What you need to know:
Have you ever thought about how it is considered common practice for a company to ask customers for feedback through surveys, but not their own employees? For most, the goal behind collecting feedback from customers is to work to improve the customer experience. So, why isn’t it the norm to approach improving the employee experience in the same way?
Asking for internal feedback through employee surveys is a way to hear from people across the organization and the key to understanding how your workforce is truly feeling. Let’s break down why employee surveys are important for every organization:
1) The power of employee voice
Giving people a voice through employee surveys can help to create an engaging and purposeful work environment. Since the pandemic, we are seeing people move away from the mindset of just working for a paycheck and start to seek out meaningful work that gives them a sense of purpose. According to research, 62% of people say they get some sense of purpose from their work but want more. When employees feel a strong sense of purpose in their work, they report better workplace outcomes in areas like engagement, satisfaction, and excitement compared to their peers.
Employees are asking leaders to listen, understand and empathize with what they’re going through in their whole life, not just their work life. When leaders develop a greater understanding of their employees’ challenges and needs, they can begin to provide the flexibility, connectivity, and sense of value people desire. Employee surveys are a simple way to give people a voice. They provide a safe and confidential place for them to share their thoughts and opinions about the organization.
2) Learn what really matters
Like customer satisfaction surveys, employee surveys allow workers to share what they like and dislike about the organization in hopes of making an improvement. Leadership can get a clear view and assessment of each piece of the organization through even just one companywide survey. Do you know what the biggest pain point is for your team right now? Asking the right questions can identify what is making people want to stay, and what the root causes of turnover might be. For example, a common misconception is that compensation is always the most important factor for employees. However, aggregate data from 2022 employee surveys point to growth and development, company communication, and feeling valued as top factors driving engagement for employees.
The point is, you never really know what matters to people unless you ask them.
3) Data-driven decision-making
It can be very difficult to make improvements for your team if you don’t have their insights to guide your decisions. The quickest, and easiest way to make a lasting impact on engagement and satisfaction is to collect feedback and use the results as a road map. Creating action items directly related to input from employees and then acting quickly on them will signal to your people that their opinions matter and that you hear them loud and clear.
Sixty-four percent of professionals say that leaders making decisions without seeking input is one of the biggest problems in the workplace today. Companies who are willing to ask their employees for input and put that feedback into action will build stronger trust by showing they validate employees’ opinions.
4) Tracking progress through benchmarks
Collecting feedback on a set basis, whether it be monthly, quarterly, or annually allows you to benchmark and track your progress over time. Being able to see employee engagement levels year-over-year will give you a sense of how your initiatives are performing. You can use these measures to help set goals and create a sense of accountability for leadership to follow through with their action plans.
If you are looking for ways to make positive changes in your workforce, you need to prioritize implementing employee surveys. Listening to your team at each step in their journey, from onboarding to exit, will paint a clear picture of what pieces you need to be focusing on to improve their experience. Through listening and acting on their input, you will build their trust and improve their overall satisfaction with your organization. Explore our all-inclusive employee survey platform or download our Employee Listening Guidebook for best practices and strategy tips for collecting feedback throughout the full employee journey.
