A down economy has many business owners searching for new tools to help them increase revenues and effectiveness. Lately, one popular method has been the use of employee surveys.
Experience tells us that a properly developed employee survey program can be a valuable and strategic tool for finding what employees are really thinking. When employees are assured of anonymity, they will usually provide honest and candid feedback.
However, employers should consider one important lesson about employee surveys before administering one: The survey itself is not the end result.
Employers should first ask themselves, “What do I plan to do with the results of the survey?” The answer should always be to review the information with an open mind, identify the potential problems and opportunities and then use the results to develop a strategic plan to better your business.
With this in mind, employers will also want to be aware of employee-survey pitfalls so they can adequately anticipate and prepare for some common employee reactions or consequences:
1. First-time survey responses: Initially, employers may get turned off because employee survey responses might tend to be collectively heavy on the negative side. To a well-intentioned surveying employer, it might seem as though the employees are simply involved in unproductive ‘taking, taking, taking and griping’ cycles.
For instance, you might get comments such as, “We don’t have good chairs. I don’t have good lumbar support. Why can’t we have this (fill in the blank)?” And, so on.
You’re right: They are griping, but the griping also signals a disconnect, which you need to repair. So, if you stick with the surveying process, and you continually involve employees, they will gradually start seeing themselves as valuable assets to the organization. In other words, instead of employees asking what can this company do for me; they will start seeing themselves more in lines of asking, “What can I do for this company?”
2. Negative results or responses: It’s important for employers to follow up and address all negatives. Otherwise, the entire process will be doubly frustrating from the employees’ points of view. For instance, if your survey asks the question about properly supplied employee break rooms, and you end up with all kinds of negative responses—you will want to address those issues and fix them.
3. Positive results or responses. Here again, it’s important for employers to follow up and strengthen whatever it is that employees see you doing well and/or doing right. These are not-to-be missed opportunities to fortify employee engagement!
4. Misperceptions: It’s important that employers clearly communicate why an employee survey is being initiated. Employees might be initially skeptical or assuming. They might wonder, “Are they really going to listen to what we have to say? Will this information go anywhere? Are they going to track me down?”
Not only that, some employees might not understand what a survey process entails. Employers will need to educate and inform employees so the survey process goes smoothly, and in order to get useful results.
5. A failure to follow up: To manage an effective employee survey process; and in a strategic sense, employers must follow up with the employees to communicate the results. Employers will also need to make employees aware of what will be done with those results; and what will not be done.
When employers fail to take this step, employees are less likely to enthusiastically participate or give their candid feedback in future surveys. If employees feel as though requested information is ultimately either shot down or goes unacknowledged, they are less likely to stick out their necks for an employer again.
Finally, make it clear that when employees are asked to speak up about their work environment, you are prepared to listen. Otherwise, you are in motion without action.