Employee surveys can reveal information about your employees that would never be shared with management, no matter how open your management style.
Do you really know if your employees are happy? Do you know if your employees feel they are doing something important? Do their jobs enhance the quality of their lives? Do they feel they are being paid fairly? Your perception of the environment and the perception of the employees may be drastically different, but without performing employee surveys, you will never know!
Depending on the facts you want to learn about your employees and what you want to learn about their perception of the business as a whole, you will need to select and develop the survey type which will best reveal the information you desire.
There are four major types of surveys often used in the workplace. Each type will be described, along samples of the type of questions you may wish to include in each type.
Employee Development Survey:
Do your employees feel they have received the training necessary to perform their jobs competently? Do they feel there is sufficient cross-training to allow them to perform another job function should someone be out of the office for a period of time? Do they feel they are being grown into bigger and better opportunities within the company? These are the type questions to include in an employee development survey.
Just as the name implies, the survey should measure how the employees feel about their personal and professional development in their current jobs. If the employees feel they are not receiving the development to allow their growth, stagnation will occur and turnover rates will rise. In fact, it has been researched through exit surveys that lack of employee development is one of the most common reasons for leaving a company.
Questions on a survey of this type are usually answered on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 meaning “completely agree” and 1 meaning “completely disagree.”
Some sample questions that might appear on this type of survey include:
In your current position, how much do you feel that job performance is directly related to career advancement?
In your opinion, have you been provided with sufficient training opportunities to perform your job effectively?
Employee Engagement Survey:
This type of survey gauges the employees’ involvement with their duties. The level of loyalty, dedication and involvement with the employees’ jobs should be measured because employees who are not engaged in their jobs miss more work days and produce lower quality products.
Engaged employees feel passion for their work, provide drive and innovation and feel they actually have a part in moving the company forward.
Some of the items, rated on a scale of 1 to 5, that might appear on an Employee Engagement Survey include:
People in this organization can speak up without fear of retribution.
I receive candid and timely feedback from my supervisor.
My skills and talents are being utilized fully in my job today.
Employee Satisfaction Survey:
This type of employee survey allows an employer to understand employees’ perceptions about their employer. Problems with morale, compensation and benefits can be identified using this type of employee survey. Usually, the survey provides multiple choices for response, but a scale of 1-5 can also be used.
Some questions that might appear on an Employee Satisfaction Survey include:
Do you feel this organization treats each employee as a valued member of a team?
Do you feel empowered to perform the work required once a task has been assigned to you?
Do you often feel that more work would be accomplished if management would only get out of the way?
Employer Improvement Survey:
Very similar to the Employee Satisfaction Survey, an Employer Improvement Survey addresses specific points that are being considered for potential change. Employers can learn how the staff feels about changing working hours, permitting telecommuting and changing policies in other areas.
Examples of questions that might appear on an Employer Improvement Survey include:
If you were given the opportunity to work from home by telecommuting on specifically scheduled days, would you take advantage of this option?
If given the choice between a larger raise or the addition of more personal leave, which would you choose?
Employee surveys can reveal a great deal about how employees feel and think. However, if change is indicated by surveys and no change occurs, employees will begin to lose confidence and trust in the employer.
When used correctly, surveys can improve morale and make employees feel involved and in control of what happens to them in the workplace.
