Best practices for employee surveys - Step 10: Develop the invitation

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
9. Get buy-in from employees

Step 10: Develop the invitation

In Step 9, you got buy-in from the employees who will be completing the questionnaire. Now it is time to create the invitation you will use to encourage them to participate.

E-mail invitations are the preferred method for requesting participation in online employee surveys. As a rule, the survey invitation should communicate:

1. That the recipient is being invited to take part in an employee survey
2. The purpose of the research
3. Who is conducting the research
4. How to complete the survey
5. How long the survey will take
6. How the privacy of survey respondents is protected

 

Sample Invitation

Subject Line: ABC Employee Survey
____________________________________________________________________________

You are invited to participate in an online survey regarding your opinions of our company.

The purpose of this research is to help us better obtain your feedback on issues such as communication, teamwork, and management, which will help us better understand what is working well and what needs additional focus.

The research is being conducted by an independent research firm and all responses are strictly anonymous.

The questionnaire takes 10 to 20 minutes to complete. We need your input by the end of day on [date], so please respond as soon as possible.

To get started, please click the link below or paste this url into the address field of your web browser:

www.toddhollander.com/survey/abc0807

Bottom Line

A well-crafted invitation is a critical component of an effective employee survey process.