Creative Names for Our Office Suggestion Box: Seeking Your Innovative Ideas

Hi seniors, we are planning to have a suggestion box in our office, but we do not want to have a typical name for it. I'm thinking of keeping an out-of-the-box name for the suggestion box. I have gone through the general ideas on site HR.

Please suggest something very rare, innovative, and catchy for the box. Seniors, please reply. Your help will be appreciated.

Dear Kanchan, you wanted an innovative, catchy name for the suggestion box. However, the very concept of a suggestion box is quite old. Modern management does not rely on these boxes. You have to think "out of the box" to consider removing the box itself. If you do that, the question of naming the box does not arise.

Nowadays, most HRIS systems have provisions for employee suggestions. Each suggestion is assigned a reference number, and employees can track the status of implementation of their ideas. While I am using the term "suggestion," nowadays, this word is often replaced with "idea."

The Effectiveness of Suggestion Schemes

Suggestion schemes, whether through physical boxes or HRIS, do not necessarily yield results. It is essential to train your staff in idea generation as well.

During one of my training programs, a GM (HR) mentioned that their company was struggling to obtain enough ideas. As a solution, the management decided to offer Rs 50.00 per idea. Initially, there was a significant influx of ideas, but the momentum eventually slowed down. After 2-3 months, the situation reverted to the starting point, with not a single idea coming from 900 employees.

The Importance of Employee Motivation

Idea generation is closely tied to employee motivation, interest in their work, and job satisfaction. It is crucial not to overlook these factors.

Best regards,

Dinesh V Divekar
"Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance."

Many thanks for the reply! We are a team of 50 employees and do not have an HRIS or intranet facility. I have newly joined and want to know employees' ideas to improve. Hence, the suggestion/idea box came to my mind!

I agree with Mr. Dinesh.

Purpose of Suggestion Box

The purpose of a suggestion box is essentially to discover what employees want to say and feel about their jobs and employer. This helps the employer understand their needs and work towards boosting employee morale. However, today, this is not limited to just a "Suggestion Box."

Generally, we find that employees want to express much more, and changes need to be adopted or development is required. Most employees prefer to speak about their problems directly with their seniors due to their desire for quick answers and solutions. Some never like to give suggestions, which is why the idea of a Suggestion Box is not widely used now.

Also, very few employees, in general perception, think that their senior management supports new ideas and new ways of doing things, which prevents them from participating.

With my previous organization, we used a program called "YOUR IDEAS CAN CREATE INNOVATION." It was a kind of employee engagement and activity program that helped discover what employees think and the changes they want to see. It was primarily for organizational changes, performance coaching, conflict mediation, and other value-added services.

I second Mr. Dinesh and Mr. AK Arora. Please conduct an analysis on the probability of implementing the suggestions or ideas generated in your organization for better results. Sometimes, management may not prioritize implementing an idea due to cost factors, even though it could be more beneficial than necessary.

In my organization, we consistently receive suggestions as part of our policy that "every employee must submit 3 suggestions per year." Employees often share whatever ideas come to mind; some are genuine, while others are creative and innovative.

Ensure that the originator or idea generator is taken care of because stealing someone's idea is not a difficult task, especially by those who review suggestions and ideas.

With profound regards,

Creative Names for Your Suggestion Box

Here are a few names that stuck in my mind. Maybe you already have them, but I'm sharing them just in case you like them:

• We are listening (put an image of an ear there)
• We care about what you have to say (put a caring picture or symbol)
• Together we can change what is changeable (image)
• Share with us, and we might like it (present it in a Facebook style with the symbols of like and share)

Regards,