What are the best practices for conducting employee surveys?

When engaging in employee surveys, it is important to consider the actual work experience of your employees and to make sure that the engagement survey plan is inclusive of action planning for managers and leaders to implement following survey results. We consistently hear that employees are reluctant to share their feedback due to the anti-climatic experience of completing a survey with no follow-up or follow-through on thoughts shared. So, from a socially responsible perspective ensure your questions are thoughtfully tailored to your employees' work experience and that results will be shared and addressed collaboratively and meaningfully.

Best practices for conducting employee surveys include using them only when necessary, defining clear objectives, keeping surveys concise, using both open and closed-ended questions, and ensuring anonymity when necessary to encourage honest feedback. Sometimes identified respondents are useful; careful planning and caution should be used. Communicate the purpose and benefits to motivate participation, choose optimal timing, and ensure the survey is accessible on all ways respondents may respond. Analyze and share results transparently, act on the feedback with clear action plans, and follow up to assess the effectiveness of implemented changes. This approach ensures valuable insights and drives meaningful organizational improvements.

Employee surveys are a valuable tool for gauging employee sentiment, identifying areas for improvement & fostering a positive work environment. Here's how to conduct effective employee surveys & glean actionable insights, 1. Planning & preparation 2. Communication & participation i.e. transparency/confidentiality, communication channels, accessibility/convenience & incentives (e.g. gift cards) 3. Conducting the survey & analysis i.e. launch date/duration, monitor participation, data analysis & action planning. 4. Examples of effective survey questions i.e. open-ended & closed-ended (multiple choice). Note: effective employee surveys are an ongoing process, continuous communication & action on feedback are key to maximizing their impact.

Be careful not to cast too wide a net with your questions. Be specific to the point with questions and provide a space for comments to each question.

In fact, don’t stop with just one platform or approach. Some employee engagement surveys are shallow in their questioning, even as they cast the net wide. Many also miss the personal factors underlying a person’s experience at work, not just ones that are directly work-related. And as always, make sure not to over-rely on the survey results, given survey bias and insufficient participation, overly generic questions, etc. Intelligent survey design is critical, but also not quite enough alone.

According to my experiences, many leaders hesitate to include some factors that they consider their organization is not quite good at. For instance, if the company doesn't have a performance management system, then HR leaders or CEOs take a step back and refrain from questioning the 'fair distribution of total rewards'. Similarly, if their workplace lacks certain physical assets, they might hesitate to address this issue. It's understandable not to inquire if improvements are impossible under any circumstances. However, if you're planning progress in the near future, you should incorporate a question on the relevant topic. This way, you will have a chance to demonstrate your contribution through before-and-after data.

Employee surveys offer an effective means of directly engaging with employees to gather necessary data, especially in situations where face-to-face interactions may not be feasible or conducive to sharing diverse experiences and suggestions. Surveys serve as valuable tools for gauging employee satisfaction and obtaining insightful feedback.

Ask: did this survey achieve its goal? Did I get the feedback I need? Especially, read the comments. Sometimes comments are more valuable than the actual questions