Employee Feedback

Why You Need It and How to Get It

Although it may feel like you have a handle on your business, you may be in the dark regarding your employees’ satisfaction with the company, policies, or the way employees feel they are being treated. Without this knowledge, you cannot successfully increase employee morale, company loyalty, nor can you fully identify and meet your employees’ needs.

According to the Employment Times, employees who feel as though they are cared about at work are more productive, have fewer work-related accidents, file fewer workers’ compensation claims, are less likely to steal from their employers, are less likely to quit, and are more likely to recommend the company to a friend. Even if you have already surveyed your customers or clients regarding your product or services, you should also survey your employees to determine how you can improve.

Types of Surveys

Employee surveys can foster further discussions concerning how to increase employee satisfaction with an organization. The type of survey executed will depend heavily on the needs of your organization and the type of insights sought after.

Employee Satisfaction Surveys

Address questions around workplace issues (benefits, diversity, effective communications, etc.). The data from these surveys gives an overall sense of employee attitudes to the organization. They are particularly useful in conjunction with layoffs, acquisitions, or when making drastic management changes. These surveys also effectively identify the root of persistent headaches, such as high benefit expenses.

Exit Surveys

Serve to solicit honest responses from individuals choosing to leave an organization. The data from these surveys can be used to create new procedures for increasing job satisfaction and lowering turnover.

Surveys of a Specific Nature

When creating new policies or making significant changes, it is important to survey employees to determine their level of support, acceptance, or resistance to the proposed changes. These surveys allow employees to give their input, which allows employers to make modifications to the changes before implementing them.

Conducting an Effective Survey

• Let employees know well ahead of time that you will be conducting a survey. Use emails, bulletin boards, and company newsletters to communicate the upcoming survey to your employees.
• Ensure that all responses will be kept anonymous to receive honest feedback from your employees.
• Establish clear expectations for your employees regarding their responses. Do not assure them that you can make all the changes that they suggest but insist that you will make earnest efforts to accommodate their requests if feasible.
• Ask for specific examples when surveying employees. This will help you get to the root of problems or concerns.
• Do not get offended by off-putting comments. Instead, use this information to make positive changes to your organization.
• If you have multiple employees making the same recommendation, it’s time to look closely at that issue and make some changes.
• Provide employees with a timeline of when the data will be calculated and recorded. If you fall behind on this schedule, update employees and report back when you have finished tabulating the results.
• Provide the key results of the survey to your employees and explain how the company will respond to the results, including what suggestions you will act on.
• Conduct a follow-up survey a few months after the changes have been made. Ask questions about the changes to gauge how employees have reacted.

About Ima Employee Experience: Voice of The Employee

Our Employee Experience practice connects your benefits with your workforce, by enhancing benefit usage, increasing HR recognition, and promoting employee engagement through comprehensive rewards. Our Voice of the Employee (VOE) surveys enable organizations to create benefits programs and employee experiences tailored to the specific needs and preferences of their workforce.

VOE Key Advantages for Organizations

1. Assess employee satisfaction, engagement, and
2. Utilize employee feedback to develop a personalized employee experience
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of adjustments made to the employee experience strategy over
4. Improve the employee value proposition (EVP) to attract top talent and retain current

We offer a comprehensive library of survey questions covering a wide range of topics, including employee benefit preferences and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Engaging with your employees and ensuring they feel heard is crucial for encouraging participation in future surveys. This approach reinforces the value of their input and fosters a culture of open communication.

Summary

Employee surveys can reveal blind spots in company culture, policies, or treatment. This knowledge is essential to boost morale, loyalty, retention and meet employee needs. By collecting honest feedback, surveys can pinpoint areas for improvement and help you create a more positive work environment.

Contact us for more information on Employee Experience and Voice of the Employee surveys.

IMA will continue to monitor regulator guidance and offer meaningful, practical, timely information. This material should not be considered as a substitute for legal, tax and/or actuarial advice. Contact the appropriate professional counsel for such matters. These materials are not exhaustive and are subject to possible changes in applicable laws, rules, and regulations and their interpretations.

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