Fill in the blank. "My company could be better if ___"

Message board. Blogs. Social Networks.

For some of us (I also point the finger at myself here!), public information has become some cross between a habit and an obsession. Lawsuits get filed over the wrong people sharing the wrong information. People get hired and fired over recruiters finding them or their bosses staring at their web-resume advertising themselves for immediate hire.

I was reading a message board last night and someone posed the question to the world: Fill in the blank. "My company could be better if ___". Responses were mostly negative, and I assume that's one of the unfortunate by products of the question. Given the market and how many executives and politicians have been in the news in the last 5 years, it's hard for a lot of people to feel good about where they work.

So here's the real question... what would happen if the company asked its own employees that question, took no retribution on scathing comments, and made changes to reflect the better?

I've just finished a book called Say It and Live It http://www.amazon.com/Say-Live-Patricia-Jones/dp/0385476302 that talks about 50 companies' mission statements and how they're committed to them. It got me thinking - virtually every company I've ever worked for has said its people are its greatest asset, which I've come to realize is the equivalent of workers saying perfectionism is their greatest weakness.

Has your company ever posted a profitability challenge, where every department scans itself for waste? Prizes for the winners. What about feedback for ways the company can make itself a better place to work at low or no cost? Flex time, work from home options and little things like the ability to give your vacation days to coworkers if desired create a strong bond to the brand.

My dream for my own company is that we would have a work force so incredibly loyal that we could publish their contact info on the home page and no recruiters would get their calls returned.

A few ideas your employees will be happy to give you on running a better mousetrap:

1) Ask what they like the least about their current job responsibilities. Challenge them to come up with a way to get it done more easily. If they don't like a task that must be done, look at your entire department - can you pair up a detail-oriented and a creative person to share responsibilities vs. assigning the task to each, 50/50?

2) Ask what they like the least about their current environment. Are engineers trying to work quietly while boisterous sales people are talking on the phone all day? Are departments who interact all day physically close to one another? If not, can one be moved?

3) Ask how they feel their compensation package compares to the competition. Employees overwhelmingly don't expect to be paid ridiculous amounts over the expectation for the job, but do become vulnerable to recruiting when they feel (and especially if they actually are) underpaid. Your more experienced people know what the national averages are, and particularly the local ones. The average cost of replacing an employee is ~25-40% of their annual pay, so paying them 10% more might be one of the best moves a company can make.

4) Ask if your employees understand the resources available to them. Here, internal marketing is particularly important. If not, make a point to step up the availibility.

5) Do employees get to engage with management one level above their supervisor and beyond? A CEO doing a bi-annual meeting is huge in helping build credibility. Likewise, it's worth a senior VP stopping in for a quarterly lunch with people from various departments. It keeps everybody accountable and motivated.

6) AOB. Any other business. If there's an open door for employees to share their questions, ideas, concerns or complaints, they're much more likely to be happy and productive.