Crowdsourcing in the Workspace | Inspiring Workspaces by BOS

Crowdsourcing in the Workplace

There’s no better way to figure out what your office needs than by listening to your employees. Crowdsourcing has become extremely effective in getting feedback from the workers directly affected by the changes you’re making in the office, or the changes you want to make. The modern office faces new challenges everyday as it evolves, despite trying to make the office a better, happier place, problems still arise. Listening to your employees is the best way to understand what the collective office is feeling.

How to Crowdsource

If you’re making big changes in your office, like redesigning, it can be hard for employees to adapt to such a new routine. Despite your best efforts, it might be something that just isn’t quite working for the office. Don’t forget how creative your employees can be. Some offices feel better with anonymous commentary and suggestions, while others like smaller focus groups. Either are very effective for solutions. In fact, starting with an anonymous comment card can be the best way to start, followed by a voluntary, smaller focus group to bounce around ideas.

Listen to Your Employees

It can feel like some employees are just complaining, but listen carefully to what they are saying and how they are phrasing it. You might get a consensus of opinions that all echo each other similarly, so make a point to listen to those. However, don’t dismiss the random claims or comments. Read each comment, listen to each employee. They might say something that others didn’t notice or that’s unique to their position at the company. Make sure you’re valuing everyone’s opinion, not just the majority.

Why Should I Crowdsource?

There are many reasons that crowdsourcing is a great idea for your business. It gives you a sense of where your employees are coming from and where their focus is in the workplace. It also allows your employees not only to make comments, but to give suggestions or solutions. You’re giving your employees a safe space to speak up about their ideas and critiques for the workplace, otherwise they might not feel comfortable commenting on a normal day. Having others help you is perfectly acceptable, so don’t let your pride get in the way of having a successful office. Hearing different ideas from a diverse audience can create solutions that generate new ideas to make your office more successful. Using internal suggestions from your employees is cost-efficient, so hiring a professional is not always necessary. Instead, using crowdsourcing can help you find the right professional to improve your office in the place that needs it the most.

Connect with the industry’s most experienced team to learn more about crowdsourcing in the workplace!

Connect

Culture & People