Conducting regular employee surveys is critical to the success of just about any organization. Without surveys, how can you know how your employees are feeling about their work environment and satisfaction levels? And how can you hope to improve if you don’t know what needs fixing? If you conduct regular surveys, congratulations — you’re doing a good thing. But what you do next is very important.
Here’s what you should be doing with your employee survey results:
Review and reflect.
It’s important to gather the data from the surveys and then take some time to review and reflect on it. Take your time with this — jumping to conclusions based on the data is never a good idea. And make sure to factor in elements that could skew the data, like poorly worded questions or employees who felt rushed to complete the survey. Once you feel that you have a clear picture of the data and what it represents, you’re ready to take action with the results.
Compare the results with previous surveys.
The data you’ve gathered from your survey is valuable on its own, but it’s even more valuable when it’s compared with the results of previous surveys. This allows you to see the growth — or lack thereof — that your organization has made in certain areas, and it lets you see patterns that form over time. Taking steps to compare results is a crucial step in the process, and it’s one of the only ways to get a bird’s-eye view of what’s happening in your organization.
Share key findings with employees.
It’s usually a good idea to share some of the big-picture findings of your employee survey with the employees who took it. After all, that’s the survey’s whole point — to improve things for those working at your company. So, it stands to reason that those individuals should know something about how their coworkers feel about things.
Don’t feel that you have to share every single result from the survey with your employees. Some things are best kept private. But being transparent with the key ideas gleaned from the survey efforts is important for helping employees feel included and valued. And, it will get the ball rolling on improvements almost immediately.
Target areas for improvement.
Now that you’ve gathered the data, compared it with previous surveys, and shared the major points with the employees, it’s time to create an action plan. Identify what things need improvement or adjustment and create a list of action steps to achieve that change. Rinse and repeat with the next problem area.
Need help putting together your next employee survey? Get in touch with High Profile Staffing by visiting us online or calling 972-991-7900 to determine what we can do for you.