You already know engaged employees are more productive, happy, and likely to stay at your organization for longer—what you might not know is how to effectively keep them engaged.
That’s where employee pulse surveys come in handy.
These fast, easy-to-implement surveys are designed to collect lightweight employee opinions. An employee pulse survey offers a quick way to follow-up on engagement items or receives real-time feedback on everyday workplace initiatives.
At Springworks, we have conducted a number of employee pulse surveys and experienced some positive changes. Here are some benefits:
Surveying every employee gives you a more accurate and comprehensive view of your organization’s engagement level. Gathering organization-wide feedback consistently allows you to assess the specific strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats you face each year.
Collecting comprehensive employee feedback on your engagement survey gives you the ability to compare and contrast specific metrics among different employee groups. Do remote employees feel connected to their teams? Do tenured employees feel recognized for their contributions? One employee survey with a set of core items will help you answer questions like these.
By analyzing detailed reports and comparing them to the organization as a whole, you’ll better understand where to improve. This insight will help you create specific, targeted commitment plans.
Don’t overwhelm yourself, your HR team, or your managers with extra work by sending out long surveys. Don’t include more than 15 questions. Just focus on what is currently most important for your teams and create your pulse survey around that.
Conducting an organization-wide employee engagement survey that collects feedback from every employee sets the precedent that every employee’s opinion matters and squashes any concerns to the contrary before they surface.
Use the following tips on how to communicate employee pulse survey results effectively:
Who: From senior leadership and HR to all employees.
What: Keep employees involved in the results rollout process by sending a simple thank you email as soon as the survey closes.
Your email should:
This shows employees that their feedback is valued and prioritized, which is essential to getting honest, thoughtful survey responses in the future.
When: Immediately following the survey close.
Why: This step is simple but important. This is a great opportunity for positive communication that kicks off the results-sharing process.
Who: From senior leadership to all employees.
What: Give a summary of results in an all-hands meeting or an organization-wide communication. Then, make the summary report accessible to all employees, letting them read the results at their own discretion.
Here are some of the key messages to share:
When: Once the team prepares a summary for employees (within one week of survey close).
Why: Let your people know what you learned from the survey data to affirm that you paid attention to their feedback and understand their current perceptions of the workplace.
Who: Managers and HR
What: The managers and team leaders must be well informed about the results’ insights. This is best done in a presentation format that encourages open dialogue.
The presentation should include:
This way, you will be able to dig into the survey results in greater depth and identify key takeaways.
When: 2-3 weeks after the survey closes.
Why: Analyzing the result with leaders enables you to take the right actions for the betterment of the team.
Who: Managers and their teams
What: This step involves a more specific message tailored to the concerns of each team.
Share the results openly and let team members formulate their own conclusions.
When: 1 month after the survey results have been announced.
Why: The team will be naturally curious about how their team compares and whether any specific implications will impact them.
Who: From senior leaders to all employees
What: At each stage in the communication of survey results, try to link your findings to business objectives. Connect the results to operational considerations, organizational goals, and key results.
Using your data in compelling stories that explain findings makes the process more relatable for employees. Highlight the most important action plans and how improvements will impact them and the organization.
When: 1 month after the survey closes.
Why: This way, employees will feel that pulse surveys are relevant rather than a check-the-box activity.
Recommended Read: 23 Best Employee Engagement Apps for 2021
Here’s how to analyze employee survey results for actionable insights:
– Quantify (and compare) the data
– Segment your data by employee groups and demographics
– Look for patterns and trends within your survey results
– Give equal attention to qualitative responses, too
– Benchmarking your results to understand how your organization is doing
– Prioritize the improvements you want to make
– Visualize the data. Use pie charts, graph maker, and call out graphics
In this article, you’ll find the best ways to communicate pulse survey results.
Read this complete guide on how to create employee pulse surveys.
Giving regular feedback is one way we can show employees that they are valued and useful. It gives them a sense of purpose. It helps improve working relationships and employee engagement.
How Well Do You Know Your Team?
