If you conduct employee engagement surveys, you probably want to know how your results compare to industry standards. But how do you find reliable benchmarks and use them effectively? Learn how to compare your employee engagement survey results to industry standards in six steps.
Before you look for benchmarks, you need to define what you want to achieve with your employee engagement survey. Determine the main areas of focus for your organization. What are the key drivers of engagement for your employees? How do you measure success and progress? Having clear goals will help you choose the most relevant benchmarks and avoid getting distracted by irrelevant data.
Choosing valid and useful sources of employee engagement benchmarks is important. You should consider the size and scope of the sample, the quality and currency of the data, and alignment and consistency of the questions. Examples of sources include industry associations and professional bodies that conduct surveys, research firms and consultancies that specialize in employee engagement, and online platforms that allow you to compare data from various sources. All of these can help you ensure that you are accessing reliable, up-to-date information to gauge your engagement levels accurately.
Once you have your sources, you can compare your employee engagement survey results to the industry standards and identify the gaps. These gaps are the differences between your results and the benchmarks, with positive gaps meaning that you are performing better than the industry average, and negative gaps indicating that you are performing worse. To analyze the gaps, there are several methods available, such as calculating the percentage difference between your results and the benchmarks for each question or dimension of engagement, plotting your results and the benchmarks on a graph or a chart to visualize the distance between them, and ranking your results and the benchmarks from highest to lowest to compare their order and magnitude of differences.
Analyzing employee engagement survey results against industry standards is essential for understanding your organization's performance. Positive gaps indicate areas where you excel, while negative gaps highlight areas needing improvement. Several methods can be used for analysis, such as calculating percentage differences for each question or dimension, visualizing gaps on graphs or charts, and ranking results and benchmarks. By assessing these gaps, you gain valuable insights to focus on enhancing employee engagement and aligning with industry best practices.
Analyzing the gaps is only the first step. To fully understand them, you need to interpret what they mean and why they exist. This requires looking beyond the numbers and understanding the context and causes of the gaps. Ask yourself: are the gaps within the margin of error or confidence interval? Do they reflect a real difference or a random variation? Determine which factors influence the gaps. Pinpoint if they related to organizational culture, strategy, policies, practices, or events. Are external factors such as market conditions, competitors, or regulations involved? Additionally, consider how consistent and stable the gaps are. See if they are present across all segments and groups of employees. Analyze whether they changed over time or across different surveys.
Explore why these gaps exist. Are they related to your organization's culture, strategy, policies, or practices? For instance, if there's a significant gap in a particular department, it could be due to leadership issues or specific team dynamics.
Interpreting the results of your employee engagement survey is not enough; you must take action based on what you learned from comparing your results to industry standards. This involves setting priorities, developing plans, implementing changes, and monitoring outcomes. To do this, you should communicate the results and interpretation to stakeholders, and identify areas of improvement and strength. Create action plans that address the root causes of the gaps, involve employees in the process, execute the action plans, and track progress and results. Measure the impact of the changes on your employee engagement and performance indicators to ensure that they are making a difference.
Identify areas for improvement and strengths to set clear priorities. Develop comprehensive action plans addressing the root causes of gaps, involving employees in the process. Implement the action plans with diligence, tracking progress and outcomes. Monitoring the impact of changes on employee engagement and performance indicators is crucial. Regularly measure the results to ensure the initiatives are making a positive difference.
Comparing your employee engagement survey results to industry standards is not a one-time activity. It should be repeated at least once a year or after major changes in your organization or industry. Doing so can help you monitor trends and changes, evaluate the effectiveness of your actions, identify new opportunities and challenges, and respond to them proactively. In other words, it can help you keep your comparison relevant and effective.
Enhance employee engagement by involving leaders, offering training and development, implementing recognition programs, promoting work-life balance, ensuring transparent communication, seeking employee feedback, and fostering diversity and inclusion. A holistic approach fosters a satisfied and productive workforce, benefiting both employees and the organization. Continuous efforts lead to a thriving work environment and a positive reputation.
If possible, consider closely working with your organization's Insights or Data Analytics teams. These teams are skilled at interpreting data and can provide valuable guidance on benchmarking methodologies and reliable industry standards. Partnering with them ensures that you receive accurate and meaningful insights from your survey results.