So it’s time to pop the question, but before rushing into such a commitment have you thought about how and when you will ask? About the way you will phrase the question? About whether you are committed to following through on the answer? No, I am not referring to a marriage proposal, I am referring instead to the staff survey. Often treated as a “tick-a-box” part of organizational life, staff surveys can be a powerful tool if used with real intention.
Employee surveys come in various forms:
Climate Surveys – measures employee satisfaction, opinions, attitudes and perceptions. Simply put, how does it feel in our organization?
Culture Surveys – measures whether employee views currently align with those of the organization. In other words, are the way things actually done around here the same as what the organization says it does?
Engagement Surveys – measures staff commitment, motivation and purpose regarding their role and the organization.
Pulse Surveys – a miniature (5-15 questions) version of any of the above. Provides a brief check-in and are typically used in between more comprehensive staff surveys.
If you are looking to survey your staff, I would recommend reading this article for more detailed information on how to be intentional with your surveys. A few of the key points are below:
- Consider the timing and frequency. After all, there is no use sending out a survey if everyone is too busy, or away on leave and cannot complete it.
- Planning. What are you measuring? When and how will results be communicated? Who will be accountable for implementing survey-driven changes?
- Keep it as brief. It should not take more than 30 minutes to complete.
- Ask the right questions. Stick to one topic per question, measure observable behaviour, and keep statements as neutral as possible.
- Follow through! This is possibly the most important. You must communicate the results to your staff, and follow through with any results-based changes you decide on. If employees to not see any follow-through then the survey process will only be damaging to your engagement levels.
If you want to get into the nitty gritty of how to choose an actual tool for administering the survey, this article provides some key considerations for those analytically excited among us. The most important thing is to be intentional, as staff will see through your efforts to simply tick the box. Ensure that you have a plan ahead of time for communicating and following through after the survey. After all, the purpose of measuring engagement is to improve it!
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