Does an organization that only shares negative feedback have a future?

My name is Mikiya, and I share content under the theme of "aiming for both improved welfare and reduced staff burden." I am a local government employee living in the Kansai region, and I aim to become a local city council member in the unified local elections in April 2027 to help revitalize local industries.

This is a case I experienced recently, and I would like to write about how disappointed I felt, wondering why an organization like the government wants to demean itself so much. I don't want to write only about negative things, so I have a positive conclusion, but please read through the process as well.

The theme is about “Citizen Feedback.”

About “Citizen Feedback”

The image public servants have of “Citizen Feedback”

Government offices have public relations measures called “Citizen Feedback,” where we receive opinions from citizens. Based on the idea that government offices should also be democratic, many local governments have a history of establishing public relations departments after the war.

In the past, the only ways to submit feedback were through letters or at the counter, but now opinions can be delivered via phone or the internet. Especially recently, since it is easy to post from smartphones, it has become easier for long messages to be submitted as well.

Although “Citizen Feedback” is changing with these trends, it is by no means a positive image for public servants working in government offices. The reason is that much of the feedback received is critical, and combined with anonymity, it is often very aggressive in content.

“Citizen Feedback” that arrived the other day

The other day, a notice regarding “Citizen Feedback” arrived at our workplace. The content was, “I want you to increase the number of procedures that can be applied for online.” The recipient of this feedback was not my workplace, but another department.

I had been saying at work for some time that “in a few years, we will be in an era where people will ask, ‘Why can’t I do this procedure online?!’” but it seems the changes in the world were faster than I imagined.

Some colleagues who received this opinion might have felt relieved, thinking, “It’s good that our workplace supports online applications.” However, what I want to convey is not that I was “relieved.”

How long will we continue to share only negative feedback?

Where is the positive feedback?

What I question is, why does the public relations department only share complaint-like opinions? that point.

Actually, for the past few months, I have been doing some grassroots work, or rather, making efforts to get people to submit positive feedback, such as “It was convenient to be able to book online.” As a result, I was able to receive 5 or 6 positive comments in about two months. However, these opinions have not been shared with other departments at all.

The risks of sharing only negative opinions

I believe there are two major problems with such public relations measures, which could be called “self-deprecating.”

• By receiving only negative feedback, it demotivates the staff.

• It worsens the staff’s image of the citizens.

The second problem, in particular, could lead to a hostile relationship between staff and citizens if left unaddressed. Working while thinking, "They probably have a bad image of us anyway," is a world that is unthinkable in a normal service industry. Even if there were staff members handling the front desk with such feelings, I cannot imagine they would be able to provide service that pleases the citizens.

The citizens who come to my workplace are very friendly and trust the staff deeply. Seeing the public relations department intentionally trying to break these beautiful aspects made me wonder what the purpose of public relations is in the first place.

Let's rethink the way public relations is handled

"Citizen feedback" is valuable input from the public and an important tool for improving administration. However, depending on how it is managed, it also carries the risk of lowering staff morale and worsening relationships with citizens.

If we are going to share feedback, let's share more positive voices. To toot our own horn, if feedback like "online booking was convenient" is raised and shared repeatedly, it is quite possible that other departments might consider adopting online booking as well.

One organization listens to positive feedback and carries out policies through intrinsic motivation. The other receives negative feedback and carries out policies passively through extrinsic motivation. It is clearer than day which organization has a future.

Summary

That is all I wanted to write about my thoughts regarding the "citizen feedback" that has been shared at my workplace recently.

Share positive feedback, and have staff work hard together to implement policies that delight citizens. I believe this is the way of working that public relations departments in government offices across Japan should aim for.

Let's raise our "staff voices" from government offices all over Japan, saying, "Share the good feedback too!"