Employee engagement surveys can help you uncover why your company culture is suffering. If you feel like your employee engagement has taken a hit, but you don't know how to remedy it, this article is for you!
Knowing the source of the problem is the first step to fixing it. Surveying is a great way to identify where your struggles are coming from.
This article will give you 5 reasons to use employee engagement surveys.
What is an employee engagement survey?
Employee engagement surveys can capture all sorts of information on employee relationships with your company.
Here are some common topics to ask about on an employee engagement survey:
- State of employee mental health
- Employee productivity and work-life balance
- Stress levels and rates of burnout
- Motivation and alignment towards company goals
- Level of employee morale
- Employee-manager relationships
It is important to ensure that survey results are anonymous so employees can safely express their concerns or struggles without fear of retribution.
How often should we send out employee engagement surveys?
It depends on the data you are trying to collect and how large of a company you are.
Typically, survey responses drop off and survey fatigue increases when employees receive surveys once per month. Once per quarter is a good benchmark because it gives HR teams ample time to prepare the surveys, allow employees to respond, and evaluate the responses.
Companies that survey their people once per quarter see higher levels of employee engagement than companies that survey their people less.
5 Unbeatable Reasons for Employee Engagement Surveys
Here are 5 reasons your HR department should be sending out periodic employee engagement surveys.
1. To find out what makes your culture awesome
Asking your employees the right questions is the easiest way to determine what aspects of your company culture are working right and what parts could use a refresh.
You can gauge which initiatives have the most significant impact on your employees by strategically giving surveys following major employee morale events, such as parties, or bringing in a therapist to talk to your team.
The last thing you'd want to do is to cut a program or event that employees love, only because you didn't know they loved it.
Related: How to Boost Employee Morale
2. To fix what's not working
Even if you currently have an environment that promotes open dialogue on the state of the company, sometimes there are things employees just don't want to say. Anonymous surveys are essential because of the opportunity employees have to tell it like it is without fear of retribution. When morale is low and turnover is high, surveys can help uncover the problems.
You'll get pure, untainted feedback if your survey is done right.
3. To determine your next business move
But of course, surveys alone don't fix anything.
It's up to management and HR to address the responses to surveys as best they can. Giving surveys with no intent to make changes based on results is a sure way to lower morale.
Even if some things can't be changed or wouldn't make business sense to do so, it's up to management to report back to their workers. A simple "We hear you, and while we can't change X, we are going to start Y" could go a long way.
4. To stay relevant
People talk. When those people are your employees or former employees, you better hope they have good things to say about you.
Sites like Glassdoor, Great Place to Work, and Indeed give workers a place to air grievances or sing praises of their employers, Yelp-style. So if a company can't fix things before good workers leave, they're likely to see some ugly PR they can't change.
That's why following up on strategic surveys is so important. After all, prevention is the best medicine. Analyzing engagement and morale along the way will help you to diagnose issues while you can still address them.
5. To convince company execs to get behind your initiatives
Getting executive team support for your ideas, like a mental health program or another company project, can be a struggle. Having the data to back up your vision can help you make your case.
Executives want to see how your new idea will help the bottom line and improve company culture. Having actual survey results that reflect how your employees are doing can be a powerful persuasive tool.
Related: 5 Employee Engagement Statistics HR Leaders Should Be Tracking
When employees feel heard, they're much more likely to engage in work and feel good about what they're doing.
By giving employees a chance to share their opinions, you show them that their ideas are worth something.
Disclaimer
By participating in/reading the service/website/blog/email series on this website, you acknowledge that this is a personal website/blog and is for informational purposes and should not be seen as mental health care advice. You should consult with a licensed professional before you rely on this website/blog’s information. All things written on this website should not be seen as therapy treatment and should not take the place of therapy or any other health care or mental health advice. Always seek the advice of a mental health care professional or physician. The content on this blog is not meant to and does not substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
