Employee Survey Tips
Here are some ideas plus links to websites. The key messages from our experience are to think about what you are trying to achieve and what you will do with the information.
1. How to achieve good survey completion rates
Careful pre survey communication is essential, communicating to people e 'what is in it for them'. A major communication campaign and branding will help. You campaign will depend on whether this is to be an annual or one off questionnaire.
2. Managing expectations
No matter what you or we say to manage expectations (and you should say everything you can) people will have raised expectations. Whilst you may not be able to meet the full wish list you need to meet some of it and also to ensure demonstrable actions post survey.
3. Leadership
Preparing your leaders is key. They need to be ready to share the results in a non defensive way. You need to test hard the willingness to do this PRIOR to kicking off the questionnaire. Also communicate to people up front what you will do with the results and how they will be communicated. The more open and transparent the better.
4. Logistics and organisation
One of the reasons for poor follow up is not an unwillingness to do things but getting lost in the logistics. You and the management team should have feedback session planned in advance and a timetable set up - this gives you something to monitor and a good chance that actions occur.
5. Feedback style
Consider how you will feedback. A good approach is to have a letter from the CEO thanking people for participating and giving highlights. Then each manager should have a sharing and action planning session with their team. The format can be something like - input on the results - discussion on what this means for the specific team/dept. Identification of actions - try something like brainstorming them and then marking them on a priorities grid (easy/hard to implement vs big/small benefit - or something like that) and then selection - use a voting system - of the ones that will be acted upon. Have as one of the ground rules that only suggestions that you personally can/are willing to implement can be made (keeps things sound). You can also have a 'list to be referred' to capture those things people would like to see but are outside their personal control. Facilitation of these events is key
Types of Survey
Employees join and leave for various reasons which surveys help you identify.
1. Entrance Survey
Conduct a survey of all new people who join your company. Understand why people joined and their expectations. You can test the values of the company it’s core values and what drives the employees then compare this to new employees.
2. Exit Survey
Conduct a survey of all people who leave your company, at their point of exit. See why people are leaving or why they say they are leaving and how their views changed against original preconceptions.
3. Post Exit Survey
The longer the time between the date of departure the more honest is likely to be the views your ex-staff are likely to give you!
Websites
Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) - we are members if you wish to ask us for help.
The Chartered Institute of Marketing for generic survey help.
For generic research and survey advice:The British Market Research Bureau
Email us at contact@oisolutions.co.uk or call us now tel 01202 706 975
