Surveying

Friday, Oct 31st, 2008 XETRA DAX: + 2.44%
10.34 meeting room Sydney, B wing

"Tools and methodologies....65 points".
"Well, at least that's a bit better".

With me in the room are three fellow managers, the director and Ana-for-the-minutes. We are evaluating an employee survey held three months ago, so it must have been what - July I think. Yes, July. The weather must have been splendid, Lehman Brothers still alive and I blissfully unaware of what lay ahead.
Ah......July.............

Nick taps his ballpoint on the desk. "Next point: loyalty. Seventy-four percent would accept an offer from elsewhere if the pay were better. Think about it!"

We already had. Prior to the meeting my comrades and I had met in the coffee room, where we had understood and agreed not to mention it.
"Any ideas what might be the cause?" All of us study the coloured graphs in front of us with intense concentration now. Dear God, let's not go there. Please help us to to forget Maslow's first level. And please, please, please, don't let anybody say "money".
"Er....money, perhaps..." Robert breaks the cordon sanitaire, fumbling his tie.
Nick looks around before reacting, but the rest of us know better than to speak up.
"Yes, well. There is nothing we can do there. We obviously are not going to pay more."
Obviously.

"And besides that," he continues, "we pay industry standard, even slightly above!"
According to the statistics he's not wrong. On average, the salaries are not bad, but that works for the front guys only. Operations and back office don't get bonusses anywhere near inciting, and salaries are not inflation protected in Switzerland. So if prices go up you're screwed.
Nick looks around, not done with his fishing trip. "Any other suggestions?"

After an ominous silence we move on. "Next up: open and constructive atmosphere. This is even worse. Eighty percent does not feel free to utter any suggestions for improvement. We look terrible here, compared with Client Advisory, not to mention Sales Support. I'd really like to know where this comes from."

We all know where this comes from, but none of us are in a particularly talkative mood this morning. Most of us need this job to pay the rent. Or the alimony. Or both.

Suzanne decides to have a go. "Hum-hum..... It has been suggested in my team that fear of repercussion may play a role here."
"What? Who said that?....(softer) I'll get the little..."
"That's rediculous!" This time, the bandwagon fills up quickly.
"I mean...honestly..............." "How can they say that............."

"Can't we just ask them?" John this time.
"Ask who? Everybody?...Hm.....don't know....."

But Nick won't have it.. "Once we open the discussion, they'll want to know the results. I don't think this would be wise."
"You mean they haven't seen this yet?" Robert, you've got a lot to learn.
Nick shakes his head. "Nobody but us. Oh and Karl of course." Who is not happy about how Nick's people have judged him, especially since Sales Support seems to be a pretty good place to work, going by the figures. Nick sees his bonus going down the drain and does not care for that.

"All I care about of course, is everybody to feel really motivated. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how we can find out why our people ...er....voted this way?" Of course we do. But with only being two months in this job and having had no warning he was going to work for a Glaswegian, Robert once again feels compelled to chip in.
"How about revealing only some of the results and have a discussion in the next departmental meeting?" Now there's thought. Nick rubs his chin. "Hmmmmm........."

This is being taken as an "all clear". John takes up the ball. "Let's orchestrate a spontaneous discussion. Then we'll find out why they said what they said."
"And who said it," I add, being no longer able to control my irony.
"Quite" says Nick, on who my feeble attempt is apparently lost.
"Excellent idea. Last point. Personal appreciation. Something about impersonal leadership, no recognition, blablabla ....not important. We'll skip this now. Barbara, please put John's proposal in the minutes.."
"I'm Ana. Barbara is still ill this week".
"Yeah whatever. The long and short of it is: we need to organise this spontaneous discussion. John and Suzanne volunteer as moderators. I want everyone else to come up with a scenario for next meeting. We can rehearse then, so things don't run out of hand. Remember: it must be watertight. We can have a discussion, as long as it's a controlled process. And please see to it that everybody feels they are valued as employees after this event."

This sounds like an open goal. I decide to take my chance. "Maybe we can then have another survey in a few months. That one's got to come out better!"
Nick stares at me with very cold eyes.
"Don't overdo it now".