AN INTRODUCTION TO EMPLOYEE RESEARCH TECHNIQUES Planning for Employee Satisfaction Surveys The following table outlines some of the key messages that should be communicated at each stage of the survey process: Pre Survey During the Survey Post Survey Between Surveys Objectives of the survey, rationale for the survey and how the results will be fed back Reminder of the objectives and assurance that action will be taken Thank employees for participating Highlight and recognize successful examples of action planning Use an independent, third-party agency for data collection Assurance that individual surveys cannot be seen     Timing of the data collection Regular reminders and a notice of when the survey completion period will end Final response rate (Company wide vs. Business Units/Divisions) Recognize the contributions of teams and individuals to the action planning process Senior management commitment to the survey How the results will be acted upon Detail on how employees should get involved in the improvement action planning process Senior management endorsement and support of the final action plan/survey outcomes Importance of getting a good response rate so that all employee opinions are heard Update on current response rate Local results and local improvement action planning Detailed plans for the next survey Importance of participation Reinforce the importance of participation Provide top-level summary results Highlight any areas where action cannot be taken and the reasons for this Methodology to be used (online vs. paper-based or some combination) How employees can participate and what employees should do if having problems accessing or completing the survey Reminder of the action planning process Highlight the impact of action planning on customer service and business performance Assurance that the study will protect anonymity and preserve confidentiality Reinforce anonymity and confidentiality of the results     Insightlink lets you see where your company stands on each of the critical 4Cs of employee satisfaction : Commitment to assess employee engagement, Culture to gauge leadership and accountability, Communications to identify roadblocks to effective management and Compensation to measure employee perceptions of pay and benefits. It is the period between surveys that are the most important for determining the appropriate action, if any, on each of the 4Cs and for communicating the actions taken back to employees. Improvement action is the most important part of the survey process, especially since many employees believe that little or no improvements are generated from employee surveys. However, the perception that little action has been taken often is not true. Lack of awareness of improvements among employees, or their inability to link the improvements back to the survey, lead them to believe that nothing positive is happening. Branding the survey and subsequent action planning activity with a name and/or a logo is another way of raising the profile. In this way, employees can link the results of improvement actions back to how they responded in the survey. A short-form name or acronym can help make your employee survey more memorable, especially if the name or acronym is used consistently throughout the survey process.

Table of Contents Introduction Research Benefits Types of Employee Research Deciding on Methodology Satisfaction Surveys Planning for Employee Surveys Web vs. Paper Surveys Questionnaire Design Survey Completion Analysis and Reporting Action Planning Prioritizing Actions Formalizing Action Plans Reviewing Action Plans CLICK HERE to download a printable PDF copy of this guide Where do you fall within the Loyalty Matrix? » Committed Loyalist? » Change Seeker? » Compromiser? » Opportunist? What's your guess? Take our short demo survey and find out now. An Insightlink 4Cs Survey can let you see this valuable data on employee engagement within your organization. Did You Know? Our repeat clients who have used our 4Cs Action Planning Workbook average a 7% increase in overall satisfaction on follow-up employee surveys. You should click here to download report samples. Employee surveys are a low cost investment in the success and profitability of your company. Research shows that companies with higher levels of employee satisfaction financially outperform their peers. Get a no-obligation quote today and find out how improving employee satisfaction can also improve your bottom line.