Five Mistakes to Avoid for Unleashing the True Value of Employee Engagement Surveys

The purpose of the traditional 'employee engagement survey' is to gauge the pulse of the organization, enabling informed decision-making to enhance employee engagement and elevate the organizational culture. Despite starting this journey with good intentions, organizations often make several mistakes along the way, needlessly complicating the process and undermining its intended purpose. 

Below are five common mistakes.

1. The ‘52 Question Mindset’

Your employee engagement survey is not the time to test the ‘more the merrier’ theory. Although this approach is often driven by a genuine desire to evaluate all areas relevant to the organization and to understand its health from the employees’ perspective (especially when compared to previous cycles), the sheer number of 52 questions, or a similarly large number, can discourage employees from even starting the survey.

Instead, consider identifying 3-5 areas that are of utmost importance to the organization. Limit the survey to no more than 10-15 questions, focusing on assessing the company’s performance in those critical areas.

2. Bi-annual Survey Cycle

The frequency of employee engagement surveys sends a subtle message about an organization’s commitment to listening and acting on employee feedback. When surveys occur only bi-annually, unintended signals can emerge. Employees may perceive that their voices matter less frequently, or that the organization takes an inordinate amount of time to analyze data and implement changes. 

An additional unintended consequence to bi-annual engagement surveys is diminished relevance. As time passes between surveys, the relevance of the information obtained diminishes. Trends and issues identified may no longer reflect the current state of the organization. Employees may lose faith in a process that seems disconnected from their day-to-day experiences. 

Semi-annual or an annual cadence would work best depending on a number of factors such as, the length of the survey, the organization’s ROA - rate of action, availability of resources and the timing of other activities such as performance management, talent review and mergers and acquisitions.

3. Regular Changes to the Survey Questions and Frequency

While occasionally hitting the ‘reset’ button can be necessary to create intentional and value-added surveys, doing so too frequently can lead to change fatigue. Employees might perceive these frequent adjustments as lacking clarity regarding the ‘why’ and ‘how.’ Consequently, the authentic voice of employees could be overshadowed by thoughtless responses. Moreover, consistent alterations to survey questions may hinder the ability to identify clear trends, while changes in survey cadence might result in inaction fatigue.

To mitigate these challenges, thoughtful planning is key. Purposefully designing survey questions, maintaining a balanced frequency, ensuring leadership alignment, and transparently communicating with employees can help prevent both change and inaction fatigue and allow for valuable insights to be extracted from the survey.

4. Focusing on Everything that is Sub Par

Desiring to address every low-scoring aspect might seem commendable, but it can quickly become overwhelming and impractical. Such an approach risks confusing employees about priorities and burdening those responsible for taking action. Attempting to fix every issue, regardless of its magnitude, inevitably leads to constraints in time, effort, and resources.

Instead, a more effective strategy is for each manager, site, country, or organization to identify one to three specific low-scoring areas. By concentrating efforts on these targeted aspects, action plans can be implemented promptly and with purpose.

5. Lack of Communication on Action Progress

Many organizations focus on diligently taking action based on survey results, but they often neglect a critical step: keeping employees informed about the progress being made. While taking action is crucial, equally important is regularly sharing updates with the employee population. By doing so, organizations can strengthen trust, demonstrate responsiveness, and validate that employees’ voices were truly heard.

Survey-related communications should extend beyond the perfunctory ‘thank you’ email sent shortly after survey closure. Employees should be informed about the organization’s key strengths and opportunities, the specific actions being taken, and the resulting progress. This transparency encourages employees to continue sharing honest feedback and fosters a sense of belonging and respect.

The success of an employee engagement survey hinges on clarity and purpose. Organizations must articulate precisely why these surveys are conducted - to listen, learn, and improve. Consulting with employees across various organizational segments and seeking their candid feedback on past survey processes would provide vital lessons for survey strategizing.  Armed with purposeful planning and insights from those who matter most - the employees, organizations can design and implement engagement surveys that become catalysts for positive change, adding tangible value to both individuals and the organization as a whole.