What to do with staff survey data
February 16, 2009
In my organisation we have recently carried out an employee survey, which was done through face to face meetings with each employee. I am part way through analysing the results and there have been some interesting responses. It’s always surprising how different people have widely different feelings about what makes them happy and motivated at work. There were comments about many different aspects of work, ranging from the level of feedback employees receive on a regular basis, to what is provided in the food and drinks machines! It just goes to show that the smallest things that management may not consider to be important can actually have an effect on the general mood of the workforce; and this is why I personally am quite a big fan of staff surveys.
Carrying out a survey is one thing, but it is what you actually do with the results of the survey that is really important. When I have carried out surveys in the past I have always worked hard to try to at least put together a report for the management team or company leadership, so that a response can be put together and actions made as a result of what staff have been saying. There’s nothing more damaging to the sense of ‘employee voice’ than when a staff survey is carried out and employees hear nothing more about it after they have submitted their response. Even if the results are used positively and management make workplace changes as a result of survey responses, the communication of this is almost as important as the action itself; as it is vital that employees know that this has been a direct result of their opinions and ideas.
There’s an interesting article in the latest People Management magazine (The Big Ask: 12th Feb) which talks about linking employee survey results to business performance. Employee engagement is the main buzzword of the moment in terms of how employees feel about and respond to the organisation; and this can be shown to have an effect on the bottom line and other business performance indicators. Research has shown that organisations that have high employee engagement also have better business performance, including in particular, net profit.
For more information on employee engagement and staff surveys have a look at previous articles Let’s get engaged (13 June 08) and Developing engagement (14 June 08).
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