Asking for Employee Feedback Should Start on Day One

The following blog post was written by Joel Ballezza (@JoelWho), Engagement Marketing Manager at Expedia, Inc. Employers hire new talent for a variety of reasons: market expansion, employee turnover and to bring unique stills to the team. However, beyond the details of a job description or a new hire’s resume lives an often underutilized, but powerful capability that every new employee brings: fresh eyes. Often referred to as the opposite of déjà vu, fresh eyes, or “vujà dé” encompasses the experience of seeing something for the first time and realizing the opportunities that an organization may have overlooked. As our months and years of work at a company tick by, we all pick up habits and adjust to the conventional way things are done. This makes us more efficient at work, but also means we may not see ways to evolve an organization. In contrast, new employees arrive with a blank slate. This new perspective often inspires important questions and ideas: How can we do this better? What if we tried this? All companies can benefit from this input, but only if they actively ask and then listen. What we do here at Expedia At Expedia, we recognized the opportunity to learn from “fresh eyes.” Instead of waiting for weeks or months to pass before asking for input from new hires, feedback starts on day one in the form of surveys and open discussions as part of our new hire orientation and leadership welcome messages. We also encourage employees to share their experience on Glassdoor, a place where they can anonymously offer their feedback. By embracing this practice, you not only have the opportunity to learn key insights on how your organization is operating, but you can also improve employee engagement with a sincere message of “we want to hear from you.” How you can start the discussion Interested in starting this dialogue with your employees? Below are a few ways Expedia encourages employees, especially new hires, to share their fresh ideas and feedback.

1. Start the dialogue early. Asking for input from new employees sounds basic, but is also often overlooked while trying to cover all that needs to be addressed during an employee’s onboarding. During Expedia’s new hire orientation, we definitely discuss company values and goals; however, we also take time during each employee’s first day to reaffirm that we depend on the ideas and input from our staff. From IT systems and health insurance plans to the layout of our desks, if new hires see an opportunity to improve our company we encourage them to share their thoughts through the right channels.One of those channels is a dedicated email box where any employee can directly send ideas to our CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi. While not all ideas are implemented, we encourage this exchange from day one across our entire company and take the time to explain what has already been explored or tried related to the question asked. Oftentimes, the employee is put in touch with an internal subject matter expert and the dialogue continues as we identify how to put their idea into action.

2. Check back in.During the first few weeks, your new employees may feel overwhelmed with information as they dig into their new role. However, as the days pass they usually find their footing. Check in by email and in person after a month on the job and ask your new employees if they see anything that can be improved or enhanced. From how files are stored, to new marketing opportunities or what benefits employees have already used, you may be surprised by what you learn.

3. Make sure you’re listening to your employees!The most important parts of collecting feedback are listening and taking action as needed. If action won’t be taken, tell them that as well. Feeling heard is a critical factor to an employee’s engagement. Regularly review your company’s Glassdoor profile and staff surveys, then categorize this feedback and figure out how it can help shape your organization. If needed, go back to your staff and ask for clarification. Finally, work with leadership to see how you can put this staff feedback and ideas into action.All great companies continually evolve and grow, and each of these changes started off simply as an idea. Seizing on feedback from all employees, but especially new hires, can keep your organization strong, vibrant and relevant. Do you solicit feedback from new staff at your company? Share what you’ve learned from “fresh eyes” in a comment below.