Employee satisfaction surveys and employee engagement surveys provide actionable insight and information managers need to compete and succeed. Employee surveys identify opportunities for enhancing employee and customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention, and they identify many ways to reduce costs and increase revenue. Employee surveys also pinpoint problems that are constraining employee performance and that are driving customers away to your competition.
At a time when companies need to increase performance and competitiveness, employee surveys are a very easy and cost-effective way to learn directly from your employees about what your organization can do to increase organizational effectiveness and boost employee engagement in their jobs, driving productivity, quality and customer service, all of which are key drivers of profit.
Employee Opinion Surveys identify key psychological aspects of employee behavior:
Employee surveys identify what’s on the minds of your employees and the customers they sell to and support, including important psychological aspects that influence employee and customer decisions, behavior and actions. This powerful information does not appear directly in your company’s financial and other business measurements. Financial and other metrics measure results in terms or profit, sales, inventory, volumes and other hard data.
Very often business leaders think they know what is on the minds of their employees and what is going on in their company. Unfortunately most business leaders get their information and they form their opinions based on filtered information and advice that is often spun by people surrounding them based on political and other objectives. Conducting an employee survey / employee opinion survey is a great way to either validate leaders’ perceptions, or more likely, to provide accurate information and opinions that may challenge the perceptions of leaders. Because important business decisions are based on the perceptions of company leaders, employee survey results are an important source of information and insight for making better, more informed business decisions.
Employee Survey questions gather reliable actionable information:
Employee Satisfaction Surveys and Employee Engagement Surveys gather information, insight and suggestions from your organization’s employees about things that are important to both your business and your employees. They focus on both satisfaction and engagement, key drivers of employee performance and in turn, customer satisfaction and business performance. Some of the key issues that are typically included in employee surveys are:
· Having information and tools required to do the job
· Clarity and effectiveness of communications within and across organizational units
· Leadership effectiveness and integrity
· Teamwork
· Confidence in management’s ability to lead the company
· Encouragement for innovation
· Consideration given to ideas and suggestions
· Empowerment to make decisions
· Commitment and effectiveness of diversity initiatives
· Manager understanding what motivates employees
· Fairness & consistency of treatment from managers and supervisors
· Commitment to customers and quality
· Performance evaluation and feedback effectiveness
· Training and mentoring effectiveness
· Career prospects at the company and opportunities for development and growth
· Satisfaction with compensation & benefits
· Work – life balance
· Commitment to working at the company
· Understanding of & commitment to the company’s mission, vision and values
· Willingness of employees to recommend the company as a good place to work
Benefits of employee satisfaction surveys and employee engagement surveys include gathering information and insight for:
· Increasing employee satisfaction and engagement, loyalty and productivity
· Strengthening leadership effectiveness
· Identifying hidden problems, opportunities and solutions
· Strengthening the focus on customers, quality and customer service
· Focusing managers’ energies on areas with the highest priority and the largest payback
· Identifying causes of and ways to reduce employee dissatisfaction and poor performance
· Strengthening the culture of collaboration and change
· Reducing costly turnover
· Facilitating smart risk-taking and innovation
· Enhancing your company’s “employer of choice” reputation
· Avoiding costly “employee abuse” law suits
Conducting an Employee Survey – Final Thoughts
Employee opinion surveys generate significant bottom-line benefits and a very strong payback when companies take action based on the survey findings. Survey companies have the experience, expertise and objectivity to conduct employee opinion surveys well and to quickly provide reports that are full of actionable information.
