KSS October eKourier

FEATURE

SUGGESTION BOX GETS AN UPGRADE

Some of us may be young enough (or old enough) to remember the good old Suggestion Box. That little box with a hole in the top secured with a padlock bought from BBC Hardware (Look it up). Attached to a wall normally near the Bundy Clock for punching in and out of work. Showing my age now!

their business. The intention of the Suggestion Box was honourable. I’m sure used well and taken seriously by some companies historically it went a long way to those companies being successful. The Suggestion Box has been replaced with technology, like many things at this time. Technology has allowed the sharing of information easily, it's instant and transparent. At Kennards Team Members have the ability to provide instant feedback on our own important business tools like Atlas, using the little icon in the bottom left-hand corner. Team Members can rate their online learning modules in Compass by providing a star rating. Yammer, our social enterprise, has been success- fully used to share feedback and ideas. Houston is our support system for when things go wrong or don’t work as they should. Technology has facilitated the efficient and effective communication between front line Team Members and back-end support functions. More money and time are now invested in procuring feedback, generally digital, from internal and external customers. Companies are now genuinely interested in the feedback; the investment today is a true demonstration of the commitment to continuous improvement and making the company a better place to work. Kennards is no different. If you have never thought of giving feedback through Atlas, Compass, or via Yammer you are encouraged to. We are committed to continuous improve- ment and creating a workplace where everything our Team Members do has purpose and adds value.

T he old Suggestion Box is from another time with an outdated management operating system. The purpose of this little box was to collect ideas, suggestions and anonymous feedback from the employees. All in the name of continuous improvement and fostering a positive work environment. It was cheap and easy to implement, and you wonder if anybody ever contributed to this little box. If they did, what happened to that little piece of gold. Suggestion boxes were sometimes described as no better than a paper shredder. There was no accountability and so it was impossible to measure how useful or valuable the ideas were that went into the box and if anything was actually implemented. Businesses have come a long way since the humble Suggestion Box. In saying that I’m sure some businesses still use them today. The fact that it is anonymous, is symbolic of hands-off management. There is no transparency, the culture is such that ideas, sugges- tions and feedback cannot be openly

‘ Fast forward to now, companies have come to realise the importance of listening to their Teams. Developing much better ways of collecting valuable inputs from people inside their business exchanged, they go into a box without any knowledge of who or where that little piece of feedback or idea has gone. Maybe never to be seen or heard of again. Fast forward to now, companies have come to realise the importance of listening to their Teams. Developing much better ways of collecting valuable inputs from people inside ‘

Darren Marshall Chief Operating Officer

14 Kennards Kourier Oct 2021