How can you create employee engagement surveys that work?

2 Choose your questions wisely

The quality and relevance of your survey questions will determine the quality and relevance of your survey responses. Therefore, you need to choose your questions carefully and ensure that they are clear, concise, and consistent. You also need to balance the types and formats of your questions, such as open-ended, closed-ended, rating scales, multiple choice, etc. Depending on your goals, you may want to include some questions that specifically address your sustainability efforts, such as how aware, engaged, and supportive your employees are of your environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies and practices. You can also use some benchmark questions that allow you to compare your results with industry standards or best practices.

3 Optimize your survey design

The way you present and deliver your survey can also affect the quality and quantity of your feedback. You want to make sure that your survey is easy to access, navigate, and complete for your employees, regardless of their location, device, or role. You also want to make sure that your survey is not too long, boring, or repetitive, as this can reduce the response rate and the accuracy of the answers. You can use some techniques to optimize your survey design, such as grouping similar questions into sections, using logic and branching to customize the survey flow, adding progress indicators and reminders, and testing and refining your survey before launching it.

4 Decide on your survey frequency

Another factor that you need to consider when creating your employee engagement surveys is how often you will conduct them. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as it depends on your goals, resources, and context. However, some general guidelines are to avoid surveying your employees too frequently or too infrequently, as this can either cause survey fatigue or miss important changes and trends. You also need to align your survey frequency with your action plan, so that you have enough time to analyze the data, communicate the results, and implement the feedback. A common approach is to conduct a comprehensive annual survey, complemented by shorter and more focused pulse surveys throughout the year.

6 Act on the feedback

The final and most crucial step in creating employee engagement surveys that work is to act on the feedback you receive. You need to translate the data and insights into concrete actions and initiatives that can address the issues and challenges, as well as leverage the strengths and opportunities, that your survey revealed. You also need to monitor and evaluate the outcomes and impacts of your actions, and to adjust and improve your plans as needed. By acting on the feedback, you can demonstrate your commitment and accountability to your employees and your sustainability goals, as well as to foster a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration in your organization.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?