How Can We Create a Fun and Engaging "Coffee with Employee" Experience Like a Talk Show?

Dear members, I wanted to start the "Coffee with Employee" concept at our unit. This involves employee interaction with HR, similar to the "Coffee with Karan" TV show. Can anyone help me work this out?

Thanks & regards,
Binu Thankachan

Hi Binu, it's a nice initiative, but I would like to understand what the motive behind it is. Is it just normal employee interaction with HR, or do you have some other ideas? Please share more about that.

I also started this concept in one of the companies I worked with. The title of the project was "Coffee with HR." During the rendezvous, we focused on employees' confidence in HR, their counseling, problem-solving, and obtaining information which they were not able to share with anyone else. It's crucial that HR maintains confidentiality; otherwise, the whole purpose of the project will be defeated.

Let's discuss this further after your response.

Regards,

As mentioned by Archana, it's a nice initiative. I just want to share my experience. Ours is a product development company with 25 employees. In our company, this sort of interaction is followed as an HR practice once a month. I implemented this concept just 4 months ago, and believe me, it's doing wonders. The same can be performed in a much more structured manner, but since I have no prior experience in this area, I could only do so much. Now, I feel that the suggestions from all senior members are going to help me a lot. Thanks for starting this thread.

Title: One to One with HR

Concept: It's a process to identify employee needs, requests, suggestions, job satisfaction, training needs, unsolved issues, work environment feel, official conflicts/difficulties, counseling, and others. At the end, we collect feedback from every employee.

HR should maintain utmost confidentiality while dealing with delicate issues. We try our best to solve as many issues as possible for those that require immediate action. All employee suggestions will be considered, but the really good ones will be implemented immediately, and the rest will be implemented accordingly. There have been many changes in the work environment after these sessions. Ultimately, employee satisfaction is what matters, but every company has its limits, so HR has to act accordingly.

After the session, a consolidated report named Minutes of Meeting (MOM) is generated, where I record all employee queries/suggestions. This report is circulated to top management, and whatever can be resolved is done within a week based on priority. The entry of the same, including the date and time, is made. This is how I conduct the session in our company.

I look forward to seeing many responses in this thread. It would be great if someone could suggest more ideas to improve the process in a more structured manner.

Regards,
Babu

Please accept my appreciation for initiating this thread. I hope you are not going to organize some TV show or game show. This is important to foster good understanding and interactions between the employees and HR, similar to a mentorship concept. It is a very positive initiative that will enhance the productivity of the workforce and benefit the employees.

As mentioned by Ms. Archana, this initiative will help build employees' confidence in the HR department, motivating them through counseling and problem-solving activities. Additionally, as noted by Mr. Babu, it will create a friendly working environment and elevate the value of the HR department.

Thank you.

Best regards

Respected members, you have a very interesting concept. In my opinion, these sessions should be friendly so employees are not intimidated or skeptical about HR intentions. For example, instead of making it a coffee session, why don't you do it as an in-house empowering or motivation session where one HR staff member gives a presentation on any HR subject—motivation, performance appraisal, creative thinking, or anything else—over some coffee and biscuits for each department each week.

Once the session is over, let the comments pour in, not only on the subject but also on HR concerns and problems, until you cover the entire organization. This way, you have a whole week to concentrate on one department's issues and concerns, dealing with the immediate ones and setting aside the ones that take more time until you finish covering the whole organization. You might identify some issues and concerns that are common, and this approach allows you to write a report to management on the "organizational satisfaction" level.

Try to involve employees from other departments in HR-related subjects so they feel responsible for contributing to issues that help other staff members.

I think it's time to ensure that employees are not intimidated or fearful of HR and to instill the idea that HR is there to help them make their work life better.

Hi All, this seems to be a nice initiative; even I was thinking of starting it in my organization. After reading the whole thread, I can now well frame the guidelines and present them to my senior to start right away.

Glad to read about such initiatives being shared in this forum. Cheers!

Regards, Pinky.

