Most employees have a lot to say.
Right Management recently surveyed more than 600 individuals throughout North America via an online poll conducted in partnership with LinkedIn in an effort to learn more about how often employees contribute ideas and suggestions.
The results show as many as 57 percent of employees say they regularly make suggestions in the workplace. In fact, 27 percent claim to offer more than 20 suggestions every year.
Employees really want to be heard. Making suggestions signals they are thinking about the performance of the organization and want to contribute above and beyond the requirements of the job. This sense of ownership is a critical competitive advantage for employers that understand how to tap into this wealth of expertise — if they know how to leverage it.
Among other key findings from the research:
• Nearly one-third of respondents indicated they offered more than 20 suggestions last year.
• And 30 percent made more than 10 suggestions, but fewer than 20.
• Only 6 percent offered no suggestions at all.
• Management and C-level executives were most likely to offer more than 20 suggestions a year.
• By function, sales people were most likely to make the most suggestions (50 percent) followed by HR professionals (28 percent).
• Women were more likely to make more than 10 yearly suggestions (61 percent) compared to men (46 percent).
• Workers aged 55+ were more likely to make 10 or more suggestions (76 percent) than those aged 25-34 (51 percent).
The findings suggest a surprising number of employees go the extra mile by making suggestions in the workplace.
At the same time, however, there is little evidence to support the notion that most companies have the right infrastructure to support upward feedback and suggestions — or, more important, a process to take advantage of their perspective and enthusiasm.
Soliciting and embracing new ideas is more than just a “suggestion box” or an agenda item. In companies that embrace this type of thinking and encourage suggestions as a part of the culture, tremendous inroads have been made.
At one Toyota plant in Kentucky, the culture is to treat workers well, take their opinions into account and give them a stake in the plant’s success. The result has been a 30 percent decrease in plant operating costs over the last five year period.
American Airlines began demonstrating the value of employee ideas by having an internal “innovation and new idea” trade show. Employees were encouraged to get together and showcase their ideas around innovation and cost savings. Four employees who were part of ground operations had often talked about better ways to de-ice planes, and manage the FAA compliance aspects of that process as well. The result? They saved American Airlines $30 million with just that one idea.
Companies often lose out on this opportunity to engage with their workforce. Research shows that two top drivers of employee engagement are feeling valued by senior leaders and having employee opinions count. Listening to workers is especially important because more and more people want to feel they are playing an active part in what happens in the organization.
Right Management’s employee engagement research of over 28,000 employees across 15 countries found the top five global engagement drivers to be:
• I am committed to my organization’s core values;
• Our customers think highly of our products and services;
• My opinions count;
• I have a clear understanding of what is expected of me at work;
• I understand how I can contribute to meeting the needs of our customers.
What strikes me most is that the leading factors are all very personal and relate to the employee’s sense of belonging to the organization and having an opportunity to participate and contribute in a real way.
Employee engagement is the basis for organizational effectiveness and has a direct impact on productivity and profitability. When the role of employees is taken for granted, the inevitable outcomes are lower performance and career dissatisfaction.
For employers the implications are pretty clear. Be sure employees feel heard and have the chance not just to share ideas, but to make them happen.
Joseph Johnson is the talent management practice leader for Right Management’s Northeast Regional Operations. Right Management (www.right.com) is the talent and career management expert within Manpower. He can be reached at joe.johnson@right.com.
