So I've always been curious about something and I absolutely know this is not the place to ask this question but I'm going to anyway.

Why do companies not do surveys? Couple examples...

A company is planning on changing their pay structure. Structure A) is to leave it the same, Structure B)Would increase salary but also increase cost of benefits, Structure C) etc... Why not put it out to the department(s) that it would affect and let the majority vote on what they would like to see. Maybe even discuss it in an open form, or allow a comment period for their reasoning? Then make a change based on that information.

An operations department needs to make a change to the Operations Manual that will affect how flight releases are issued. What management thinks would work doesn't work on the line. Why not have an open comment period on it before making any drastic changes?

I've worked for quite a few companies in my 25+ year helicopter career and never once has anyone in management ever asked the line if something would work or not. It usually leads to pilots/mechanics saying "Yeah, we try to follow that, but it doesn't really work that way." Or Pilots/Mechs lying and saying "Yeah, we comply with that." when in reality they don't because it's a bull rule that doesn't work as intended.

Now, with that said, I understand sometimes there is pressure from the FAA or governing body that says you must make a change by ____ date to not allow that to happen again, but I'm not talking about those times.

It's easy for me to say "If I owned a company, I would do it this way..." So what am I missing? Why do companies just make changes and then say "make it work!"

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The companies don't care anything about you except how you are an impediment to what they want, and what it will take to get what they want out of you. And NOTHING else. 

1. Try to get a whole department, much less a whole company to agree on any 1 major change in the company that works for the bottom line.

2. If you ask the employees for their opinion on 1 issue they're going to expect to be heard on every issue.

3. You ask for ideas, get many, and go with 1 of them. A minority of the people are happy and the majority are wondering why you ask for ideas then don't use them.

4. Opens the door to the idea that management doesn't know it all much better than you, obviously can't let that get out.

Just spitballing, obviously no one here is in charge of running a company.

Some outfits have a beneficial suggestion program. If you make a suggestion that benefits the company financially, they will implement the idea, and give you a monetary reward.

Some companies and their management team use these for the wrong purposes. They dress up these surveys to make employees think they are contributing to decision making part of the proces. What is does is identify those with ideas that could reveal problem areas that cost too much money to fix this or point fingers at those responsible for the shortcoming. Be careful what you wish fo.