I've just been looking through the results of a staff survey we did internally and I am absolutely horrified by some of the feedback, specifically around:a) that some of the junior staff are worried about their job security and feel that this prevents them from relaxing at the weekendsb) that some of these junior staff feel unable to raise these types of concerns with the partners because they're nervous to do soc) that some of the junior staff feel shy when they are in client meetings as they're not sure what to say and when.I had no idea that some staff felt this way. I do know that actually none of them have any reason to be concerned about point A and nor should they be concerned about point B either (none of the partners are a-holes and I know for a fact that all of them really want to help develop the juniors as they are the future not just of the firm but also of the world in which we live - people don't get into the partnership unless they have proven that they want to develop the firm and can take feedback, no matter how bad, on the chin and then do something about it). I've already started tackling point C (my view is that throwing people in at the deep end is the best way to build confidence, so I've been taking junior staff out to C-level client meetings and asking them for their opinion and suchlike in front of the client (the relationship with these clients is such that we don't need to worry if they stumble), and have told the other partners to do the same; we've then been following up by sending them an e-mail thanking them for their ideas which helped make the meeting such a success, copying in a couple of the other partners so that it gets recognised)On points A and B I'm really not sure what to do. I am really angry about point B (angry at the firm) - it means we are failing as a management team. Point A I think I can deal with - I've put a proposal that we extend all staff contracts to have a 6 month notice period on our side. Yes it costs us money but frankly we owe it to them. But what about point B? I really don't know what to do. I've asked the other partners do start doing little things to that demonstrate trust and confidence - for instance giving one of the consultants a lift a meeting then saying you'd like to do a bit of work so would they mind driving for a bit, or telling them that you'll be busy for the next few days so would they mind if you asked IT to give them access to your emails so that they can let you know if anything important comes up, or giving them your credit card and asking them to order something for you online, or asking them to pass on a message to a senior client on his/her mobile number, or even taking a small team out to lunch every now and then to ask for any feedback they have about the firm, maybe even organising the occasional BBQ or something at home and introducing the family to the team... but that's all I can think of. I'm completely stuck for ideas. I'm actually ashamed that the partnership has let some of the staff down in this way by being seen as aloof and unapproachable... this is absolutely NOT what we intend or want. Any other ideas/suggestions?

I'll indulge because you didn't set guidelines on participants. ;-)a) You've mitigated IMO.b) Consider a HH or social event in a neutral location that is managed by a junior staff member. Your junior staff thinks higher ups and partners are unapproachable, which connects to feedback C. Another thing to consider, are Fridays really in office or remote days? If they are the former, consider your office layout and glass for partners offices' facades. c) Assuming that junior staff is not leading client meetings, lack of confidence in client meetings really stems from comfort level and confidence with higher ups and partners. While I agree that it's best to learn without floaties, there's a process. Give small meeting tasks for junior staff to manage: present a page of a deck, prepare standard set of ?s to ask clients so research is involved, etc. Shallow end -> Deep end

BEP - some ideas...A) job insecurity:Start sharing financial health of the company in monthly updatesShare sales pipeline (code names for prospects if required)Show how that translates into resource and recruitment pipelineMake every second weekend a "no work weekend" - turn off your-mail server and corporate VPN.B) partner aloofnessThere will always be some, but...Start an anonymous Q&A box and publish them with answers in a fortnightly updateHave "meet the partner" socials. Each partner takes a turn to buy lunch/afternoon tea/ for six to eight consultants that they don't know. No business talk, so the juniors don't feel shy - either wholly social - just get to know folksHave a quiz night where each partner leads a team - not a team with all the partners on itC) meeting participationIn one of my first ever senior client meetings I felt like an idiot (it was over dinner and I was sitting saying nothing just stuffing my face!) I made a nit too bold statement and the client said "hmm - not really, it's more xyz..."Later my boss told me - don't make statements, just ask questions. If you say, "is it abc?" And the client says yes, then he'll notice you knew. If he says "no it's xyz" then he's not disagreeing (cos it was a question) and now you've learned something.Very few open-ended questions come across as dumb...?

Re. b): worth considering the levels in between. The feedback may state "not comfortable with raising with Partners", but does that really translate to "not comfortable with raising with Senior Managers or Directors"?Not every company structure is flat enough for analysts and consultants to have close trusting relationships directly with Partners. May not even me a question of org-structure flatness and perhaps just a question of size. So what becomes key is that the chain of communication works. If Partners hold 'leadership team' meetings where Ds or SMs can talk in a trusting environment about the business, AND juniors have good relationships with their managers / counsellors, then this should work. And once you've considered that angle, then look at this one: even if juniors have good relationships with SMs / Ds, but there is then a chasm between them and the Ps then trust and comms break down again. Do the Partners lead the firm on their own or do they invite Ds and SMs to the bridge? This is what I tend to see more of in industry, where senior executives / MDs are on a different floor / in their offices and their heads-of don't feel comfortable having open and honest conversations/discussions out of fear. This is where the senior guys lose touch of what's going on on the ground. Sorry, don't got time to cover the other points.

Thank you everybody for this feedback and these suggestions - all very much appreciated.I think we've got some serious thinking to do at this end. I myself have witnessed situations where a firm gets into deep doo-doo because staff get disgruntled and suddenly start leaving. None of us want that to start happening... I think we're still quite far away from any possibility of that, but I don't even want there to be a smouldering cinder of a possibility left... Particularly liked the insight that "a lack of confidence in client meetings really stems from comfort level and confidence with higher ups and partners"... I know this is true from my own experience when I was younger... had some proper intimidating characters who made you stutter and turn into a nervous wreck even when all they did was ask you what time it was. We need to sort that out urgently.Many thanks again for these suggestions, and will keep you all posted