The Purpose of Employee Engagement Surveys is Taking Employee Engagement Actions
Unfortunately, 80% of employees believe that engagement surveys do not drive meaningful outcomes. Of what use are employee engagement surveys if nothing changes as a result? Not much. Employee expectations are raised thinking there might be some improvement and then dashed as time goes on and the status quo reigns in force.
If you are considering a company-wide employee engagement survey (or any survey for that matter), first be sure that you are committed to taking meaningful action on what you learn. And second, do not delay.
The Problem with Annual Surveys
The problem with annual surveys is that it takes too long to implement any recommended changes. You need a campaign to introduce the initiative, distribute the surveys, collect the surveys, analyze the results, propose changes, discuss changes, cascade recommendations to managers, and so on. It is a huge project whose purpose gets lost in the time-consuming steps it takes from initiation to execution.
The Answer
None of this is to suggest that engagement surveys do not add value. On the contrary. They are crucial to keeping in touch with your employees, so you measure their commitment to their jobs and understand what they see as their future with the company. The answer is to conduct the surveys more frequently.
Taking Employee Engagement Actions
If you want to improve your ability to implement employee engagement survey results, purposefully design more agile and action-oriented practices by:
The Bottom Line
Do not undertake an employee engagement survey unless you are committed to taking immediate, meaningful, and visible action. The good news is that employees who see action after an engagement survey are twelve times more likely to be engaged the following year compared to those who do not see follow-up. Are you ready, willing, and able to take action after your engagement survey?
To learn more about how to improve employee engagement, download Research Report – The Surprising Relationship Between Employee Engagement and Manager Effectiveness
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