Previous Steps
1. Determine Objectives
2. Select a data collection method
3. Get buy-in from managers
4. Develop the process
5. Create a schedule
6. Select a supplier
7. Develop the questionnaire
8. Get buy-in from stakeholders
Step 9: Get buy-in from employees
In Step 8, you got approval of the questionnaire from the various stakeholders in the company. Now it it time to get buy-in from the employees who will be completing the questionnaire.
Key Questions
- Are your employees likely to share their thoughts with you without fear of retaliation for negative ratings or comments?
- Do they trust you to be good stewards of their candid feedback?
If the answer to either question is “No,” the value of an employee survey is diminished because in order to provide honest feedback, employees must trust the organization’s leadership to use their responses appropriately.
Eliminate Obstacles
The best way to alleviate concerns is to make the survey responses anonymous. However, some employees may still suspect that the company will be able to track their IP addresses and link responses to individual employees. Respect these natural concerns and educate employees about how the data is collected and stored.
Here are several important steps that can significantly increase not only the participation rate but also the depth and candidness of responses:
- Effective communication from senior leadership regarding:
- The importance of the survey
- The purpose
- Anonymity of responses
- How the results will be used
- Providing an adequate window of opportunity for employees to complete the survey (as a rule, 5 to 10 working days)
- Allowing them to access the survey from any computer
- Giving 24 / 7 access to the survey so they can complete whenever they want
These steps will help make employees stakeholders in the survey by assuring them of the importance of the survey and the safety of providing candid responses.
Important Reminder
After the survey has been completed and analyzed, management must ensure that no employee is ever singled out or identified for their feedback.
Bottom Line
Getting buy-in from employees is a critical step in the employee survey process that will increase both the quality and quantity of the responses.
