Following our blog for Mental Health Awareness Week which highlighted how to use employee satisfaction surveys to boost mental wellbeing, we’re following up to give you a guide to using survey data to truly affect change. Our Research Manager, Rose, shares her thoughts on the effective use and measurement of workplace wellbeing data.
When it comes to surveys, collecting data simply isn’t enough if you want the feedback to help improve employee satisfaction. And when employee satisfaction is so clearly linked to operational effectiveness, retention rates and productivity, there are clear benefits to both employers and employees.
Creating action plans, regularly checking in with employees and, importantly, ensuring you reduce biases in your collection of data, are all ways you can use employee feedback and survey data to positively change your workplace’s approach to wellbeing. So, if you’ve conducted research and are wondering what’s next or are planning to start an employee feedback programme, here’s a round-up of how to effectively use the insights gathered.
Use Data to Inform Strategic Decisions
Monitor Progress: Regular collection of wellbeing data helps firms track employee satisfaction and identify potential issues early, allowing for timely interventions. We often suggest quarterly, annual or bi-annual surveys. More on this to come!
Let the Data Inform Management Decisions: Understanding the factors that drive employee wellbeing can guide resource allocation and policy development to enhance workplace conditions. Embed this data into all strategic decisions including training and recruitment strategies or succession planning.
Policy Evaluation: Regular data collection allows firms to assess the impact of changes in management or organisational policies, ensuring that these adjustments genuinely benefit employee wellbeing.
Commit to Continuous Improvement: By experimenting with different approaches based on comprehensive wellbeing data, firms can develop more effective strategies to boost employee satisfaction and, consequently, productivity. By committing to improving through a test and learn approach, you’ll see better results and your employees will feel valued by seeing the genuine commitment to wellbeing.
How Often Should You Re-Survey Staff?
Make Surveys Regular and Responsive: Choosing quarterly to annual assessments helps maintain a pulse on overall employee sentiment while avoiding survey fatigue. It’s crucial to adjust the frequency of surveys based on the nature of the information sought—more frequent for rapidly changing aspects like employee mood (affective), and less so for stable aspects like overall life satisfaction.
Target Surveys After Major Changes: Conduct wellbeing assessments following significant organizational changes (e.g., mergers, new leadership) to understand their impact on employees.
Make Use of External Resources
Use Crowdsourced Insights: Utilize platforms like Glassdoor and Indeed for an external perspective on workplace conditions. These platforms provide valuable data on how current and former employees perceive their workplace, complementing internal survey data.
Third-Party Research Partners: Utilizing a third party to collect workplace wellbeing data offers several advantages, particularly to gain unbiased insights and enhance strategic decision-making. Using third parties helps to:
Reduced Bias: A third-party provider can collect data without the inherent biases that might come from internal surveys. Employees may feel more comfortable providing honest feedback, believing their responses are truly anonymous and won’t influence their standing within the company.
Provide Neutral Analysis: Third parties can analyze data without any preconceived notions or internal politics, leading to more objective conclusions about workplace conditions.
Increase Employee Trust: Employees might trust the process more when they know an independent body is handling their feedback, which can increase participation rates and the candor of the responses.
Using a third party can also improve market perception. Externally gathered and validated data can improve a company’s reputation for transparency and care for employee wellbeing, which is beneficial in marketing and employer branding.
Benchmarking Against Industry Standards
Comparative Analysis: Third parties can provide benchmarking services that compare a company’s workplace wellbeing against industry standards or competitors, offering valuable context for the data. You can use eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) to compare against competitors.
Actionable Insights: This benchmarking can help identify areas where a company is performing well or where it needs improvement, guiding strategic decisions and policy developments.
Strong employee wellbeing programmes are a no-brainer for organisations. Helping them save in the long term as as not only do they support the mental wellbeing of employees but can improve retention, productivity and reduce costs.
For more information on employee feedback programmes, send us a message.
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