An employee satisfaction survey is a powerful survey that Human Resource Managers can use to understand the level of satisfaction of employees. The best way to measure, analyze, and gain insight into the health of the organization is through an employee satisfaction survey.
Successfully running and taking the business to higher levels is no more just about employees coming in, doing their work, and leaving. Today all winning companies understand that the workplace is an organism that has a pulse of its own. This pulse is made up of the mood, morale, and motivation levels of all employees. When employees are engaged it reflects on the quality of their work thereby benefiting them personally as well as contributing to the success of the organization. This is seen in the form of innovation, improved quality, lower turnover, and better customer service. Since successful companies are built on the backs of successful and motivated employees it is a no-brainer that organizations should care deeply about employee satisfaction surveys.
Why Conduct Employee Satisfaction Surveys
Achieving goals requires efficiently performing certain activities. An assessment, therefore, becomes important to ascertain whether specific goals were achieved or not. Omitting this kind of assessment will only make the organization ignorant and continue to repeat mistakes over again. Some of the important points to bear in mind while administering an employee survey are as follows:
- Assessments and surveys are crucial to growth
- Surveys should be considered as validity points rather than feasibility
- Surveys should be tailored to suit the business of the organization
The necessity of conducting employee satisfaction surveys is highlighted through the following points
Controls Attrition
Keeping employee attrition at the minimum is in the best interest of the organization. This is because there is an enormous investment in the form of time, money, and effort in recruiting, onboarding, and training. Therefore employee surveys play an important role in gathering feedback from employees in the form of grievances, suggestions, and opinions.
Improve Business
Employee perspective might vary from that of the management. Employees might offer insight into various management decisions in novel ways and also provide feasible solutions to problems or even highlight a problem that the management never even knew existed.
Boost Employee Satisfaction
Analyzing employee survey results gives a fairly accurate picture regarding what motivates employees, what brings down their morale, and how things can be done differently. The more satisfied the employees the higher the productivity. So that employees are more loyal to the organization.
Better Data Collection
Making use of reliable survey solutions will help to collate and analyze data and store it thereafter for future reference. This kind of data makes it easier to implement changes much faster and helps to improve employee engagement as well.
Elements to Track and Measure in Employee Satisfaction
Although all factors come under those which impact employee morale, the following few have a great bearing on employee satisfaction
- Work environment
- Career development
- Team members and dynamics
- Mentoring and Support from the manager
- Benefits and perks
- Recognition and appreciation
- Health benefits
- Wellness programs
Types of Employee Satisfaction Surveys
Standard/Annual Survey
This is the standard survey conducted once a year with specific questions.
360 Degree Review
This survey involves feedback about managers from their reporters and peers alike.
Pulse Survey
This is a short frequent survey to keep track of organizational health.
How Often Should Employee Satisfaction Surveys Be Conducted
An always-on survey could bring about burnout wherein sampling may be biased. Whereas an annual survey has the benefit of standardization but without immediate results and the chance of several instances being forgotten over the year. While it might be extremely tempting to have short quick surveys, it will be in everyone’s favor to have an accurate one.
An ideal survey would therefore be a longitudinal one wherein several surveys are conducted over some time and participants are encouraged to finish them without too much effort. The principle would be to capture several data points for the same question where certain variables like being influenced by a recent incident are removed.
Tips for Getting Employee Feedback
Once the organization has arrived at the right questions to ask, it is important to ensure that the organizations receive as much feedback as possible to get a clear picture of what is going on. The following tips will ensure that the employee satisfaction survey is a smooth and successful one:
- Guarantee employee confidentiality
- Use clear and concise language leaving no room for ambiguity or wrong interpretation
- Keep wordings constant in surveys conducted every year to maintain uniformity
- Using technology to one’s advantage to store, follow up or improvise
- Brevity is key to keeping interested
What to do with Data from Employee Satisfaction Surveys
Once the data is collected and analyzed it should be presented to the teams and management for policy changes or to address issues. Making public the learning’s from the survey is most important since it conveys the message that the organization takes the employees seriously and that the whole exercise is authentic. The employees should be assured that their concerns are being looked into and will be addressed and reasons given for accepting or not accepting certain suggestions.
When these surveys are conducted over a period they can be used to compare results at a later date. This is particularly useful in identifying problem areas and addressing them before they cause a major setback or to go back and refer to them to understand how a similar issue was dealt with previously.
Categories under Employee Satisfaction Survey
All questions related to an employee satisfaction survey can be grouped under the following categories to ensure effective redressed and follow up
Organization Related
Sample questions
- Is there a clear understanding of the objectives of the organization
- Do you believe there is scope for individual growth and development within the company?
Teamwork Related
Sample questions
- Does your team provide support whenever needed at work?
- Do you enjoy being part of your team?
Information Related
Sample questions
- Is information readily available to make better business decisions?
- Are you aware of whom to approach in case of an unusual situation/problem?
Relationship with Supervisor Related
Sample questions
- Do you feel your opinions are heard and valued by your supervisor?
- Does your manager encourage you to give your best always?
Job Passion and Self Evaluation Related
Sample questions
- Do you think you push your limits to fulfil a task?
- Is there an opportunity to upgrade your skills and learn other tasks beside assigned work
Work-Life Balance Related
Sample questions
- Do you think that your work environment allows you to strike a healthy work-life balance?
- Does your job cause you unreasonable amounts of stress?
Fairness at Work-Related
Sample questions
- Do you think the organization has fair policies concerning the promotion of all employees?
- Do you think your manager treats all members of your team equally?
Each answer from the survey when taken in total will help to gauge the overall employee satisfaction. Conduct a survey once or twice a year to keep your ear on the pulse of the organization and to address any problem areas. It will also help to make unbiased decisions for effective employee recognition.
