5 Questions You Should be Asking Your Employees on a Regular Basis

Posted by: Karen Booher on June 16th, 2020

Asking your employees the right questions is a great way to counter problems before they arise. It gives you valuable insight into your company, how operations are going, and how each of your employees is doing individually as well as how they’re doing as a team. Often managers only get to see the finished product of their employees’ work. Especially when working remotely, it’s important to be actively communicating.

Below are 5 questions that are good to ask your employees on a regular basis. Keeping a consistent conversation going will allow you to track trends, learn how your company is running, and improve employee morale and productivity.

1. What’s going well in your role?

Give your employees a chance to brag! There may be things they’ve learned or accomplished that you haven’t seen or heard about in the work they send to you. Letting them brag about their accomplishments and celebrating their work with them will improve their morale and show that you value them.

2. Are you facing any challenges in your work?

Ask what challenges your employees are facing so that you can proactively come up with strategies to combat them before they become problems. Brainstorm solutions with your employees for each challenge they bring up, and encourage them to give you updates on the impact of those challenges.

3. How satisfied are you with your work? What could improve your level of satisfaction?

When your employees are satisfied and feel fulfilled by their work, they’re more productive and collaborate better with their colleagues. Make sure you listen to these answers and implement any changes they suggest.

4. What can I be doing better to help you?

Feedback isn’t a comfortable thing to give or receive. But it’s important to collect feedback to learn how your employees feel about your leadership style. However, this feedback means nothing if you don’t work to implement it and change your behaviors. This will both make you a better leader and show your employees that you’re actively listening to them.

5. How’s everything going for you personally?

Feelings are not separate from work. Life still goes on during the workday, and events that occur outside of work hours have an impact on your employees when they’re in the office. Also, be sure to share your feelings. This will promote a culture of openness and help you understand where your employees are coming from.

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Source:

• Hassell, David. “The 5 Questions You Need To Ask Your Employees Every Week.” Human Resources Today, 4 June 2020.