Reflection Assignment:

Learning Launch

Challenge & Selection:    In my organization, my role is to partner with the business to ensure both internal (employee) and  external (customer) success. At the beginning of the year, our organization created a goal to improve  employee engagement and satisfaction by September 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were  required to move our organization to 100% remote work. In doing so, we were also required to review  our current policies, processes, and infrastructure to determine what changes were required to align  with a virtual world. Our challenge was to find a way to apply changes virtually and not only not impact  engagement and satisfaction, but also significantly improve it.    We had already gathered feedback from our employees at the end of the previous year, so we had a  good amount of information on what changes our employees were looking for. However, we needed to  find out of the solutions we came up with worked both in a virtual and in-office environment, and if  they would be successful.    As my department had already used various design-thinking activities and tools to determine the  solutions, the next step was to try the learning launch tool to quickly test the solutions.    Application:    We selected pilot groups for each department to both determine if the solutions would work and would  also work for every department. None of the pilot groups knew about the other pilot groups, and each  group signed confidentiality agreements for the pilot to ensure the ideas didn’t get polluted from other  areas.     Problems for employee engagement and satisfaction included gaps in manager training, employee  recognition, benefit options, and growth opportunities. Our ideas for solutions included implementing a  new recognition tool for both monetary and non-monetary recognition, implementing a newly-structured  manager training and workshop, implementing new benefit options including wellness reimbursements,  volunteer programs, free virtual healthcare, and office equipment reimbursements, and creating new  career pathing and development plans.    In the first learning launch, we focused on manager training. We separated the managers for each pilot  group and provided them the new training. We separated the direct reports and also provided them an  assessment to complete based on their personality type, which would tell us how they would like to  communicate, be recognized, and be supported. We then provided a new tool to the managers that read  and interpreted the data about the employees and provided information on how to communicate,  recognize, and support each employee individually. We then had the manager and direct reports resume  activities with this new information at hand for two months, and brought them back for a focus group.     In the second learning launch, we implemented the new recognition tool and the new career pathing  programs. We trained each pilot group on the new programs and then had them work with these tools for  six months, reviewing progress monthly. We also monitored usage and types of  recognition and career  pathing.    In the third learning launch, we implement the new benefit programs with the pilot groups only. We had  them use the benefits for the full duration and report back on any successes or failures. We also  monitored usage of these programs.

Insight & Approach:      Through the learning launches, we were able to identify aspects that worked, what didn’t work, and which  aspects were more valuable to certain departments. The pilot groups were able to fully test the new  solutions and provided valuable feedback to help us tweak aspects for full launch.    We anticipated all programs being successful and the results were a success – with the pilot group, the  employee engagement and satisfaction survey results increased by 30%. When we launched it full-scale  company-wide after the small tweaks, our overall engagement and satisfaction improved by 20% (during a  year when most companies were going through layoffs and other hardships).    I think our approach was appropriate and effective as we had already used other design-thinking  processes to identify potential solutions.

