If you want to measure employee engagement, motivation, and overall happiness at work, employee satisfaction surveys are crucial. These surveys provide valuable insights that can help management make better decisions and improve the workplace environment. However, a poorly executed survey can lead to skewed results and unhelpful findings. To ensure your survey is effective, follow these dos and don’ts.

Dos:

1. Do communicate a purpose and reasons for the survey

First, be transparent and informative about why a survey is being conducted. Providing clear reasons for why this survey is being actioned will help employees feel motivated to complete it. While no one likes change, staff surveys can help organisations understand their employees and how to best manage change.

Make sure you provide instructions on how to complete the survey and set a realistic deadline – this will encourage participation. Communicate the importance of the survey and express gratitude for employees taking time to provide their invaluable input.

2. Do use the right questions for your organisation

There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all survey. While many formats of questionnaires are available online, not all will be a good fit for your organisation. That’s where Pathways Australia’s employee survey comes in! 

The ‘Your Say’ employee engagement survey can be tailored to your organisation. This survey was developed with over two decades of experience with for-purpose organisations. The Pathways Australia team can help your organisations create questions according to the goals and size of your team.

It’s a good idea to include a variety of question formats such as multiple-choice, scales, and open-ended questions, which helps to provide a comprehensive understanding of employee satisfaction. While closed-ended questions help to quantify data, open-ended questions allow for more in-depth feedback and suggestions for actionable improvement.

3. Do maintain confidentiality

Surveys need to be confidential. You want employees sharing their honest opinions without fear of repercussions. By guaranteeing anonymity and confidentiality, this will encourage open and truthful responses from your staff. Use third-party survey tools and clearly communicate the steps taken to protect the respondents’ identities.

4. Do analyse results before coming up with action points

The primary purpose of an employee satisfaction survey is to identify areas of improvement and take action. So, before determining any action points, ensure you analyse the results, identify trends and patterns, and share findings with the organisation. Collaborate with team leaders and employees to develop a plan of action, and then monitor the plan’s progress over time. The Pathways Australia team can help you with analysis and coming up with measurable action plans for improvement in your organisation.

5. Do communicate actions and be transparent

Employees are more likely to engage in current and future staff surveys if they see their feedback is genuinely valued and acted upon by your organisation. Share the survey results with your employees, acknowledging both the strengths and areas for improvement. Regular updates on the progress and changes being made in response to the feedback will also demonstrate to staff that they’re heard, which will make them feel involved in the organisation’s future. Engaged employees are those who connect with the organisation and feel motivated to progress towards shared organisational goals.

Don’ts:

1. Don’t ignore negative feedback

Under no circumstances should you ever ignore negative feedback. While it can be difficult to hear, this feedback is critical and provides a valuable opportunity for growth and improvement. Identifying areas of dissatisfaction can help the leadership team pave the path for change and keep a growth mindset in the organisation. 

An employee engagement survey allows the team to answer openly and provides management and the leadership team with direction to work together to develop solutions. Ignoring negative feedback will only serve to drive disengagement among employees and a decline in overall satisfaction.

2. Don’t use jargon or technical terms

Surveys are not the time to use industry jargon or other technical terms that could confuse members of your staff. Regardless of an employee’s role or the department they work in, every survey question should be straightforward and simple to interpret. So, avoid the jargon, esoteric acronyms, or any technical terms that would only be understood by certain individuals or departments.

Along with this, the survey should be easy to complete and submit. Whether you are conducting the survey electronically or using pen and paper, the survey should not take up too much time and be easy to complete.

3. Don’t over-survey your employees

Keep major surveys, such as employee engagement and satisfaction surveys, limited in their frequency. We strongly recommend only conducting such surveys once or twice a year at the absolute maximum. Too many large surveys too often will only fatigue employees and lead to decreased response rates. You can conduct smaller pulse surveys throughout the year to supplement the larger surveys.

4. Don’t ask leading or biased questions

Avoid questions that encourage specific answers or assume a particular viewpoint. Leading questions can skew results and provide a false sense of satisfaction. Instead, use neutral language and focus on gathering genuine feedback. You want authentic responses, not ones that were angled with ideal responses in mind.

5. Don’t draw up a questionnaire yourself

Job satisfaction surveys need to measure various factors. A well-rounded job satisfaction survey should explore many things, such as management, collaboration, growth and development, well-being, remuneration and more. When measuring these KPIs, it is a good idea to let the experts guide you. Pathways Australia’s ‘Your Say’ employee engagement survey is designed with over two decades of management experience. By asking the right questions, this survey helps the leadership team understand their employees and gain insights into their motivations and challenges. 

An effective employee satisfaction survey is a powerful tool for identifying areas of improvement and fostering a positive work environment. By implementing these dos and don’ts, your organisation can harness the power of employee feedback to drive positive change, increase engagement, and create a workplace where employees feel valued and motivated. 

A satisfied and engaged workforce is the cornerstone of a successful organisation, and a well-executed employee satisfaction survey is an essential step in achieving this goal. Contact Pathways Australia to learn more about how we can help!