How frequently do you survey your team? Do you know how they feel about their workload, team dynamics and work environment? If you haven’t surveyed your staff in a while, you may want to put it on your to-do list. One study shows that more than half (58%) of workers wish their company conducted employee engagement surveys more often.
According to writer Lisa Beebe, these surveys can help you translate abstract employee sentiments into actionable insights. When you know how employees feel, you can take steps to address their concerns and implement strategies to boost engagement and satisfaction.
In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we share some of Beebe’s best practices for conducting employee engagement surveys.
1. Decide on survey frequency. If you survey your staff too often, you might not get much participation. You also don’t want to go too long without getting their feedback. Beebe says it’s essential to strike the right balance. A quarterly cadence tends to work great to sustain participation and gather feedback throughout the year.
2. Ensure anonymity. Otherwise, people may not feel comfortable sharing their honest feedback. Beebe says it’s important to ensure feedback can’t be linked to specific individuals. This helps create a safe space where everyone can feel comfortable sharing their candid thoughts.
3. Ask thoughtful questions. If you ask the wrong questions, you won’t get the insight you need to create meaningful change. Beebe also recommends asking the right number of questions. If you ask too few questions, you won’t get what you need. If you bombard employees with questions, you may get lower-quality feedback or less feedback overall.
4. Take action based on survey findings. If you survey your employees and don’t make any changes as a result, you’ll lose buy-in and trust. Beebe advises sharing survey results and a detailed action plan. Transparency is key, she says, and turns engagement into a collaborative conversation. Keep staff members updated on your action plan and any resulting initiatives. Beebe says you should also highlight the changes and their impact so employees see how their feedback drives tangible improvements.
Employee engagement surveys don’t have to be long and tedious. In fact, it’s often better to make them shorter and more focused, which can help boost response rates. In the year ahead, don’t guess how your team feels — ask them and then act on their feedback.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Lisa Beebe is a Los Angeles-based writer who contributes to Culture Amp, a market-leading employee experience platform.
