Unlocking Engagement with Employee Feedback – Source:www.hackerone.com

HackerOne knows that asking employees for feedback is a crucial metric for assessing organizational health and success. By implementing biannual anonymous employee engagement surveys, HackerOne gains insights into employee satisfaction and commitment, which, with the right action, leads to transformative results.

Since 2018, HackerOne has maintained an employee engagement survey participation rate of over 80%, with half of the surveys achieving 90% or more participation. The executive leaders read every comment and make action plans to address feedback on their teams. The commitment from leaders and employees is essential for enhancing workplace culture, improving retention rates, and driving overall performance. 

The Importance of Employee Feedback 

Regular engagement surveys allow employees to express their thoughts, feedback, and experiences within the company. This practice gives insight into employee morale and allows leadership to identify potential areas for improvement. 

By conducting surveys twice a year, HackerOne tracks changes in sentiment, making it easier to respond to emerging concerns. Here are the benefits of asking for employee feedback often:

• Enhanced Communication: Surveys create open dialogue between employees and leaders. Employees feel heard and valued, which fosters trust and transparency. 
• Data-Driven Decisions: Collecting and analyzing survey data helps leadership make informed decisions. Understanding trends in employee feedback enables proactive measures rather than reactive fixes. 
• Strategic Focus: By regularly assessing employee engagement, HackerOne can effectively align its goals with the needs of its workforce, ensuring everyone is moving in the same direction. 
• Increased Retention: Engaged employees are more likely to stay with the company. By addressing issues identified in surveys, we hope to create a more satisfying work environment. 
• Boosted Productivity: When employees feel valued and engaged, their productivity levels often rise. Engaged teams are more motivated and better equipped to deliver high-quality results. 

“The culture of transparency and mission focus keep me motivated to drive the business forward. I find my work fulfilling and enjoy most of it, with a few exceptions. I’m not only motivated to do my baseline role, but I’m also motivated to fix the barriers along the way to help propel us forward.” – HackerOne employee

Implementing the Surveys

Leaders take the time to read comments and develop action plans within their departments. HackerOne has found that consistently applying these three strategies leads to high participation rates, resulting in employees submitting constructive and honest feedback.

• Anonymous Feedback: Keeping feedback anonymous helps employees feel safe, encouraging them to share their thoughts openly. 
• Actionable Questions: The surveys focus on specific aspects of the work environment, ranging from leadership effectiveness to employee connection to company objectives.
• Follow-Up: After each survey, findings are openly presented to the company. Department leaders have open conversations with their teams and outline steps for improvement.

“One of the best parts about working at HackerOne is the strong sense of teamwork. Even when things get a bit chaotic, most people are genuinely invested in each other’s success and collaborating to achieve our goals. It creates a supportive environment where we can tackle challenges together and celebrate our wins as a team.” – HackerOne employee

Feedback Turns into Action

Over the years, employee feedback has led to the forming of work groups and initiatives for change. Here are some of the actions implemented as a result of feedback from employee engagement surveys:

• Quarterly business updates with business results, project updates, and directives for the upcoming quarter.
• Monthly people leader connections to get important information about new programs, processes, and other topics that matter to the business and employees.
• A consistent communication process that ensures employees receive important information efficiently and promptly.
• The development of a career progression tool that helps employees map out, track, and facilitate career growth.

Conducting employee engagement surveys twice a year brings significant value to HackerOne. By consistently gathering feedback, employees recognize that we value their opinions. These surveys allow us to create actionable items to enhance processes and improve the business based on their insights.