Designing and conducting effective employee engagement surveys

Author: Kate Pritchard

Summary

• Employers can use employee engagement surveys to measure levels of employee engagement, which can help them to identify where to take action to improve engagement and enhance performance. (See The business case for conducting employee engagement surveys)
• The first step in conducting an employee engagement survey is for the employer to decide on the survey's aims, scope and timescale. (See Aims, scope and timescale)
• There are several key factors for the employer to consider when designing an employee engagement survey, including what themes it should explore, whether or not previous surveys have been conducted and the response scale to questions. (See Survey design)
• There are different benefits to conducting an employee engagement survey in-house and conducting it with the assistance of an external survey provider. (See Conducting the survey in-house or with an external partner)
• Employers should raise awareness about the reasons for conducting an employee engagement survey, to encourage employees to complete it. (See Survey communications)
• There are different ways to conduct an employee engagement survey. The most appropriate method for the organisation will depend on the nature of employees' roles. (See Survey distribution)
• Organisations can take steps to encourage employees to complete an employee engagement survey, including demonstrating senior commitment to it. (See Improving response rates)
• Employers should respect employees' confidentiality when conducting a survey, and reassure them of the anonymity of their responses. (See Confidentiality)
• Employers should analyse the results of their employee engagement survey to ensure that they take the most appropriate action going forward. (See Data analysis)
• Organisations should inform employees about the results of their employee engagement survey, to ensure that they continue to be engaged with the process. (See Reporting on the results of the survey)
• Organisations should take action on the results of their employee engagement survey, which should involve careful planning and development, training managers and tracking results. (See Acting on survey results)