A New Market is Born: Employee Engagement, Feedback, and Culture Apps

5 Responses

  1. Randie Reilly says:

    Josh,
    Thanks for this timely and insightful article! I will be sharing this.

  2. Horn Fisk says:

    In the beginning ofthe article you say that engagement is becoming a priority, and then say it remains a priority. None of this is new news. Engagement has been an issue for a very long time so lets stop ‘marketing’ it as some new revelation. And the answer is not yoga classes for goodness sake. It is also NOT feedback apps and tools and ways for people to submit issues and feelings annonymously. These are crutches and cop-outs that actually enable the wrong behaviors. They can actually prevent real dialogue….which is the fuel of a truly engaged, effective team. This simply requires two thingsself and social awareness…on the parts of both manager and employee. The behaviors of managers – at every level – signficantly influence the climate people feel which in turn drives enagagement and our self-motivation to do our best work. So managers must ask themselves how engaged they are and what kind of climate they are creating. On the other hand, employees must ask how engaged they are and why….if it is because of my manager or the climate I feel, then actually speak up and talk about it. If it is because of something else, identify it and talk or do something about it. Easy to do? Not always. But if we keep throwing tools and apps and annonymous suggestion boxes to people, we are completely missing the issue….and then we will wonder why the app or pizza/yoga party didn’t “fix” the engagement and retention issues. So lets please stop skating around the issue and letting grown adults off the hook. We are blessed with the ability to communicate…let’s use it.

    • Richard Jorna says:

      Good reply to a thorough article. We are a Dutch based company and have been working on this issue: how to get people to start talking ‘with’ – instead over of ‘about’ each other for two years. We feel there is a very fine line between the suggestion of power and actively engaging employees with each other. We have made the shift to the latter. At the core of our business – and personal value- we have made the commitment to assist employees in restoring employee-relationships. What we are finding now, as a result of this shift, that companies with teams who want to improve but don’t know how, are (becoming) our customers.
      What we wrestle with now is how to facilitate good crosscompany communication without undermining personal responsibility.

  3. Sam Jones says:

    I’m a big fan of the direction that these employee engagement apps are going, but the future is not anonymous feedback, it’s the opposite.

    An incredible part of technology is how it allows for personalization at scale. Many of these apps listed collect survey data, aggregate it, and then HR teams make changes. It’s like painting with a broad brush, when in reality, it needs to be much more targeted and personal.

    There’s been tons of research done on what motivates employees and the truth is that *it varies depending on the employee.* I use Friday Feedback (fridayfeedback.com) and I can quickly drill-down into a specific employee’s response history. This helps me create a personal development plan according to the employee’s specific situation. I couldn’t do that if the responses were anonymized.

  4. Tamela Salas says:

    Employee training is essential for an organization’s success.Training is a program that helps employees learn specific knowledge or skills to improve performance in their current roles.
    Employee training is a process focused on communicating with and teaching an employee information and/or instructions. When things get financially tight in business,
    often employee training is the first thing to go.
    The following are suggestions Employee Training & Development:
    https://www.workexcel.com/effective-communication-in-the-workplace-communication-tips-for-a-happier-workplace/