Founder/CEO of Cairn Consulting Solutions; speaker, advisor and best-selling author of People First.
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Engagement surveys can feel like the “elephant in the room” because people either love them or hate them, but we feel like we have to use them. If your engagement survey (registration required) isn’t working, it could be for a number of reasons. Simple in concept, the engagement survey is only a data point, like any other. And like any other measurement, the results of employee engagement surveys are often ignored, misinterpreted or misused.
Here are three signs that your employee engagement survey isn’t working.
1. There’s No Follow-Up
An engagement survey isn’t a replacement for action. If your employees give you feedback but never see you do anything with that feedback, they will lose trust in you and the company. Yes, it is important that employees feel heard, but without follow-up, they won’t even know if you read the survey results. Without follow-up, your employees question the point of giving their real, honest feedback.
It’s a little bit like taking an X-ray and then ignoring the results. What is the value of the X-ray if what it reveals is not acted upon?
Now, this doesn’t mean that your employees will get everything they ask for on a survey. But if there are common trends, then those most certainly need to become topics of discussion at the very least. In those discussions, you can strike a balance between employee needs and business goals.
2. You’re Asking The Wrong Questions
If your survey includes more than 15 questions, it’s likely ineffective. Why would you ask 50 questions if you aren't able to address 50 challenges? Streamline the engagement survey down to nine or 10 questions that give you valuable and actionable information.
Not only do surveys often ask too many questions, but they also ask the wrong ones. For example, let's say a survey asks, “Do you believe your pay is appropriate for the level of work you do?” What would you do if the results were a resounding "no"? If the organization isn’t planning to change anyone’s pay, why ask?
Instead, focus on trust and behaviors, such as a leader’s ability to listen, communicate clearly or respond to feedback. Address whether meeting structures meet people's needs for communication and collaboration. Determine whether the organization is actively supporting people’s growth and development.
The goal of employee engagement surveys should be to reveal what behaviors and actions are creating engagement or disengagement with the team.
3. You Don’t Have A Measurable Action Plan
Once you have the survey results, it’s time to use that data to get to the root of the issues. According to a Harvard Business Review article, too often leaders focus on specifics like workload when the root of the problem is likely more psychological. Have your managers take the survey results back to the team and facilitate discussions for deeper understanding. Getting this greater clarity will assist in implementing meaningful change.
The results of these engagement surveys are crucial to the success of your team, and therefore your business. Don’t be afraid to allocate time and resources to the action planning step of the engagement program. Use intentional time, like a leadership off-site retreat, to formalize the action plans and assign owners for each item. Discuss necessary treatment plans, due dates and metrics for success. Not only does this address current issues, but according to former Forbes contributor William Craig, it also keeps problems from escalating.
With a clear plan and measurable metrics of success, the action items can be executed. Once people on the front line see real changes based on their feedback, they will bring more ideas forward, resulting in—you’ll never believe it—better engagement!
As with any initiative, after implementing the plan, it will be crucial to revisit the discussion. A reassessment can confirm whether the plan is working and whether the process has revealed other important factors. Keep the conversation open and continue to refine your engagement survey questions until you find the ones that work best for you and your company.
Final Thoughts
If your engagement survey isn’t working, ask yourself two questions:
• What do you think the survey is supposed to do in order for it to “work”?
• What are you doing with the results?
The answer to the second question is the key to ensuring your engagement survey actually improves engagement.
Employee engagement surveys aren’t a solution; they are one part of the process. If you're not addressing these three items, then your survey won’t work.
I had one client spend resources on setting up the survey and having his team take it, only to do nothing with the results. He didn’t even share them with the team, let alone create action steps based on feedback. While I kept encouraging him to move to the next steps, he dragged his heels. During an exit interview, an employee shared their frustration that leadership had said it wanted to know the employee perspective but did nothing to follow up. I got a call that same day.
Don’t wait for someone’s exit interview to decide to do something with your data. If you want your survey to work, share the results, ask for ideas on solutions and then act upon them. Even if your scores are incredibly high or incredibly low, focus on addressing the specific feedback and involving your employees in the plan moving forward. This strengthens your team’s trust in you and makes an impact on loyalty, performance and best of all, engagement.
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