Potential
clients will often approach our firm and indicate that they want to conduct an employee
survey to find out what the employees are thinking. The motives of the Human Resource leaders in
making this inquiry are based upon a need to discover what is happening in the
trenches and take action where necessary. Even though the HR leaders want to do what is
right they often get lost in the process and don’t take the long-term
perspective.
In
order to have a successful outcome we recommend that our clients follow a four step
process to determine if an employee survey is the most appropriate means of
evaluating satisfaction and engagement. Here
are the recommended steps to ensure a successful survey:
1.
Define engagement and inform the
employees what this means and how engagement supports the business. Our definition of engagement is as follows: “Employee engagement is the relationship
between an organization and its employees.
An engaged employee is one who subscribes to the values and goals of the
organization and works to ensure success.” Engagement varies by industry and
employer and much like a mission statement, engagement should have the support
of the organization by being published and marketed through-out the company.
2.
An engagement index is a
numerical value that quantifies engaged employees that are aligned and fully
support the success of the organization in contrast to those that are
disengaged. Organizations that
score high are typically successful and have a dynamic leadership team with
high employee engagement. They also have
a clearly defined operational succession plan, a supportive administrative
infrastructure, and programs and policies to support enhanced productivity. These engagement indicators are
interdependent – good leaders make good business decisions; progressive
compensation and benefits programs attract and retain employees; employee
engagement drives income and productivity.
Ensure that the leaders of the organization understand how these values impact
productivity and the bottom-line. Only
with the leaders buy-in of an engagement index with the survey process be successful.
3.
An
engagement survey is not an isolated event but rather the process to improve
employee satisfaction and make your company an employer of choice. While measurement is key to the program’s
success the action planning process will make or break the initiative. If managers are not held accountable, assume responsibility
and be held accountable for improvement this program will not be successful. HR needs to transition from “running a survey”
to supporting the needs of the business by working with key leaders to develop
action plans and accountability measures based upon the data collected during
the survey process.
4.
Ensure
that a process for following-up on the agreed upon action plans is adhered to
and becomes part of the company culture.
If a consistent process is not established the survey process will be
lost by newer initiatives, a business crisis or change in personnel. Our experience has shown that if quarterly
meetings are scheduled to ensure accountability the process is much more
successful. In addition, follow-up
surveys to evaluate trends and long-term employee satisfaction and engagement
will support progressive business practices.
In conclusion, employers today face
extraordinary challenges with respect to managing the business and at the same
time meeting the needs of their employees.
Human Resources leaders need to take the long-term perspective with respect
to engagement and the survey process.
