The Partners for Organizational Success Newsletter
Volume Two | Issue Two | Summer 2009 | Past Issues
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The Benefits of Employee Surveys Surveying your employees takes planning, but the payoffs to knowing more about your employees' opinions can be valuable. With EFCA legislation on the horizon it could be much easier for a union to organize your workforce. Leaders want to make sure that they know what their employees are thinking before organizing activity begins. An employee survey is an effective tool for this. Here are a few things to consider: * Why conduct a survey? Survey results provide data for an HR or organizational needs assessment, measure outcomes of employee engagement initiatives, contribute to union avoidance efforts, and give you a practical tool for change management. |
* What do you want to know? Employee attitudes about their job, supervisor and coworker relationships, commitment, career opportunities, fair treatment, and communication in your organization are some of the most critical areas to survey. You can add others depending on your interests.
* When? Depending on your organization's climate and needs, surveys can be conducted every other year or a 2-3 times a year (using short "pulse" surveys). Most importantly, conduct a survey when you are certain that leadership can respond to the survey results. Lack of response weakens trust in management and contributes to employee dissatisfaction. * How? There are specific steps to follow and decisions we can help you make for an employee survey process to be maximally effective. Will administration be electronic or |
paper/pencil? What type of reporting can we expect? How should employees be grouped (by department, function, other) for results analysis? How will results feedback be handled? And, most importantly, how can leadership respond to the results?
A successful employee survey process provides you with a clearer understanding of your employees' perspectives. It also provides employees with an opportunity for "voice." Providing an opportunity for employees to voice their concerns and recommendations leads to a more committed workforce that knows their ideas count. Partners for Organizational Success would be pleased to support your employee survey efforts to make it a smooth process, yielding valuable information and insights.  |