Hi, it's a nice initiative, but start with caution during the coffee session. Discuss his suggestions, needs, work profile, new ideas, techniques, and problems, etc. Try to resolve the problems of the person you are interacting with, and do not seek feedback about others. It might erode the trust between each other and create problems.

It's a nice initiative, but start with caution during coffee sessions. Discuss his suggestions, needs, work profile, new ideas, techniques, and problems. Try to resolve the problems of the person you are interacting with, and avoid seeking feedback about others. Doing so might erode the trust between each other and could create problems.

Regards,
Sourabh Munjal

It's really good to hear it, but we have about 3,500 employees. How can I initiate this in such a large group? Can you give me suggestions on what could be the maximum capacity?

Best regards,
Kavitha K.
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]
HR

You can organize the same on the birthday of the concerned employees. From boss to boy, you can organize it on their birthday and conduct a general session with them. This will leave a good impression on the minds of the employees, showing that they are being recognized on their special day.

Regards,

I have read all postings regarding this matter. Very nice thought, but I want to give you a suggestion regarding these new events.

Create a Process for "Employee of the Month"

Create a process for "EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH" and arrange coffee with the chosen employee. You can give an award and a certificate for "EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH."

It is essential that after these events, your employees feel highly motivated. This will also enhance employees' confidence in HR, their counseling, problem-solving abilities, and their willingness to share information that they were not able to share before.

Thank you.

Can it be a structured interview of employees, or should it be an informal discussion leading to important outcomes? If it has to be an informal discussion, then what sort of questions should we start with? Are these direct questions or indirect questions? Please explore.

Regards,
Nishu

Hi Everyone, What kind of questions should we ask the employees? Kindly share your thoughts. I have been wanting to implement this concept for 6 months, but I have no idea what to ask because I don't want to create any problems for the employees.

Best Regards,
Praveen

Good concept, but how do I apply it practically? Please share the details of this concept of coffee with employees, as I only have 5 months of experience in HR.

Re: Coffee with Employee

Hi to all members, First of all, congratulations to Binu for starting such a wonderful initiative. I hope it goes well as planned. Interestingly, I have started a similar sort of initiative in our company. Our company is undergoing the process of ISO implementation, which requires a lot of one-on-one interactions and discussions. The purpose is to facilitate, understand, and provide support, which results in the enhancement of each and every employee.

Suggestions from the members are welcomed.

All the best!! God bless all!!

Regards,
Anu

Meeting with employees is a very important initiative that will bring HR closer to the employees. This can easily help avoid some intriguing situations that have been brought to our notice in this forum. For example, there was an HR person who was asked to plant spies in their organization to help the management understand the pulse of the employees.

Formal and Informal Connection Sessions

These connection sessions can happen formally or informally. Formalizing the meetings by giving them structure and a fixed duration will ensure this initiative receives the required response and acceptance. Employees should not feel anxious about being seen in the cafeteria with an HR person for 15 to 20 minutes. Their colleagues or supervisors should not misinterpret the nature of the discussion.

Standardization and Agenda Setting

In organizations with multiple HR personnel, this initiative should follow a standard - similar topics must be discussed, and consistent ideas must be disseminated by the HR personnel. Importantly, there should be an agenda for these meetings. The management should see a return on their investment of time and resources. The productivity time of both HR and non-HR employees needs to be considered. Therefore, standardizing the topics to be discussed is essential.

Assume that as an HR professional, you aim to measure employee satisfaction levels. Engaging in discussions with senior management will help identify areas to focus on. The number of employees to be met can be determined, and with predetermined questions, responses can be documented and periodically shared with management.

Thanks.

I've read all the comments and found some very nice ideas. Thank you, Binu, for starting this post. Whatever practice you are going to implement, I agree with Radhika regarding the Return on Investment of your initiatives in any HR field. Top management wants to know what benefits they will get out of it. If you can answer the question: "What's in it for me?" then you can convince all parties to participate or support the initiative. After all, it consumes the time and resources of the organization.

I liked the initiative of Babu; thank you for sharing it. However, I read some comments expressing skepticism about sitting with HR and having face-to-face discussions about these issues. Moreover, in some organizations, the number of employees is huge, and the HR department can't manage to meet separately with everyone.

