A Question about Sharing Feedback with the Boss

Anonymous

August 25,2022 at 1:33PM UTC

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I'm the kind of person at work that people feel comfortable sharing their thoughts. Many times I find that people let me know what bothers them about our company (which is on the smaller end of a small business.) I see many issues our company has, knowing that we have created them.

I'm an Admin. I have a great relationship with my boss, who is a C-Level. I'm able to speak to her directly. She is aware of areas that are in need of drastic change, but has little influence over that.

Over the past couple of years, we've lost some key people over the way the business is run. I've learned that we will lose another key employee. Turnover is high and those that have been here longest are leaving. To me, this is a very bad sign. From those who confide in me, I hear things like, "I see the writing on the wall, and..."

Recently, we've lost several good clients as well. I don't know the reasons for that.

I will not divulge conversations co-workers have had with me about opportunities and offers to go elsewhere. But I also know that most do not share exactly why they are leaving when they do go, because they know the company won't do anything to change.

This is a great company in many, many ways, but if this trend continues, we'll have fewer employees with the expertise needed to make this company succeed and we will lose even more clients.

Should I have a conversation with my boss and suggest she push this issue with those who make these decisions, or is this not my place? Feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

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Kathryn MontbriandAugust 25,2022 at 2:38PM UTC
Hi there - instead of framing this as 'tell the boss' or 'don't tell the boss', perhaps you could use your open relationship to push for creating a feedback mechanism that gives your boss direct access (even anonymously) to the pain points from the broader employee population.
This might look like a survey or a roundtable led by HR or a third party. The important thing is to create a channel where employees can share honest feedback without fear of retribution.
If you are able to get your boss to listen and react to some of the feedback it will build trust across the organization and show that, when possible, the company is willing to meet in the middle and make changes that benefit everyone.
AnonymousAugust 25,2022 at 4:10PM UTC
Since employees are nit willing to openly share their input with management or HR I would frame the feedback as coming from you personally as statements where you can personally speak to a specific issue or incident. Further, pose other feedback in the form of a question. As in "I noticed this or that, do you know why?"
Be very very careful passing along 3rd party feedback. More time than not, people have very good reasons for not sharing this info with management. They might ever want it mentioned.
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistAugust 25,2022 at 4:21PM UTC
Has your boss (or anyone else) ever asked or wondered why so many good people are leaving?
It's not likely they don't know these folks are leaving - you said it's a smaller business.
They know how they run their business and my feeling is if they wanted to be a better workplace, they'd already be one. Not sure what you'd have to gain from bringing this up with your boss and you could run the risk of "shoot the messenger".
Heather CutlerAugust 25,2022 at 11:51PM UTC
While your insight into this mass exodus may be spot on, please resist the urge to provide constructive feedback unless specifically asked. I agree with @Joan Williams, there's a high probability this could backfire on you.
AnonymousAugust 26,2022 at 12:18AM UTC
You should have a conversation about your own future!
AnonymousAugust 26,2022 at 5:23PM UTC
It the reason for leaving is trending and is a pattern, it’s ok to bring up without names mentioned if those people already left. But also see the writing on the wall. Pay attention and think through could your company possibly tank in the next 2-3 yrs. And if that comes up in cooler talk, put your future first and also consider your options so you don’t sink with a falling ship regardless of your loyalty or closeness to your boss
AnonymousAugust 27,2022 at 6:18AM UTC
Be careful not to speak fir others. If you honestly think you're truly sharing info thar your boss is clueless about then generic trends could be shared. But if your boss is that far removed from what's going on I'd say the company has bigger issues at play.
AnonymousSeptember 11,2022 at 2:19PM UTC
i would speak up, framing the conversation from the perspective of what the company needs to change rather than listing the grievances of those leaving. It’s a subtle difference but it frames the issue as the company holding responsibility. At one time in my career I was the ED of a small nonprofit. That experience taught me that people often think the higher ups know everything that’s going down. Frequently, they don’t. Why would they if no one tells them?
I took that experience and many years later, after I had changed career paths, applied it. I was the assistant to a newly promoted member of upper management. My boss was a well respected scientist with little management training. After a meeting he wondered to me why no one took him seriously. I didn’t say anything but it bothered me all night because I knew why. The next morning I asked him if he wanted to know. He said he did, so I laid it all on the table. It was him and how he acted. He was clearly uncomfortable by what I told him but he accepted the feedback. What I was surprised to see was he apparently processed the info and made changes. A few months later after attending a management training that required 360 evaluations of coworkers, he returned and actually told me I was right about everything. Everyone assumed he knew he was a jerk. He didn’t know and no one told him.
My point is this; you seem to care about this company and where it is headed. If you feel that your boss is open to hearing the info, please share with no expectations. Chances are nothing will change, but it might. If you say nothing, it’s almost certain nothing will. Good luck.