Encouraging Employee Interaction

My Employees Won’t Share Ideas

“I believe I have some great employees who are very knowledgeable and have quite a bit of experience. However, whenever I ask their opinion on something they kind of mumble “I don’t know” or “you’re the boss so whatever you think.” How can I get them to interact with me more?”

My HR Survival Tip

It’s really great that you want the interaction! If employees aren’t willing to offer their opinions and ideas, it usually comes down to just a couple of reasons… the employees are afraid or they just don’t care.

The Fear Factor – Many employees are easily intimidated by the person in charge and worry that their job may be at stake if they offer a bad suggestion or even speak up. Others just don’t have much confidence. One solution is to build relationships with your employees and give more positive feedback than negative. Meet individually with employees frequently (once a week) so a comfortable relationship begins to develop. That employee is much more likely to offer opinions if they realize you truly value what they say.

The Indifference – Frankly, you’re already in trouble if your employees are indifferent to your business. You can re-engage them but it takes time and effort. As I mentioned above, have meetings with each employee on a regular basis. Make sure they understand how important their role is to your company and how much you value their experience and knowledge.

A director level employee told me he was no longer going to offer his opinion on anything. He admitted to being frustrated that the VP hired people for their knowledge and experience but then never asked those employees for their opinion. He felt undervalued and underappreciated. You need to look at the level of respect you show your employees if you want their help. Ideas from the “front line” can be valuable to growing your business and your profits!