Gaining transparent and genuine feedback can really support improvements to your practice, the service provided to patients, your managerial approach and your team members’ enjoyment of their work.
In many instances your team are the best-placed people to provide this, but how honest and open do you think they are when you ask for their input? Maybe they are about the small stuff, but what about bigger issues such as the structure of the practice, how the team could be better supported, and what would improve the practice culture or your performance as a leader?
Sometimes team members can feel intimidated when brought into your office for a face-to-face conversation, making it difficult to gain objective input. Also, many people find it quite challenging to give their supervisors negative feedback. Asking them to complete a survey, and reinforcing that objective feedback and constructive criticism is genuinely sought, can help you to get the input you’re seeking. There may also be instances in which it’s appropriate to make the survey anonymous.
We know that if you haven’t previously sought feedback in a more structured way, it can be hard to know where to start. We’ve collated some key points to consider, as well as a feedback template to get you started.
First up, what is it that you want to know from your team?
To optimise your survey outcomes, narrowing down what you’re seeking from respondents is really important. While it’s okay to have a couple of broader questions, you’re unlikely to get into the nitty-gritty of what they think if the whole survey asks for generalised feedback such as “how do you like working here?”.
As well as planning the questions you’ll include, there’s significant value in clear communication and transparency with respondents about the purpose and process of them giving feedback, especially if it’s something they haven’t done before.
Beginning a survey with closed-ended questions/statements can ease your team into it. Ideally, this can be in the form of a ‘strongly agree to strongly disagree’ structure to allow a range of responses. Some statements to consider include:
I’m inspired by our team to perform my best.
I have a good understanding of our mission, values, goals and strategy
My supervisor/manager follows through with commitments to our team.
I receive constructive feedback about my performance from my supervisor/team.
Information and knowledge are openly shared within our organisation.
Day-to-day activities demonstrate that our team values quality and improvement.
The company demonstrates an interest in my professional and personal growth.
We have appropriate policies, procedures, checklists and quick reference guides to help me to do my job well.
I find it easy to take initiative and initiate better ways to perform my role.
I have the tools and resources I need to perform my role well
Open-ended statements/questions can prompt your team to dive into more detail about any concerns (or suggestions!) they have. If you’re finding it challenging to come up with open-ended questions that will add value, you could start with some of the following:
What do you think about the current services and direction of our practice?
How could we better support you to perform your role?
What feedback do you have about your direct supervisor/manager – positive and constructive?
What improvements could we make to our patient feedback and complaints policy and procedures?
What aspects of your role do you enjoy the most? And which the least?
What can the practice and your supervisor/manager do to help you work towards achieving your professional and personal goals?
What formal and informal training would be of benefit to you/the team?
What is motivating/de-motivating about your role?
What could we do as a team to strengthen our practice culture?
Creating your feedback survey
To optimise your survey process, it’s good to let your team members know why you’re seeking their input, who will see it and how (format, whether it will be identified responses etc), as well as allow them enough time to complete the survey.
You can download our free Employer Feedback Survey Template to help you get the ball rolling! There are a number of different online tools, such as SurveyMonkey, that you can use to administer your survey and support it being genuinely anonymous.
Key aspects that we suggest you include in your survey, are:
The purpose – Why are you getting your team to complete this survey? What do you want to know from your team members? A well-defined purpose will help keep your questions on track as you generate them, as well as prompt your team members to complete the survey to the best of their abilities.
A combination of graded-response and short-answer questions. Having a range of question types will help keep your team members engaged.
Avoid using questions and statements that may influence or lead their responses, or which may cause individuals to feel targeted. The goal is to encourage your team members to be as transparent as possible.
Use “The Five W’s” (and one H!) to prompt for detail in your open-ended questions – starting these with who, what, when, where, why, how?
Validate your team members’ experiences, with questions beginning with ‘are’, ‘do’ or ‘can’, and inviting further feedback, such as:
a. “Are you given enough feedback about your work, and if not, what could we do better?”
b. “Do you receive enough training to perform your role effectively, and if not, what training would you like to receive?”
As a concluding question, ask your team members if there is any other feedback they would like to provide.
Although the survey is anonymous, invite team members to identify themselves should the survey prompt them to think about an issue they’d like to discuss with you personally.
Ensure that you thank them for their input, and also provide them with a timeline in which you’ll assess/review the feedback, then discuss your strategies with the team.
For more questions you could use in your feedback survey, you can also view our Sample Performance Review Discussion Points download.
Remember to follow up on the feedback!
After asking your team members to spend time submitting their feedback, following up on what they have to say will ensure that your practice reaps the potential gains and your team sees their feedback being adopted, plus support their trust in you as a leader.
Your team members are generally those who know your practice best, so gaining their feedback, then actioning and implementing their suggestions can have a significant impact on your practice. As well as improving performance, systems, procedures and the patient experience, it can also positively impact practice morale, as well as bring team members closer together. All this from inviting your team member to express their opinions in a safe space!
The Augmentum team provides a broad range of consultancy and management services, supporting healthcare business owners and decision-makers in other key areas such as strategy development and action planning, building effective foundations and teams, keeping your finger on the pulse, and driving growth and success.
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