Preliminary Steps in Rolling Out Employee Engagement in the Workplace
Article By Gregory Ferris, Ed D.,
A Frequent Misstep
Not long ago a former client told me he had conducted an employee engagement survey with his employees and, surprisingly enough, found that there was a significant gap between what he thought the engagement level was and what employees communicated. He was disappointed with the low scores and immediately wanted to solve the problem before the “sun sets!” His response is what frequently happens with survey results – review the results, see the scores, hit the panic button and then quickly throw out solutions. Although his response was a meaningful attempt to offer solution(s), there are numerous cases where the survey is management review but no follow up with employees to gain input/potential action steps. In either case, the effectiveness of an employee survey should be based on a systematic approach that will have significant impact along with a ROI.
Gaining Traction
Establishing a systematic approach to introduce the rationale for the survey, survey implementation, identifying survey results, providing two-way feedback and action planning up front can save you time, reduce missteps and produce results.
The following is a step-by-step approach intended to provide you with a basic communication plan outline as to what needs to be said, how it should be said, when it should be said. Piece the outline together with your thoughts. Be genuine and upfront with your communication.
When | What | How |
Before Survey |
Survey Purpose & Schedule | Send an email/meet with employees about the survey – the purpose, how long to fill out and what the desired results are. |
During Survey |
Survey Invite, Reminders, & Respond to Questions | Send an invitation email/meeting which includes – the time to complete survey, summarize earlier communication (schedule, purpose and desire results). Be open to any questions or concerns from employees. |
After Survey |
Survey Results, Post-Survey Actions | Immediately send an email/meet to thank all employees for participating in the survey. Advise them that you will share the results with them and seek their input for actions. Create a plan that includes the actions to be taken. |
The systematic steps mentioned above offer you an approach for fully implementing a successful employee engagement survey process. The critical part is making sure that communication is clearly stated with follow through. Building traction upfront will guarantee you a successful roll-out and implementation of employee engagement in your workplace. The approach will also assure your employees that the survey is more than a motion; it is a call to action.