It’s well known that employee engagement (or a lack of it) can have a dramatic impact on the outcomes and climate of a workplace. To name a few areas, employee engagement has been linked to:
· 20% increases in productivity
· 20% increases in profitability
· A reduction of turnover and absenteeism
Needless to say, employees and leaders alike feel the impact of a highly engaged workforce. But how many workplaces are actually reaping these benefits? After all, according to surveys by Gallup, less than 1/3rd of American employees are engaged at work.
Furthermore, how do leaders know when employees are engaged or disengaged? And how they can act on that knowledge?
Employee engagement surveys have been one way for leaders to get an understanding of engagement at their organization but too often, their efforts have fallen short in a number of ways.
· They’ve relied on generic surveys that don’t provide critical information.
· They’ve neglected to ask questions that can provide actionable steps.
· They’ve failed to act on the actionable steps needed to get their employees engaged again.
That is why science-based, actionable and customizable survey solutions are incredibly powerful. The surveys at your organization shouldn’t look like the surveys at everyone else’s – they should be aligned with your organizational values, missions and impact areas of interest.
Engagement surveys are capable of capturing valuable information that can act as a guidebook for how to gain insight, take action, and get the results that you’re looking for – if you design them wisely. When done well, engagement surveys can visualize and highlight trends about the employee experience in your organization as a whole - in addition to unique and specific employee challenges. They can help you discover how your employees are actually feeling about areas like:
· Employee Satisfaction: How satisfied do your employees feel in a broad sense about their jobs, their roles, their colleagues, their compensation and their work-life integration? If they are content with one element but lacking in another, that’s information that leaders should want to know and act on.
· Safety: Do your employee feel safe? This can be physical safety in the workplace and environment – but it can also be psychological safety. Can they make mistakes? Are they able to take risks? Is there room to innovate or share ideas, opinions or potential solutions? Physical and psychological safety are linked to a number of work outcomes so if it’s missing from the environment – this is critical information for any leader.
· Job Satisfaction: Do your employees feel challenged to grow in their work? Do they feel that their role is well aligned to their interests and skills? Are they content with their training and development or are they feeling stagnant? How satisfied employees are in their jobs can provide key information around retention and turnover.
Ultimately, engagement surveys are a critical first step to take for leaders who want to transform their organization – but they’re only the first step. Action must follow.