You can learn a lot about your employees and your business when you ask your team questions. Following are some great ones to ask, which can help you make improvements and give you a sense of what your employees think.
What are your goals as an employee with this company?
This question will give you a good sense of how your employee views their future with the company as well as what they'd like to achieve within the company. It may also give you a window into their vision for the company. This can factor into your evaluation of the employee.
Are there any tools or resources you feel could help you better do your job?
The answer you receive to this question can tell you how serious they are about wanting to improve performance as well as possible solutions to help them do so. It can help you gain valuable insight into the obstacles they face in their day to-day work, which can lead to improvements that boost efficiency.
Is there anything about our company culture you feel could be improved?
Listen closely to how your employees view the company culture. They might need some time to answer that, but if they offer ways that it can be improved, these are worth taking to heart. If you ask your whole team this question, look for trends and patterns. This can help you improve overall morale by addressing concerns, and make your employees feel better about working for you.
Are you happy with your work-life balance?
It's important that your employees maintain a good work-life balance. If they are not doing so, they may feel overworked, which will lead to stress, unhappiness, and possibly a decline in performance. Ask if they feel content in this balance, and if not, how they think it can be improved. You might be able to introduce companywide changes that can improve performance of your entire team.
Do you feel you are adequately informed about company business?
Good employees want to know what's going on in the company. They want to feel included and be aware of how the company is performing overall. They will feel more secure in their jobs and feel valued if they are kept in the loop. Make sure they feel that they are. The answer to the question can also help you evaluate your own communications efforts.
Do you have any ideas for innovation or improvements?
This is a great question to ask because it can directly lead to new ideas that can better the company. At the same time, it provides your employee a chance to step up and make a real difference. It can also give you a new sense of the employee's motivation to better the company.
Are there ways you feel we could improve efficiency?
Asking them how they feel efficiency can be improved throughout the company gives them an opportunity to point to specific areas that they see for improvement. This doesn't have to be part of their own duties. Ask them how they feel different aspects of the company can be improved. Other departments affect their job, so this gives them a chance to shine a light on issues that need to be addressed.
Are you satisfied with your current role?
Ask them if they're satisfied with their current role in the company to find out if they have ambitions to move to a different department or raise to a higher level. If they are unsatisfied, they may not want to stick around for long, so provide growth opportunities if possible. The reality may be that they are satisfied in their role, but that is good to know, as well.
What can we do better as a company overall?
Finally, ask your employees for their thoughts on how the company can do better overall. This can open up feedback to address any aspect of the company from the top down. It's a broad enough question that it can lead to ideas and improvements in a wide variety of categories. You can let them answer anonymously so they feel free to be as honest as possible.
Don't hesitate to ask your employees questions. The answers can prove invaluable and also lead to a better relationship with your team.
