How to Tell When It’s Time to Switch Up Your Employee Listening Approach
Organizations get stuck in habits, just as people do. And employee listening programs can sometimes get stuck in a rut as a result.
If your survey program is on an annual cycle of administration, results, action planning, and resurveying, it’s a good idea to take a step back and evaluate what is working and what isn’t. Consistency has its advantages, especially in measuring trends. But you want to ensure that your listening efforts are thoughtfully planned and not just executed as part of a yearly routine.
So how do you evaluate your existing program? Here are some warning signs to watch out for:
1. Your year-over-year results are flat
If your trend stays flat, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your listening program is failing. Some consistency is good. But even if the scores are very high, it’s worth considering whether you’re asking the right questions. A well-crafted listening program helps organizations understand what is happening, why it is happening, and what leaders can do about it. So if you’re seeing flat scores that merely confirm what you already know, it may be time to introduce items designed to learn something new, or to mix up your listening efforts to include other surveys such as pulse or lifecycle surveys. The goal isn’t to just generate more data, but to actually solicit more meaningful insights.
[Read More: Is Your Employee Survey Evolving with Your Company?]
2. Survey results don’t match what’s happening
If your survey results are positive on engagement and you’re still seeing increasing turnover, or if your safety score are high, yet safety incidents are on the rise, your survey may not be happing into the real issues. It can be helpful to run focus groups to better understand the issues, and use that insight to develop more nuanced survey questions.
3. Survey results don’t match what you’re hearing
Often leaders hear descriptions of real issues and wait to get survey metrics to act. If the survey isn’t asking descriptive, behavioral questions, sometimes the survey may not pick up on real issues. This is another opportunity to use focus groups to understand the issue well enough to write survey questions that will pick up on the issue.
4. Your survey tells you what is wrong, but leaders don’t understand why
Employee surveys are very good at identifying areas of strengths as well as opportunities for improvement. Yet it’s the analysis of the data that is important to present the story behind the numbers. This may require different demographic cuts, hot spot finders, or adding additional touchpoints. This is where working with experienced consultants like those at OrgVitality can help connect the dots and ensure that your listening efforts lead to measurable and meaningful change.
5. Your organization has changed, but your listening strategy hasn't
Perhaps the biggest reason to rethink an established listening program is simply that the organization itself has changed. Maybe there’s been a merger or acquisition, or a radical shift in priorities. Whatever the reason, you need to re-evaluate your listening program to ensure it reflects current strategic priorities. You want to keep any items that still matter, but see where you might want to add or delete those that are no longer relevant.
[Read More: Making the Most of Your Employee Survey]
Ultimately, the question every team should be asking is whether the current listening approach helps the organization understand what matters, act on it, and create meaningful change.
