessary part of the C-suite’s process, too.
However, be wary of an organization that still relies on paper-based surveys. Not only are these surveys behind the times, they capture far less information than up-to-date, mobile-friendly methods.
One modern option is Paycom Surveys, a tool that simplifies surveys for both leadership and employees. Surveys can be created from scratch or built using templates. Once ready, leadership can push surveys to their employees and their workforce can complete them quickly and anonymously — all via Paycom’s mobile app.
Asking questions that matter
A 2021 Gallup survey revealed 52% of voluntarily departing employees felt their manager or organization could have done something to prevent their exit. What could that something have been? If you’re looking for an employer that’s really committed to employee retention, find out if they implement something known as a “stay interview.”
While a standard job interview is performed before an employee is hired, the stay interview is done after someone has been on the job for at least a year. Typically, a manager conducts the interview with an employee to learn two things:
- why they plan to stay with the organization
- what could cause them to leave in the future
Stay interviews can offer valuable insight into an employee’s goals, experience and current engagement level.
Whether it flows up or down the organizational chart, feedback is an essential part of an environment that’s committed to improvement by both employees and the employer.
If you’re looking for an award-winning culture that champions growth, apply today.
