Crowdsourcing Takes Employee Engagement to the Next Level

Employee satisfaction surveys have been the way of the world for as long as many of us can remember. The logic is relatively simple: Collectively, employees know their organizations better than any one person alone. Asking for their opinions and suggestions is easy insight into the depths of corporate culture. What are the issues? Inconsistencies? What is working and what is not? In theory, the data is golden. In actuality, it is not.  

Why? 

Employee satisfaction surveys are not engaging. Do you remember the last enjoyable survey you took? Probably not. The fact is, they tend to be irrelevant, boring, and bias. Therefore, the results are weak. Making appropriate and effective changes after-the-fact becomes a difficult task for management. 

The question remains: Is there a better method for gathering employee insight? A technique that will encourage employees to come up with action-oriented ideas on their own? That will boost engagement? Fortunately, there is. And it is called crowdsourcing.    

Crowdsourcing, by definition, is the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people in an online community. When it comes to measuring employee engagement and satisfaction, this means creating an online platform for ongoing dialogue between employees. A tailored crowdsourcing platform is a real-time, collaborative, and thoughtful way to give employees a voice and a place to share it. 

Here is the short list of why crowdsourcing can be used effectively as an employee engagement tool: 

1. Workers are more comfortable conversing online - With Gen-Yers taking over the workplace, this becomes more relevant every day. Conversing, sharing, and interacting online is second nature.    
2. Opportunity for employees to have their voice heard - Like surveying, crowdsourcing platforms are a place for employees to share their opinions, ideas, and suggestions no matter their role or title. The beauty of these online platforms is that they are less restricted - no time frames or multiple-choice questions. 
3. Less intrusive than typical surveys - Annual surveys can be time consuming and seriously interruptive. Crowdsourcing platforms, however, are convenient and easy for employees to use.
4. Cost-effective - Organizations often hire outside firms to design, administer, and analyze their employee surveys. In the long run, an online platform can save significant money. 
5. Quick turnaround - Analyzing the results of employee satisfaction surveys can take weeks, if not longer. Crowdsourcing platforms give employees the opportunity to generate their own action-oriented ideas that can be streamlined quickly. 

As the business world evolves, our tools for understanding it must progress too. Crowdsourcing platforms are the future- they are powerful tools that connect employees to the organization and to one another. They are engaging.