8 Suggestion Box Ideas To Increase Engagement

What is a Suggestion Box?

A suggestion box is a channel for employee expression. It’s like the average mailbox. Employees can share their anonymous or attributed suggestions, ideas, feedback, or comments relating to their workplace. They can relate to processes, policies, the workplace environment, and more. The main goal is to encourage open communication and make employees feel involved, as well as improve how things are done.

What Makes Suggestion Boxes So Meaningful?

Workplace transparency is important for fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and employee engagement. When there is transparency within an organization, employees feel in touch with ongoing decisions and company goals. Organizations that incorporate suggestion boxes into the workplace demonstrate a commitment to this transparency. It sends a message that you value the voice of your employees while contributing to a culture of continuous improvement.

This effective tool can benefit your workplace in many ways. It can:

• Encourage open communication and feedback
• Capture diverse perspectives and ideas
• Help identify areas for innovation
• Help align organizational goals with employee input
• Strengthen employer-employee relationships
• Increase trust in leadership
• Boost employee morale and engagement

With that said, it's important to take a proactive approach to harness these benefits fully. Actively encouraging and valuing employee input, consistently reviewing suggestions, and swiftly implementing feasible ideas will demonstrate a strong commitment to continuous improvement. Doing this will convey a genuine dedication to listening and evolving based on the collective wisdom of your team.

Suggestion Box Ideas to Increase Engagement

The suggestion box can be an effective tool for increasing employee engagement. Here are some strategies that can help you make the most out of it.

Communicate expectations

Start by setting clear expectations. Are you encouraging open-ended ideas and feedback on any and all aspects of the workplace? Or are there specific goals in mind you’d like suggestions focused on? Whether it's a focus on product design, new policies, or cultural improvements, it's important that your employees have a clear understanding of its purpose. Clarity can help employees understand what to contribute. Name a designated reviewer and tell employees where to find the review schedule and suggestion updates.

Organize themed suggestions

This is a way to infuse creativity into the process. Organizing themed suggestion weeks or months can spark diverse ideas from your team. Whether it's "Innovation November" or "Wellness Wednesdays," aligning themes with organizational goals can help keep ideas targeted and relevant.

‍Use a digital platform

Imagine you’re out of the office or on the move, and an idea comes up. It’s not the most practical idea to go into the office just to slip a paper in a slot. Choose an online suggestion box your employees can access easily, including when they’re away from the office.

‍Add some gamification

To maximize engagement, consider adding an element of fun with gamification. It’s a great way to incentivize contributions and make the experience of sharing ideas and feedback enjoyable. Here are some ideas you can consider. Make named leaderboards and individual recognition opt-in, and offer themed challenges employees can join without public identification:

• Leaderboards to showcase top contributors
• Badges for hitting milestones or consistently contributing over time
• Challenges to generate ideas for a themed month
• Rewards for outstanding contributions

Encourage anonymous suggestions

Creating a safe space for anonymous contributions can open the door to more insights. It’s okay if employees feel hesitant in sharing their ideas openly, particularly when it relates to a sensitive topic. By staying flexible with your employee’s preferences, you can foster a more inclusive and engaging environment. Offer submissions without a name as well as attributed submissions. Explain who can see identity information in the chosen channel and what follow-up options each allows; don’t promise anonymity the channel cannot provide.

Collect feedback from employees

Every now and then, it’s a good idea to ask your employees about their experience. Employees can point out problems with submitting ideas or receiving responses. Ask them how they feel about the current suggestion box process. 

• Do they feel adequately acknowledged for their ideas?
• Is targeted discussion time something they would appreciate? 
• Are they happy with the ideas being implemented?

It’s also a good idea to expand communication beyond just email. Consider adding a dedicated channel on your communication platform to collect feedback and encourage new ideas.

‍Close the feedback loop

In a healthy work environment, feedback goes both ways. Ensuring transparency as a manager means being open with your employees about the decisions being made. They should understand the reasons behind why certain suggestions may or may not work. 

One way to do this is to have dedicated feedback sessions on a regular basis. The goal is to focus the conversation on discussing the feasibility of suggestions. These sessions can help show how employee input informs decisions. Route personal or sensitive concerns to an appropriate private organizational contact, such as HR, outside the public discussion. Anonymous contributors need not identify themselves publicly.

1. Review: the designated reviewer checks submissions on the published schedule and considers feasibility.
2. Decide: explain whether each idea is accepted, declined or needs more information, and give the reasons.
3. Report progress: for accepted ideas, name an owner, share the next step and post updates where employees can find them.

Fictional example: Submission: “Add a shared meeting-room booking calendar so teams can spot scheduling conflicts. Public credit: no name, please.” Reviewer: office manager. Status update: “Accepted for a trial to make bookings easier to check. Owner: office manager. Next step: gather room availability and share a trial plan at the next review.” Adjust the schedule to suit your workplace.

‍Shoutout the best contributions in your newsletter

An innovative contribution has the power to create positive change in the workplace. Amplifying their impact through recognition can encourage more quality input from employees. A great way to do this is to feature them in your company’s newsletter. A shoutout can celebrate an achievement and encourage others to contribute. Ask permission before naming a contributor; if they prefer, recognize the idea without naming its author. 

Conclusion

A well-executed approach to suggestion boxes can kickstart positive change. These strategies can help you build a workplace culture that values innovation and employee input.