10 Tips for a Successful Employee Engagement Survey

An employee engagement survey, also known as a psychological climate or organisational microclimate survey, is designed to assess your employees’ satisfaction with their work, managers, colleagues, and other areas important to your company. It’s like taking your organisation’s temperature and capturing a snapshot of the overall company picture.

This organisational microclimate survey performs a diagnostic function, allowing you to create an action plan to improve the workplace situation. The value you derive from it will depend on how well you prepare for it and how effectively you conduct it.

We share the most important tips for assessing employee experience

1. Identify Areas to Assess

First, determine the specific areas you want to evaluate. With UNLOCK Tests, you have the flexibility to choose what’s relevant to your organisation and add your own questions.

2. Choose the Right Time

Assess whether now is the right time for the survey. We recommend conducting it when no major changes are happening within the organisation, as these can influence the results and not reflect the true situation. For example, if there’s been a recent salary review, a major event, or a restructuring, it’s best to wait.

3. Communicate the Survey’s Value

Explain to your employees the purpose of the survey, why it’s being conducted, and how it will benefit them.

– Ensure Anonymity: Employees often worry that their responses will be identified. To address this, assure them that the survey is confidential, and only aggregated data will be collected, so their answers will not be linked to them in any way.

– Emphasize the Goal: Clearly state that the purpose of the survey is to identify the company’s strengths and weaknesses, and then use that information to make potential improvements. Employees need to understand that the survey is not about finding out which employees are unhappy, but rather about helping the organisation understand how it can improve working conditions. If employees want change, honesty is essential.

4. Communicate in Multiple Ways

We recommend communicating about the survey both verbally and in writing. This could be through an online meeting, a live presentation, or another format. This approach avoids misunderstandings and allows you to address any questions your colleagues may have.

5. Leadership Involvement

HR should present the survey’s value, benefits, and purpose alongside managers or the director. Show that the survey is not just for HR. The involvement of leaders demonstrates that they care too.

6. Allow Enough Time

Allocate up to two weeks for completing the survey, monitor employee participation, and be sure to remind them that their responses are valued. Sometimes employees might think, “Many others will fill it out, so does it matter if I do?” Your task is to show them that it does matter.

7. Analyse Promptly

Once you’ve collected the data, start the analysis without delay. UNLOCK Tests offers an automated solution that generates a results report with a single click. Delve into the data and assess which areas you want to improve. Don’t try to fix all the weaker areas at once. When we try to tackle everything, we often end up doing nothing. Start gradually and prioritise.

8. Share the Results

Present the results to your employees. There’s nothing worse than disappearing after conducting a survey. Your people have invested their time, so naturally, they expect feedback. Provide it, or you might see a significant drop in participation next time.

9. Key Points in Your Presentation

– Company Strengths: Sometimes we focus so much on what’s wrong that we forget to celebrate the good things. Remind everyone of the many positives happening within the company.

– Areas for Improvement: Some companies are afraid to openly share what employees are dissatisfied with, but hiding this information won’t help. If people rated certain areas lower, they expect to see that reflected in the results.

– Your Next Steps: If you can’t change certain areas that were rated poorly, be honest with your team. Not everything can be changed. For areas you can improve, create an action plan: what will you do to make a difference? Your employees need to hear clear guidelines on how their responses influence the organisation’s decisions.

10. Take Action

The survey is over, now it’s time to act. Your action plans mustn’t end up gathering dust in a drawer or another folder. Take steps to ensure that employees are eager to participate in the next survey, seeing its value and purpose.

Looking for a proven solution? Preparing for a survey? Get in touch and we’ll provide detailed information about our employee engagement survey options: easy administration, assessment of various areas, comparison of results with other organisations’ averages, comprehensive reporting, and much more – all in one place.