Using Feedback and Corporate Storytelling to Improve Employee Satisfaction

Can any workplace boast that their employees are happy 100% of the time? It is unlikely. That doesn’t mean finding ways to improve employee satisfaction is a lost cause or should be placed on the back burner. Allowing dissatisfaction to flourish hurts productivity, leads to disengagement, and increases turnover. Worst of all, it’s often contagious, spreading throughout the organization like wildfire.  

Managers might understand the factors contributing to employee satisfaction, but they don’t always realize there’s a powerful tool hiding in plain sight. We’re talking about employee feedback, especially when it includes corporate storytelling. When done right, feedback can be a key motivating tool to improve employee satisfaction. 

What Will Improve Employee Satisfaction and What Won’t 

Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor motivation theory calls things like salary, job security, and working conditions “hygiene” factors. They are all important, and if any are lacking, employees will be dissatisfied. But these “hygiene” factors are not enough to fully motivate workers or truly satisfy them. Achieving employee satisfaction is only possible when motivating factors, such as recognition and achievement, are present.  

Job satisfaction means different things to different people, but most people want the following: 

• Clear expectations 
• Psychological safety 
• A feeling of belonging 
• Autonomy and flexibility  
• Recognition and appreciation 
• Opportunities for growth and advancement 

The appropriate use of feedback can help nurture these factors in the workplace. Employees who know what’s expected of them, receive praise or redirection when appropriate, and feel free to voice their opinions experience a better sense of well-being—and job satisfaction.  

Feedback (Done Right) is a Key Motivator 

By taking the time to give feedback, managers send the message that they value their employees and want them to succeed. Likewise, listening to employee feedback assures employees that their ideas and opinions matter.  

Many people think of feedback only in terms of delivering bad news or correcting bad behavior. But when there’s a healthy feedback culture, all types of feedback can be beneficial in helping improve employee satisfaction, provided it is delivered properly.  

To get the most out of feedback as a motivator, it needs to be consistent, frequent, and timely. Here are some tips: 

• Don’t only give feedback when something goes wrong. Showing appreciation and giving compliments for a job well done will drive employee satisfaction and build self-confidence. 

• Give both positive and negative feedback immediately instead of waiting for a formal performance review. Delaying reprimands or corrective feedback is a missed opportunity to correct undesired behavior. Not giving credit and kudos for good work on the spot waters down the message’s power to motivate. 

• In the words of researcher and author Brené Brown, “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.” Be honest and avoid vague language when giving feedback. Employees appreciate authenticity and knowing exactly what is expected of them.  

• Keep feedback forward-looking. Discuss the problem and what happened but focus on improvement and how to handle the situation differently in the future. Dwelling on past missteps and mistakes will chip away at employee satisfaction. 

• Feedback is not one-size-fits-all. Customize the message to fit the employee’s unique personality, competencies, and motivators. Don’t assume everyone will handle feedback in the same way. Be ready to use active listening techniques when they respond. 

• Be sure feedback goes in all directions: manager to employee, employee to manager, and peer-to-peer. Get employees used to seeing successful collaboration, problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills in themselves and others, along with sharing feedback. Knowing all voices are heard can improve employee satisfaction and engagement. 

• Make check-ins routine. This is especially important after big changes, important events, reaching milestones, or at the end of each quarter, month, or week. Discuss what worked and what didn’t, what can be done next time to improve, create a forum to share ideas, or discuss who stood out as an MVP on the team. And don’t underestimate a simple “thanks for the great work” as everyone leaves at the end of the day. 

• Use corporate storytelling in employee feedback instead of just facts and figures. Talking about something relatable can be a great way to connect. 

Most importantly, managers should not look at feedback as a chore that’s keeping everyone from doing their “real work.” The healthiest companies have a culture of constant feedback where employees are presented with a clear path for their personal and professional growth.  

Corporate Storytelling as a Feedback Tool 

Corporate storytelling is not a new concept, although many companies might think of it regarding their branding and marketing. But its value in terms of employee feedback can’t be ignored. Instead of just presenting facts, stories provide a relatable way of getting a message across.  

Consider how feedback about an increase in productivity from the previous quarter might be framed. Listing sales percentages or how much money the company made might make everyone feel good but will do little to motivate employees going forward. If the manager instead tells the story of what the team was dealing with last quarter as opposed to current conditions, discusses how obstacles were overcome, praises them for their resilience, and asks for input on how they can avoid missteps and do even better next quarter, it will have much more impact. 

Many managers will discover they’ve been using a storytelling technique all along without thinking about it. It simply means creating a narrative that includes a situation, the actions that were taken, and the result. If the story is about an event or project that was negative, the story can continue to include what could have or should have happened for a more positive outcome.  

Corporate storytelling can also be used in the following ways: 

• Onboarding and training. Welcome messages from coworkers and “how we do it” videos are some examples of ways to make new hires feel part of the team during job shadowing or training. 
  
  
• Success stories. Recounting a key employee’s or manager’s move through the ranks at the company illustrates potential opportunities and a clear pathway to achieving goals. 

• Inclusivity. Stories from and about a diverse workforce help to reinforce the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and acceptance in the workplace. Feeling at home in a job will improve employee satisfaction. 

Improve Employee Satisfaction to Benefit the Entire Organization 

Companies need satisfied workers to survive and thrive. Providing clear, honest employee feedback is one way to show that the organization is invested in that satisfaction.  

For feedback to have its biggest impact, it shouldn’t be limited to an annual sit-down with the manager. Instead, it should be an ongoing storytelling session involving all the members of the team. Storytelling puts the details of day-to-day business into a clear, relatable narrative, helping employees better understand how they fit into the organization and how they can grow there.  

HSI Blue Ocean Brain has the tools to bring impactful storytelling to your feedback process. Contact us to schedule a consultation.