There’s an old maxim that everyone from the ancient Greeks to Sun Tzu were pretty big on: “Know thyself.”
For them, that mostly meant knowing what the populace, from citizen armies to statesmen, could and couldn’t rule and defend. For leaders in today’s business world, it means…well, pretty much the same thing.
But it can be difficult to know the ins and outs of your company from 30,000 feet up. While you’re courting new talent, managing resources, dealing with payroll and developing new strategies for next quarter, how do you also track the accessibility to the new HR company, or judge the adoption rate of that recent software integration? Where’s the one place you’ll get the breadth and scope of the full company experience?
The most valuable source of information is one we sometimes overlook: our own employees. They have a unique set of optics around what’s working, what’s not, and where things could be improved.
Employee surveys are an especially effective tool for garnering feedback. Even if an employee doesn’t give you that key insight that boosts sales by 20% year-over-year, they’ll have felt heard, which is already a win.
What can a survey tell you? You might learn a majority of your employees feel under-productive because of a cumbersome piece of software. Or that some of your employees can’t concentrate in the afternoon because they’re experiencing back pain from their 10 year old chairs. Once you know what issues your employees are facing, you can take steps to address them and thus boost your odds of successfully ruling China - er, workplace satisfaction.
Here are four steps you can take to craft a great employee survey:
1. Decide on a goal.
Do you want to retain your best employees? Figure out why productivity dropped last quarter? Knowing what information you need is crucial, and will help you craft the questions you need to ask.
2. Tee up the survey.
In advance, make sure your employees know what is on the survey, why they’re being surveyed, and how it can help them out. When people have a strong context, they’re more likely to feel confident in the information they’re giving you.
3. Make the survey personal.
The best surveys ask employees about their own experiences, rather than asking about the company as a whole. This nudges employees toward helpful self-reflection rather than finger-pointing.
4. Make the survey anonymous.
When people aren’t afraid of consequences, they’re more honest (ask the internet). Even if you can’t pinpoint exactly who in sales has a problem with how long your meetings are, at least you know that someone genuinely feels that way.
Is everyone going to respond to a workplace survey with rousing songs and triumphant cheers? No they won’t, and that’s the point. Some comments may be hard to take, but it’s better to know what people think and how their experience informs their opinion of the business. With a good backbone of knowledge, you and your armies - er, employees can be prepared to tackle whatever challenges the new year brings.
Go forth and conquer.
Comments