What organizations do with their employee listening data runs the full spectrum from “Absolutely nothing, the data collects dust” to “We have a robust action plan that includes identifying areas of strategic focus, pinpointing actions that will have impact, and follow-up measuring to ensure our efforts are working” and everything in between. At OrgVitality, our tools are built to help organizations continually drive improvements. One way to use feedback well is to strategically integrate the data into enterprise-wide decision making.
The Strategic Value of Employee Feedback
Done well, surveys offer valuable insights into what employees are seeing on the ground. They can surface issues such as safety problems, identify concerns of less visible employees, or even raise awareness of good ideas or business opportunities. Common dimensions we like to see include more than just engagement; a strategic survey will often also ask employees about organization trust and culture, leadership effectiveness, change readiness, operational bottlenecks, and more. By aligning your survey content with your strategic priorities, you gain important data that will resonate with your executive team.
How to Create a Strategic Survey
First, identify organizational priorities. We often frame this by asking, “If your CEO could change one thing by snapping his or her fingers, what would it be?” This is a good starting point to identify clear objectives and measurable goals, as well as engage executive sponsors. For example, if customer satisfaction is a strategic goal, questions might include asking about employee empowerment or customer-facing policies.
Next, clearly communicate about the importance of the survey and how the data will be used. Employees often question the confidentiality of their answers, so it’s critical you are completely transparent. Engaging a third-party vendor is often a best practice, so employees can trust that their data will never be analyzed at the individual level. We also recommend sending communication from top leadership; when employees know that the CEO or other leaders truly care about their feedback, they are often more likely to provide it.
Finally, and most importantly, analyze the data, take strategic action, and communicate that the actions taken are based on employee feedback from the survey. Nothing kills your response rate as much as an annual survey that goes nowhere. On the other hand, being transparent with the results, communicating action areas and plans, and following up all help boost subsequent response rates, since employees are confident that their feedback is valued.
Integrating Data into Decision-Making
By the time the survey results are in, you shouldn’t have to convince leadership of their worth. The process up until this point ensures that executives have bought into the process and understand the value. Once you have the data, it can be used for executive planning efforts such as product roll-out or expansions, HR efforts such as talent development, operational improvements to reduce inefficiencies, change management efforts during mergers or acquisitions, and more. Predictive modeling can help with forecasting.
Ultimately, to truly integrate survey data with enterprise-wide decision making, you need to move your data out of static reports and into the same decision-making processes and organizational structures that other aspects of the business, such as financial metrics, face. Taking action on survey data should become a regular part of your annual operations. Shift survey programs from a siloed HR initiative to a broader core business knowledge function.
Want help getting executive buy-in and integrating survey data with your broader organizational operations? Contact OrgVitality for a free consultation and learn about our approach.