Benefits of a Suggestion Box in the Workplace

It’s so easy to give feedback to your employees, but how do you ask your employees for feedback on your organization or business? 

The easiest way to do this is by giving employees the freedom to submit comments, complaints, and suggestions anonymously through a suggestion box. 

In the past, companies used a physical suggestion box where employees can drop their ideas on. With recent technologies, most companies stay away from this traditional method. 

Nowadays, a virtual suggestion box has been for used for a while to get feedback from employees.  

There's no doubt that suggestion boxes are beneficial to the company and its employees. However, if you want to implement it, you should be aware of the potential drawbacks that come with it. You should consider the following: 

• Time-consuming - reading through all the suggestions takes up too much time, especially if you have a large organization

• Lack of employee participation - not all employees will use it

• Negative feedback - be prepared to hear negative feedback or complains

• Loss of ownership - not giving credit to your employees’ suggestions

• Some won’t take it seriously - since employees can remain anonymous, some will just play around

• No action taken - if you don’t take action on your employees’ suggestions and concerns, putting up a suggestion box is useless

• User-friendly interface - Ensure that the digital suggestion box is easy to access and use. A simple, user-friendly interface will encourage employees to provide suggestions and feedback.

• Anonymous submissions - Provide the option for employees to submit their suggestions anonymously to ensure they feel comfortable sharing their ideas without fear of retaliation or judgment.

• Regular promotion - Regularly promote the suggestion box and remind employees of its existence. This will keep it top-of-mind and encourage ongoing participation.

• Transparent communication - Clearly communicate the process for reviewing and implementing suggestions. Keep employees informed about the status of their submissions and any actions taken based on their feedback.

• Encourage dialogue - Foster an open dialogue between employees and management by responding to suggestions and asking for clarification or additional details when needed.

• Prioritize action - Prioritize suggestions and take action on the most feasible and impactful ones to demonstrate the value of the suggestion box and encourage ongoing participation.

• Provide feedback - Provide feedback to employees on the status of their suggestions, including why certain ideas may not be implemented, to demonstrate that their feedback is being taken seriously and considered.

• Monitor progress - Regularly monitor the progress of implemented suggestions and communicate the impact they have had on the organization to encourage ongoing participation and demonstrate the value of employee feedback.