Staff Surveys
Most partners will tell you that the firm’s most important resource is its employees and believe that, from the senior partner right down to the office junior, everyone should be focussed on the well-being of the business and its clients. But how many practices fully utilise and really communicate with this valuable resource? In my experience, not nearly enough.
Many firms have introduced comprehensive staff appraisal systems that will help them to identify individual talents and abilities and these can play a key role in the personal development of the individual and the general development of the business. But the feedback received is in a formal environment and may not (indeed, probably does not) cover the employee’s personal feelings about the firm. In its own way, feedback of a more personal nature can be a very valuable insight for the partners.
Many firms will routinely undertake client surveys ,but very few would ever consider surveying their own staff. Have you thought about conducting a staff survey, and, if not, why not? Do you think you know everyone so well that you don’t need to ask them what they think? Do you consider that nobody below partner level has an opinion that might be of interest? Do you rely on the office grapevine to pick up rumbles of discontent? Perhaps it has just never occurred to you that what goes on inside the heads of your employees could be a mine of valuable information.
A confidentially conducted survey conducted in-house or through an external consultancy is essential so that the employees can have the freedom to express their views. If confidentiality is assured the employee will be honest and open and the firm will be assured of the veracity of their views. A well-designed questionnaire would cover everything from levels of job satisfaction to ideas for making the firm or individual departments more productive or efficient. It would also be an opportunity for everyone to ‘get things off their chests’ and for this to be an accurate reflection of prevailing views.
Although some aspects of the questionnaire (such as general levels of work satisfaction, opportunities for advancement etc.) will be covered in the annual performance review, people tend to be a lot more honest when they know that the answers they give will have no negative consequences. Other issues covered could include suggestions for improving the workplace environment; ideas for generating new business; changes in working practices to improve the delivery of services to clients to name but a few.
The latter is particularly important because in most cases the people who develop the systems are the not ones actually doing the work. It is the people working at the coalface who are most likely to think of better ways of doing things, but least likely to suggest changes unless specifically asked to do so.
Those firms that do conduct employee surveys will often use the results to create an agenda for a brainstorming session involving a staff focus group; a selected group of people who can provide regular feedback on issues and events in the firm. Its members get together to address issues that the survey has revealed or discuss the suggestions that have been made.
Our experience shos that partners worry about what might be revealed by a staf survey, but without communication and knowledge there is no prospect of finding out how or where to improve the workings of the firm
Accountancy practices are full of bright, intelligent, creative people. Given a little more encouragement their contribution to the success of the business could be so much greater.