An employee engagement survey is a valuable tool to measure and improve the morale, motivation, and satisfaction of your staff. But how do you share the results and the actions you plan to take based on the feedback? Here are some tips to communicate survey findings and action plans to employees in an effective and engaging way.
Before you present the survey data to your employees, you need to analyze it and extract the key insights and themes. You also need to compare the data with your previous surveys, benchmarks, or goals to see how you have progressed or where you need to improve. You should prepare a clear and concise summary of the data that highlights the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges that emerged from the survey.
The format of your communication depends on the size, culture, and preferences of your organization. You may choose to share the survey findings and action plans in a written report, a presentation, a video, or a combination of these. Whatever format you choose, make sure it is easy to access, understand, and interact with. You should also consider the level of detail and customization you want to provide for different audiences, such as teams, departments, or roles.
The delivery of your communication is as important as the content. You should choose a time and a channel that suits your employees and allows them to engage with the message. You may use email, intranet, newsletter, or social media to distribute the communication, or you may schedule a meeting, a webinar, or a town hall to present it live. You should also invite feedback, questions, and comments from your employees and acknowledge their contributions.
One of the goals of communicating survey findings and action plans is to recognize and celebrate the achievements and successes of your employees. You should highlight the areas where your employees scored high or showed improvement, and express your appreciation and gratitude for their work. You should also share some examples of best practices or stories of excellence that illustrate the positive impact of your employees on the organization and its customers.
Another goal of communicating survey findings and action plans is to address the issues and concerns that your employees raised. You should be honest and transparent about the areas where your employees scored low or showed dissatisfaction, and explain the reasons and the challenges behind them. You should also share the actions you plan to take to address these issues and improve the situation, and invite your employees to participate or contribute to these actions.
The communication of survey findings and action plans is not a one-time event, but a continuous process. You should follow up with your employees regularly to update them on the progress and the outcomes of the actions you have taken. You should also solicit feedback and suggestions from your employees on how to improve the communication and the engagement process. You should also measure the impact of your communication and actions on your employees' satisfaction, performance, and retention.
Many companies have an annual employee survey that asks a lot of questions. The results are presented, positive and negative elements are mentioned, and comparisons are made to prior years. What is usually left out? Efforts to address the problem areas noted in the prior year survey. Without this information, employees quickly assume that nothing was done to address the problems. Then they begin to question why the company asks all of these questions when nothing is done to address them. Apathy grows. Even if there were steps taken to make forward progress, if that is not clearly communicated employees tend to assume that nothing was done. Build trust and respect by communicating your efforts to fix problem areas, even if they failed!