So you’ve done launched a survey and gotten back some raw data, managing to work through it and get some great insights. Now what? And more importantly, what do you do with the insights to actually yield any results? Well, in this article we explain exactly what to do with those employee survey results.
For whatever reason, you’ve chosen to run an employee survey. Whether to increase engagement, gauge employee attitudes, increase performance, or because it’s an annual employee survey; whatever your reasons, you’ve now got data on your hands and you’re asking yourself what you should do with these employee survey results.
Using the employee survey results to benefit the business is the main reason managers and employers choose to run surveys in the first place. However, now the real work begins. Digging into the information and using it effectively can be challenging at the best of times. No more so, than when you have a lot of employees.
But once you’ve gotten the data and information out, you still have some work to do. You need to provide a resolution to those who took the survey and present them the results. The good news is there are some interesting avenues to go down that would benefit your employees and the business through the results of the survey. Here they are.
Communicate the results
First and foremost, communicating the employee survey results to the employee is critical. Employees never want to be left in the dark about anything that concerns them. And since this is directly concerning them, they have a right to know the results of their survey.
Regardless of what the survey was measuring, they should know, as soon as you do. This is done many ways. For example, you can speak to employees through email, call, instant messaging (if it isn’t a formal office) or face-to-face. Personally, we believe face-to-face to be the most effective, as more information can be communicated, I comparison to email. Still, a summing up email outlining the conversation and survey results is always good.
Select and discuss areas for improvement
Once you’ve initiated the initial results concerning each individual, the manager then has to dig deeper and get more specific insights. These insights should be specific to the teams around the office.
Providing the results in a “group specific” way provides more relevant pockets of information to those who need it.
Make a plan
Devising a way to use the employee survey results is the whole reason for getting them in the first place. So making a plan is essential.
This stage doesn’t have to be completely finished off before going back to the employees, as they’ll generally have some input themselves on how to proceed. Yet to have a rough outline of ways to improve through using the data is essential.
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Discuss the results deeper
Once the initial conversation is complete, a second discussion in more depth can be taken. This works best in small groups, where everyone listening is invested in the conversation. It’s here where the group can speak freely with each other, being able to add their take into the conversation.
This step does many things, the most important being, it provides the team with an opportunity to connect and share in the information. Through doing this, the information presented is the same for everyone in the group, helping the management’s transparency and provides a greater understanding of the situation to the team, as a whole.
Implement
Using the employee survey results to make improvements is always hinged upon what actually gets done. The difference between a great office and one that isn’t, is the great office takes action. They’ll get results and act on them. Whereas the lesser office might get results, but not change.
This is why the implementation of the data-based plan is important. When looking to implement, ensure you have a way of measuring the effectiveness of the changes. This can be done through another survey, or as simply as a chat.
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Check in and evaluate
At one stage or another, every manager will have to check in with their employees. After the implementation of the employee results survey is no exception. If anything, this is one of the more critical times to do so.
Evaluating the team’s status and progress can be simple and straight forward if the previous steps have been taken. This is the point of the process when some more measurement has to be taken. Following on from the previous point, it can be done through another employee pulse survey, a discussion or a simple check-in every now and again.
The problem with some businesses is, when they roll out a new initiative, they then forget about them. Feeling as if the job is done and it will then “take care of itself”. It isn’t that easy. To avoid this, speak to your employees and see how things are going. Ask if anything needs further improvement or if everything is running on schedule. Regardless of the answer, it’s important to keep an eye on the status of the implementation.
Repeat
This step is fairly self-explanatory… repeat the process every now-and-again. If you choose to run a pulse survey every year or every month, it doesn’t matter.
As long as you, as a manager, have an understanding of the office’ status, that’s all that matters. Roll out another when it’s needed and continually repeat to see the analysis and progression over time.
In Summary
Employee pulse surveys can often present a manager with great insights into the minds of their employees. But it’s what the manager does after getting the data, is what counts. Using the employee survey results to improve the office is paramount to a happy employee. Being kept in the dark is something that nobody wants and should always be avoided. This is why when a manager uses the results well; they generally get the best out of their employees.
Whatever you’re using the results for, whether it’s for transparency, engagement, improved performance or just to get a pulse on the office, know that the data is only worth something when it’s implemented and measured. I trust that these steps will help you in communicating to your employees and getting a more enjoyable workplace that your employees love. Leaving you better equipped to deal with your staff, while getting the best from them.
