The Survey Initiative: An Introductory Guide to Employee Research and Employee Surveys.
Communication
Employee buy-in is critical to the success of the survey. If they believe that improvements will result from the survey, they are more likely to participate by completing it and will become actively involved in the follow-up improvement action planning process.
Plan a communication programme that begins well in advance and reaches a peak just before the questionnaires go out.
- Tell people in advance about the study, why it's being carried out, how it will affect them and what they can expect to happen as a result. Look to get the MD or CEO to sponsor the project to give it face validity.
- Issue a reminder during the completion period. Stress the importance of a high response rate and emphasise both confidentiality and the promise of feedback.
- After the survey ensure you feedback the results to employees. Use the in-house newsletter, notice boards, intranet and the briefing system to publish the highlights.
- The period between surveys is important for determining appropriate action, if any, and for communicating any actions back to employees. It is important to link the improvements back to the survey as many employees believe that little or no improvements are generated from employee surveys.
Branding the survey and subsequent actions with a name and/or a logo is another way of raising the profile and linking the improvement actions to it.
Consider the different messages you may need to convey to different groups and the most appropriate communication channels for reaching those groups. For example, it is important for immediate supervisors to be positive role models for the survey so that when they interact with their staff, they demonstrate active encouragement of the survey, a commitment to administer it properly and to act on the results.