Concrete Ways to Boost Employee Engagement with Effective Surveys, Communications and Action Planning

By Lara Sanders Fordis, Senior Research Director, Insightlink Communications

Why are some employee engagement surveys more successful than others? Must effective employee surveys require countless hours for an already-overburdened HR department?

A PICTURE OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT



Committed Loyalists, Satisfied Opportunists, Change Seekers
and Dissatisfied Compromisers. How many of each do you have?

Absolutely not! Launching an employee survey need not be a laborious, time-consuming process. It does, however, take management buy-in and commitment, especially from senior leadership. With top-level support and willingness to promote the survey, the chances of success increase dramatically.

Based on Insightlink's extensive experience with employee surveys, here are five important themes to keep in mind:

1. THINK WIIFU ("What's in it for us?"). Be clear on the reasons for doing a survey and be sure to communicate these goals to encourage widespread, open participation. Senior leadership should announce the survey, clearly stating a few key messages:

WHY the organization is conducting the survey at this time
WHAT it hopes to accomplish as a result of the survey
HOW it intends to use the survey findings for the benefit of both the organization and its employees

2. GET BUY-IN. Get buy-in at all levels. The employee rumor mill kicks in as soon as word of a survey spreads, so front-end planning is important. You must manage the process so employees feel their opinions will be heard.

3. CREATE "BUZZ." Communicate consistently and repeatedly before the survey and get everyone talking about it -- managers to employees, employees to their peers, etc.

4. MANAGE EXPECTATIONS. No matter how well you do everything, expect skepticism, cynicism and resistance from employees. It's an inevitable part of the change process. As an organization "opens up," people tend to focus first on their frustrations. Over time, many people transform into problem-solvers. I've heard it said - and have personally seen - that "A cynic is often just a disillusioned idealist."

5. TAKE ACTION. Share select survey findings and roll out "next step" action planning solutions - and do so in an expedient way. Not taking action on employee surveys can breed cynicism and result in decreased morale. Don't give cynics more ammunition to further damage your work environment.

Insightlink's 4Cs Employee Survey Feedback and Action Planning Workbook will help you transform your employee survey results into useful and effective strategic plans - you'll get practical guides, tips and forms to help you navigate, understand and take action toward meaningful change.

To find out more about easy, cost-effective solutions for boosting your workplace success, email me at information@insightlink.com or call 866-802-8095 x705.

You can also get more information and a quote 24/7 from www.insightlink.com or get a quote.

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