My Approach: A Participatory Method in Project Planning

What I've done is as follows:

Title: HR Workshop

Concept: Open discussion with employees to address problems, suggestions, improve the working environment, and enhance employee satisfaction.

Methodology: Firstly, divide your company into connected parts to attend the HR Workshop, e.g., Sales & Marketing, Finance & Admin, etc. You can divide it in different ways depending on your purpose. You may want to enhance interaction between different departments that don't have good connections, or you may want to solve common issues between interrelated departments, etc.

Then, you need to plan this workshop thoroughly before starting. Your time, your presentation, the seating (preferably an open box arrangement or conference arrangement) all of this should be planned and prepared beforehand while keeping your purpose in mind.

Execution: Start by implementing some icebreakers. You can find many examples on the internet. Icebreakers should be amusing with a purpose, e.g., enhancing communication, trust, etc., in addition to establishing a positive atmosphere for the participants and preparing them to interact positively.

If you are new in the company, or you haven't met the employees before, it is a good idea to make a brief presentation on HR as a function and the role of HR in the organization. Many employees, and sometimes managers, don't really know what HR can do for them.

Then, you should have a wall where participants can stick rolls of paper on it. Distribute post-it papers/pads to participants with markers. On the papers stuck on the wall, divide it into major topics. You may choose the way you want, e.g., 1) suggestions part, 2) claims/problems part, or be more specific like 1) Performance, 2) Compensation, 3) Training, 4) General problems, 5) Suggestions, or whatever you like. The important issue here is to be in charge of this to orient the workshop towards your purpose.

To maintain confidentiality and let employees feel secure and open to express their opinions, everyone should write one suggestion/problem on a separate post-it paper without writing their names on it. You give them 10 to 15 minutes to do so. After they finish, they should start sticking their post-it papers (should be long-sized to write on) under the accurate title on the papers stuck on the wall.

When the time is up, you should start involving them, sorting out post-it papers based on the written ideas because you will find many common ideas. Group them together since they represent one idea. Proceed in this manner until you finish all the post-its.

After this, you will have a range of suggestions. Begin by compiling a report about the suggestions and issues that employees have raised. I suggest taking photos and having someone document the session. Share the photos with the company and include some in your report.

Subsequently, prioritize your findings based on what is easy to solve/implement and act upon it promptly, after receiving top management approval. This is crucial as employees will be evaluating your ability to make changes. If you can make some changes, you will build trust and a good relationship with your employees. Therefore, it's advisable to gain the approval and support of top management before commencing this exercise.

Whenever you make a change based on the suggestions from this workshop, communicate it and link it to the workshop suggestions to demonstrate its impact. Sort the suggestions with the participants' assistance so they are informed about their queries. Send the report you made to all of them so they are aware of the suggestions.

Repeat this workshop with all other departments/divisions to involve all employees. You can plan to do it once or twice a year. During the Annual conference day, if your company holds one, discuss this initiative, highlighting their suggestions and your achievements in this regard. This is to foster trust and encourage participation in future workshops.

I hope this is useful and can help you save time while building strong and positive relationships with everyone. Afterward, consider organizing open days every one or two months for individual meetings with employees - only for those who request to meet with HR.

Wishing you good luck and successful implementation.

Regards

I feel this is the best thing for each and every company to do in their organization. The head of the company should find time to interact with each and every employee under him. Mostly, no one is trying to find out or even know the people lower than them in designation. So, I hope this coffee time would be the best opportunity for everyone to learn about everyone's suggestions and problems in the company, and also discuss work.

Thank you.

Thank you, Bavarder, for sharing such a good idea. I understand that it does need top management approval, but still, such workshops can be tailor-made and implemented on different occasions too.

Thanks

I would like to share my experience with you as it is similar to yours. I am in a growing company and started the process with a name "HR-Employee Meet." Trust me, it was really hard to find out the employees' views in the initial months. But gradually, the confidence of employees in HR was developed, and now they share everything with me. It has changed the work environment of my company.

It really works.