Annual staff surveys – by whatever name – are now a well established fact of life in many large organisations and some smaller ones. As with any assessment tool they have their advantages and limitations, but it seems likely that they are here to stay. While this kind of survey has been around for many years, there has been a shift in their status in recent times, and they are now taken more seriously than ever before. This is because of a new focus on staff engagement, well-being and measurement, which in turn comes from a growing recognition of the direct connection between high levels of engagement and well-being on the one hand, and high levels of organisational performance on the other.
All this means that there is commitment to trying to ensure a high completion rate each time the survey is run, and encouragingly we are also seeing increased commitment on the organisations’ part to addressing issues raised by the survey results. This means pressure on those responsible, (often this is line and departmental managers) for getting to the bottom of these concerns and for developing and implementing solutions.
So if this you, what are the keys to success? Obviously the answer to this will vary depending on your role (Manager, HR Director, OD Specialist or Chief Executive), your organisation’s objectives and on the results for your area. But there are a few key principles to share and some practical steps that everyone needs to take:
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Avoid responding with another diagnostic – there may be a time for this at a later date, but now is the time to speak to people and to make good use of other information and evidence that will help you and your colleagues to understand what really lies behind the results.
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Ensure you have buy in from key stakeholders, including a Senior level champion to maintain drive and momentum.
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Be careful not to make assumptions – you may think you know what the results mean, but it’s important to check this out.
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Involve your colleagues in exploring the results, identifying priorities for action and developing solutions. You may have the main responsibility for the survey response in your area, but this doesn’t mean you should work alone on this.
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Take a strategic view of what needs to be done, linking your proposals to broader organisational plans and objectives and identifying the benefits you expect to see for both employees and the organisation.
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Keep a sense of perspective even when the results feel like a personal criticism of your management style or your decisions. Be careful not to focus on one or two negative comments or scores at the expense of recognising the positive messages. Preserving and building on what is good is as important as addressing problems and areas of weakness.
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Invest in on-going communication – ensure that employees in your organisation know about progress and are kept up to date at all stages of the process.
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Evaluate your interventions to see what you need to change or maintain – don’t wait until next year to see how well they’ve worked!