10 Tips for Successful Employee Surveys
Because of the increasing focus on employee engagement, employee satisfaction, and employee retention, more companies conduct employee surveys. And, numerous survey tools are available for companies to perform employee surveys without investing in expert consulting support.
Of course, my bias is towards engaging an expert to:
- design the questionnaire
- collect answers from your employees
- analyze the responses
- provide priority actions to help your company attract, engage and retain a high performing workforce.
There, I declared my bias!
And now, I offer the following tips to successful employee surveys, regardless of which path you choose.
1. Identify a senior leader as the sponsor of the survey.
Ideally, the president/CEO or business owner takes the lead.
The sponsor must be credible with the employee community, trusted to ensure the results will be acted upon.
2. Communicate the survey objectives clearly.
Because employees who understand what is to be accomplished, are more likely to participate. Use every channel available to communicate the purpose of the survey and the anticipated outcomes.
3. Include everyone.
Invite all employees who are affected by the outcome to complete the survey.
4. Guarantee anonymity.
Answers must be completely confidential so there is no opportunity for reprisal or hard feelings. Anonymity is vital because, any breach of confidentiality, will break the trust of your employee community.
5. Provide paid time to complete the survey.
Because this is a work-related assignment, it should be completed during the regular workday.
6. Make the survey concise.
Focus on your objectives. The survey shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes to complete.
7. Ask objective questions.
Avoid biasing the responses by including the option to answer: “don’t know/uncertain,” “not applicable” or “prefer not to answer.”
8. Prioritize the objective analysis of results.
Align analyses with the stated objectives, and present without bias.
9. Share the survey results with everyone …
… in the company who was asked to participate. Explain the follow-up actions, including when, where and by whom. Use every channel available to communicate so that all employees with be “in the know”.
10. Fulfill your promises of action based on the survey results.
Communicate early and often, as you make changes in order to keep employees informed. And, repeat the survey periodically in order to evaluate progress.
The Dunvegan Group works with B2B companies to improve customer and employee retention using The Platinum Rule®, “Treat other people the way they want to be treated.” Learn more about our solution.
Anne Miner founded The Dunvegan Group in 1987 as a full-service marketing research consulting firm. Under her leadership, the company has adapted to changes in the markets, advances in technology, and economic ups and downs. The firm developed its own processes, metrics, and software to support the services it delivers to Business-to-Business corporations, as well as smaller companies, including start-ups. The company serves clients across North America and around the world as they thrive and grow through serving their own customers according to the insights customers provide.
