Employees are the foundation of any organization which is why it is so important to invest in employee engagement. One of the best ways to fuel employee engagement is by soliciting employee feedback through the use of surveys. Employee surveys are one of the most valuable yet underutilized market research tools in the workplace. They give employees the freedom to share their opinions freely and candidly while providing managers with vital information about what’s on employee’s minds, what they like most about the organization, and what needs to be improved. Instead of abandoning this methodology, managers should continue incorporating surveys into their workplace as a part of their regular HR practices, and here’s why.
Surveys give employees the opportunity to share insight.
Next to a customer survey, there is no other survey as important as an employee survey. Employee surveys make managers aware of what is really going on in the workplace and what changes, if any, need to be made. It is a necessary tool for figuring out what tools and resources your employees need and how to address any issues that might be present in the workplace. It can be argued that no other market research tool offers a higher return on investment.
Surveys improve employee engagement.
Employees appreciate knowing that their voices are heard and their opinions matter. Surveys are a great way to show employees that they are valued and that managers truly want to hear from them. This is one of the easiest and most effective ways to increase employee engagement.
Surveys are great predictors of behavior.
Surveys are a great way for companies to gauge whether or not their employees plan to stay at the company for the long haul. Managers are far more likely to find out how long their employees plan to stick around if they simply ask them. This can be a great tool for measuring employees’ levels of satisfaction and predicting turnover.
Surveys create opportunities for follow-up and discussion.
The information collected from surveys provides management with an opportunity to create follow-up meetings and dialogue with their team members. When managers collect feedback from surveys, they know exactly what items need to be discussed and this demonstrates to employees that their feedback is being heard. These follow-up sessions can be centered around
The specific topics mentioned in the surveys.
Surveys help managers understand improvement areas.
While it’s certainly important for managers to know what is working, it’s equally important to find out what’s not. The areas mentioned as low satisfaction areas can become a priority action item for the management and human resources teams. It’s a great tool for singling out exactly which areas matter most to employees.
Surveys facilitate good communication.
Employee surveys are a great way to open the lines of communication between employees and managers. Employees might not feel comfortable addressing concerns face to face but surveys provide a safe way for them to express those concerns. It gives team members a chance to communicate all of the good and bad feedback about the company.