The effectiveness of any survey you may decide to apply in your company depends on a series of simple factors:
- proper communication: tell the employees that a survey will be conducted (offer details concerning purpose, length, expectations), tell the employees that the purpose is to offer them the possibility to speak their mind and that it will NOT be used against them;
- sharing the results - always share results and keep employees updated - otherwise, the second survey you send will be ignored;
- sharing the action plan - tell the employees that you have prepared an action plan and keep them updated on the way it is being implemented; involve some of them in the implementation plan where possible;
- employee involvement in decision making - involve employees where possible in the creation of the action plan; if they receive the action plan already made, chances are they will not embrace it; if they come with some of the ideas, for sure they will help implement them;
- time frames - try not to organize surveys every month - everybody will get bored and eventually stop opening your emails; a large survey once a year is more than enough; also, give the people plenty of time to open the survey and reply - depending on the number of questions, try to give them 2-3 weeks for 20-30 questions and up to one month and a half for over 60-70 questions; also, remember to consider people on vacation, business trips or sick leave - give them a chance to speak their mind too.
- reminders - people tend to forget all about tasks that are not urgent; reminders once a week or once in 2 weeks help.
In terms of questions, please find below a few ideas. You can use them as they are, delete some or add more.
Engagement Profile
All in all, I am satisfied with [Company name] as a company.
I am proud to work for [Company name].
I plan to continue my career with [Company name].
I would recommend [Company name] as a place to work to a friend or colleague.
Attitude Towards Client/Company
Client problems are dealt with quickly.
I believe that our professional excellence differentiates us from our competitors.
I feel personally responsible for my clients' satisfaction.
We convert our clients' suggestions and complaints into improved services and/or deliverables.
Communication
I am well informed about what is happening in [Company name].
I have a good understanding of the overall strategy and objectives of my business area.
I have been adequately informed about the results of the past employee survey and actions have been taken in response to the survey findings.
I see a clear link between my objectives and the objectives of my business area.
In my day to day job, everyone is encouraged to openly express his/her opinions.
The leadership of my business area has communicated a vision of the future that motivates me.
There is open and honest two-way communication in my business area.
I can easily get the information I need to do a good job.
Compensation & Benefits
My compensation is in line with my role and the market.
CSR
I feel [Company name] is committed to being a responsible corporate citizen (e.g. working with communities and charities like Naandi/Planet Finance, reducing our environmental impact, working with our clients on sustainability issues, e.g. Green IT).
Ethical Business
[Company name] shows a commitment to ethical business decisions and conduct.
I feel that [Company name] encourages diversity.
I feel that [Company name] gives opportunities to everyone.
Main Motivators
I am motivated a lot by ... Average time spent at work
I am motivated a lot by ... Bonus and rewards system for holidays (Christmas, Easter, etc.)
I am motivated a lot by ... Bonus system for results recognition
I am motivated a lot by ... Budget for travelling
I am motivated a lot by ... Company headquarters
I am motivated a lot by ... Conditions for physichal recreation
I am motivated a lot by ... Conditions of periodical recreation (trips, parties, etc.)
I am motivated a lot by ... Conditions of serving lunch
I am motivated a lot by ... Degree of information upon company results
I am motivated a lot by ... Degree of responsibility on the job
I am motivated a lot by ... Feedback from direct manager
I am motivated a lot by ... Good initial training (Induction)
I am motivated a lot by ... Internal opportunities to develop your career
I am motivated a lot by ... IT support
I am motivated a lot by ... Meeting efficiency
I am motivated a lot by ... Opportunites to develop technical/specialist skills
I am motivated a lot by ... Other material benefits (car, bonuses, etc.)
I am motivated a lot by ... Overtime compensation system
I am motivated a lot by ... Promotions system within the company
I am motivated a lot by ... Quality of collaborating with HR
I am motivated a lot by ... Quality of collaborating with IT
I am motivated a lot by ... Quality of collaborating with other departments
I am motivated a lot by ... Quality of collaborating with top management
I am motivated a lot by ... Recognition of my results
I am motivated a lot by ... Recreation spaces
I am motivated a lot by ... Respect the employee is treated with
I am motivated a lot by ... Safety of position
I am motivated a lot by ... Salary increase system
I am motivated a lot by ... Salary level
I am motivated a lot by ... Support offered during the activity
I am motivated a lot by ... The Office
I am motivated a lot by ... The way knowledge is transmitted within the company
I am motivated a lot by ... Training system offered periodically
I am motivated a lot by ... Transportation facilities
I am motivated a lot by ... Work atmosphere
I am motivated a lot by ... Work itself
Management
All in all, I am satisfied with my manager.
I am encouraged to be creative and innovative in my work.
I am sufficiently involved in decisions that affect my work.
I get the necessary support from my manager to be able to carry out my assignments.
I trust my manager.
I trust the senior leadership of [Company name].
My manager clearly communicates what is expected of me.
My manager deals appropriately with poor performance.
My manager encourages me to contribute, re-use and share knowledge.
My manager is an effective leader.
My manager is committed to providing high quality services to our clients.
My manager supports and practices high standards of ethical conduct.
My manager supports my professional and personal development.
My manager treats me with respect.
Performance Evaluation and Recognition
I understand how my performance is measured and evaluated.
In my business area, poor performance is dealt with appropriately.
My last performance review was conducted in a fair and reasonable way.
Outstanding performance is recognized appropriately.
Throughout the year my manager gives me useful feedback on how I can improve my performance.
Professional Development
All in all, I am satisfied with my opportunities for professional development in [Company name].
I have the training I need to do my job effectively.
New employees receive the training necessary to perform their jobs effectively.
The training I receive in [Company name] allows me to develop my competencies for my current and future roles.
Team work
There is good collaboration and teamwork within [Company name].
I feel that I am part of a team.
Tools
I have the tools, equipment and support I need to do a good job (technology, equipment, knowledge database, templates, methodologies, quality processes, helpdesk).
Work-Life Balance
I am able to balance the needs of work and personal life.
In terms of statistics, try to use the Likert scale for answers. It looks like this:
2 - I agree
3 - Neutral
4 - I disagree
5 - I strongly disagree
If you have only a small number of employees and a small number of questions, processing the data internally is simple and you can do it even on paper with paper surveys and then insert the data in a small spreadsheet. However, a large number of employees (let's say 100+) requires a huge amount of time and effort to process all surveys. A dedicated software or even an external company can help you. Just for your information - I work in a company with 120 000 + employees throughout the world and our survey has over 80 questions - imagine the amount of data there! We use an external provider.
In terms of interpreting the results, add the positive answers on each question (or area).
I.e. Calculation of Engagement profile in your company - see how many employees answered with 1 (Strongly agree) and 2 (Agree) to questions 1 up to 4 above. The highest the score, the better.
Your action plan should focus on the questions/areas with lowest results. Try to ask people what's wrong and why did they give low ratings - maybe they didn't understand the questions or maybe there's a problem in your company that you don't know about.
All in all, I strongly recommend employee surveys. If you need my help with anything, please feel free to ask. I am going right now through my third yearly survey and we do it seriously.
Take care,
Geo
