SUGGESTION BOX

We have all heard people talking about "thinking outside the box" -- but have you ever considered "the inside of the box"? The suggestion box, that is.

Suggestion boxes are making a comeback. More and more companies are taking their boxes into cyberspace -- creating suggestion boxes that can be accessed with computers. This might sound technologically complicated, it's not. It is as simple as creating a special e-mail address to which employees can e-mail suggestions.

Suggestion boxes can strengthen your employ  communications and retention efforts. Suggestions -- the ones that don't get ignored by management -- can improve employee morale and foster a sense of cooperation between employees and management and reduce the level of employee discontent.

To make sure your suggestion box is a success:

-- Acknowledge all employee ideas. If you cannot carry out a suggestion, post a memo explaining why not. That way, employees won't feel their input is being ignored.

-- Don't wait to follow through on good ideas. Otherwise employees will view management as unresponsive to their ideas, and this will cause employees to stop offering suggestions.

-- Encourage anonymity, when possible. This will get the suggestion ball rolling. And once employees see their ideas acted on, you'll be surprised at how many employees will proudly start to add their identities to their suggestions.

-- Keep your door open. Just because you have a suggestion box doesn't mean that this is the only method of bringing you their ideas. Remember, ideas in suggestion boxes are often the result of earlier dialogue between management and employees.

Always mention your suggestion box to new hires.  Create a memo that gives them some suggestion-making pointers, such as: don't make hasty suggestions, solicit input from others before submitting an idea, and establish credibility (get to know the products and services first) before offering a slew of suggestions. This is also management’s chance to make new hires aware of your commitment to employee ideas, opinions and open communications.