| As a survey company we are often asked questions | | | | 20% use paper surveys as their primary approach |
| about survey practices: What is the best way to | | | | and 10% use Online/Web surveys supplemented with |
| conduct surveys? How can we get the highest | | | | paper surveys as their primary approach. |
| possible response rate? Should we use a survey | | | | 8. Reasons for Conducting Employee Surveys -- The |
| company, or should we try to use a self-use online | | | | top reasons for conducting employee surveys include |
| survey service? The questions we receive are many | | | | identifying performance improvement opportunities, |
| and varied. | | | | assessing employee satisfaction and engagement |
| While we have extensive survey experience and | | | | levels and trends, part of ongoing measurement |
| expertise, we decided to conduct a survey to | | | | process and identifying causes of employee turnover. |
| identify employee survey best practices at | | | | 9. Surveys Achieving Their Objectives -- Some |
| organizations we do not conduct surveys for. The | | | | organizations are achieving very strong results from |
| findings of the survey validated our own survey | | | | surveys while others are falling short. Key factors for |
| experience and produced interesting and useful | | | | achieving survey objectives include management |
| information and insight about employee surveys. | | | | support for conducting surveys and implementing |
| This article includes the key Lessons Learned and | | | | changes, using a survey company and executing well |
| Actions for You to Consider from Quantisoft's | | | | on all of the survey practices. Surveys generate |
| Survey About Employee Survey Practices. Please | | | | significant quantitative and qualitative results when |
| contact Howard Deutsch at to receive the full | | | | designed and executed well, followed up by effective |
| Employee Survey Best Practices Report, including the | | | | analysis and implementation of changes identified by |
| survey findings, data and verbatim comments. | | | | surveys. |
| Lessons Learned | | | | 10. Using Normative Benchmarking Data -- Survey |
| 1. Types of Employee Surveys -- Participating | | | | respondents prefer to benchmark their survey results |
| organizations are using a wide range of employee | | | | with survey results from other organizations. |
| surveys to gather information and insight for making | | | | However, they are not comfortable using |
| better decisions and making informed changes. Types | | | | benchmarking data unless they can be sure the data |
| of surveys they conduct include employee | | | | enables "apples-to-apples" comparisons. Similarity of |
| satisfaction/engagement, employee benefits opinion, | | | | organizations being benchmarked, similarity of survey |
| employee turnover, sales force opinion, IT customer | | | | questions/wording, common time frame for when |
| satisfaction, business risk assessment and other | | | | survey data was collected and other factors are |
| surveys. | | | | important for making valid benchmarking comparisons. |
| 2. Survey Frequency -- The most common frequency | | | | 11. Survey Best Practices -- Knowing and consistently |
| for conducting surveys is annually. | | | | following best practices is very important for |
| 3. Satisfaction with Survey Companies vs. Self-use | | | | successfully conducting surveys and achieving results. |
| Survey Services -- Organizations that primarily use | | | | Organizations that fail to follow best practices for all |
| survey companies are significantly more satisfied with | | | | survey practices fail to achieve the full potential |
| their survey process than organizations primarily using | | | | results from surveys. |
| self-service online survey services. The reasons | | | | Actions for You to Consider -- Conducting Better |
| survey companies are providing greater satisfaction | | | | Surveys |
| and value than self-service survey services include | | | | 1. Share the full Employee Survey Best Practices |
| the expertise and experience provided, receiving | | | | report with people in your organization who are |
| survey reports quickly without the need to take time | | | | responsible for conducting surveys, and with |
| to generate graphs and other reports in-house, | | | | managers that can benefit from conducting surveys. |
| objective analysis of survey results, more focus on | | | | Send your request for the full report to |
| implementing changes, greater support and | | | | hdeutsch@Quantisoftdotcom. |
| involvement from management and other factors. | | | | 2. Compare your organization's approach for |
| 4. Effectiveness of Survey Practices -- Organizations | | | | conducting surveys with the best practices, lessons |
| primarily using survey companies rate the | | | | learned and other information and insight included in |
| effectiveness of key survey practice significantly | | | | the full report available from Quantisoft. Identify and |
| higher than organizations using self-service online | | | | implement changes your organization can make to |
| survey services. The survey practices with the | | | | achieve greater results from surveys. |
| largest gaps in effectiveness ratings are receiving | | | | 3. Consider conducting surveys to gather information |
| support from managers, producing timely useful | | | | and insight for increasing your organization's |
| reports, communicating survey findings, developing | | | | competitiveness and bottom line in this difficult |
| implementation plans, analyzing survey results and | | | | economic environment. Beyond the usual employee |
| achieving results from surveys. | | | | satisfaction/engagement surveys, other types of |
| 5. Importance of Survey Practices -- Survey | | | | surveys can enable your organization to identify |
| respondents identified the "most" important survey | | | | ways to increase sales, identify and manage risks |
| practices as keeping responses anonymous, | | | | more effectively, gather feedback for reducing costs |
| conducting follow-up surveys, time taken to | | | | and increasing quality and customer service levels, |
| complete survey and analysis of survey data. | | | | enhance your organization's "going green" profile, get |
| 6. Survey Response Period and Rate -- Responding | | | | more value from employee benefits dollars spent and |
| organizations strive to achieve a high survey | | | | much more. Information about many types of |
| response rate. A 2-week survey response period is | | | | surveys is presented at Quantisoft's website. |
| most popular. A third week typically generates a | | | | 4. The world has changed dramatically during the past |
| higher response rate. 60% of responding | | | | year. The information and insight gathered from |
| organizations typically have a survey response rate | | | | surveys conducted just a few months ago may no |
| of 60% or greater. | | | | longer be valid. Update previous surveys now to |
| 7. Primary Survey Approach -- Online/Web surveys | | | | gather current information and adjust action plans to |
| are the most often-used approach. Organizations are | | | | reflect the "new reality". |
| learning ways to end the use of paper surveys, even | | | | 5. Make sure to focus your organization's surveys on |
| for employees that do not use computers to | | | | gathering actionable information that will positively |
| perform their job. 70% of responding organizations | | | | impact employees, customers, the environment and |
| use Online/Web surveys as their primary approach, | | | | your bottom line. |