Without wishing to labour the point, getting in amongst your colleagues is going to give you valuable insight.
While engagement surveys are a useful part of the HR mix, spending time on the ground will give you an authentic feel for what people think about the organisation, what they like about their jobs – and what they don’t.
On a practical level, this will likely involve shadowing and spending time within specific functions to gain a greater understanding of how ‘stuff gets done’.
Listen to how colleagues interact with each other. Through their everyday conversations you’ll pick-up on cues that will tell you a lot about the company and its culture.
And when choosing where to go, target the important strategic areas where employees are densely populated.
Finally, don’t forget to factor in the sources of information that exist outside your business.
External HR service providers will be able to provide their own perspective on your employees and the function’s effectiveness.
Meanwhile, your customers represent another potential goldmine. Find out more about their needs and experiences and how this may affect your workforce.
