Maximizing The Value of Employee Engagement Surveys

1. HR Thought Leader Insights Maximizing the Value of Employee Engagement Surveys Engage2Excel recently sat down with Dr. Jack Wiley, renowned author, consultant, scientist and professor, who has spent three decades conducting surveys of millions of employees for leading global brands. We talked about what HR leaders can do to translate engagement survey results into actionable information to drive increases in customer satisfaction and business performance. Highlights from the interview appear below.

2. Q. Today, most large companies conduct employeeengagement surveys at least annually. How can HR leaders effectively translate the results from these surveys into actionable business information? the defensive rationale for surveys, such as identifying early warning indicators of employee dissatisfaction. Another reason for a survey might be to evaluate the effectiveness of a recently introduced or modified program or policy. On the opposite endof the spectrum, a common offensive trigger for an employee engagement survey often centers on an organization’s quest to be an employer of choice. The company wants to hire people who are excited about coming to work every day and enthusiastic about staying with the organization for a long time. Employee engagement surveys are communication tools. Leaders conducting surveys must be mind-ful about content since the topics they choose to include HR executives must make sure that survey program objectives reinforce the organization’s business strategy. Existing plans for achieving success in the marketplace should dictate the types of surveys required to accomplish business goals. Well-designed surveys can predict and serve as a diagnostic for success when the questions asked are relevant and precisely align with program objectives and business strategy. Also, it’s important to understand that organizations conduct employee surveys for many different reasons. On one end of the continuum lies www.Engage2Excel.com Maximizing the Value of Employee Engagement Surveys

3. HR Thought Leader Insights A. Employees in various business units and job families will answer the same survey questions differently. That’s to be expected. I believe one of the best ways to leverage this comparison data is to focus on the business units with the highest en-gagement scores. Identify what the leaders of those teams are doing to create a more engaged workforce and share these best practices with the rest of the organization. Typically, business managers will also want to compare data with that of other organi-zations in their industry, which provides valuable context for interpreting survey results. However, I think the most significant point of comparison is derived from looking at the internal trend line. Is the organization improving in the areas deemed most strategically critical? That’s what is most important. will be interpreted by respondents as the subjects managers consider to be most important. Surveys are also communication vehicles for associates, so follow-up is critical. Employees expect management to hear and act upon their input. Leaders must analyze and prioritize survey data, and then commit to addressing the key issues identified as having the greatest potential impact on organizational effectiveness Q. How can line of business managers who seek toimprove the performance of their teams effectively interpret engagement survey scores associated with specific departments or job families?

4. HR Thought Leader Insights Q. You have said that recognition for a job welldone significantly impacts employee engagement. Do most line of business managers do a good job recognizing the accomplishments of those on their teams? How can HR leaders help develop and enable this capability? Half of all employees worldwide are satisfied with the recognition and appreciation they receive for their work efforts. influence on associates, who are less likely to view them as effective leaders. Savvy managers know what motivates their people and what they want most. They embed that encouragement into their recognition practices and reap the rewards of improved performance. A. Recognition matters. When employees are satisfied with the recognition they receive from their managers, they are more likely to view their leaders in a favorable light, acknowledging their people and project management skills, for example. Managers who do not do a good job recognizing employees measurably limit their www.Engage2Excel.com Maximizing the Value of Employee Engagement Surveys

5. HR Thought Leader Insights Q. Do employees who are satisfied with therecognition they receive tend to remain with the company longer? Q. Today, every member of the C-suite isunder increasing pressure to demonstrate business impact, so do HR leaders need to do a better job documenting their ability to enable desired outcomes? A. Absolutely. Recognition is one of the key predictors of employee retention. Other drivers include growth and development opportunities, and how well a person’s skills and abilities are aligned with his or her job responsibilities. The closer the match, the more they feel a senseof accomplishment. A. The primary goal of every profit-seeking organization is to deliver on top-line revenue and bottom-line profit goals, and satisfy all enterprise stakeholders. Human Resources is typically the largest single cost center for a company, so it’s essential that today’s HR leaders understand the financial implications of the systems and processes they propose to implement. Their focus should Maximizing the Value of Employee Engagement Surveys www.Engage2Excel.com

6. HR Thought Leader Insights be on attracting and retaining the best talent available—the people who can and will drive business success. Tying this back to the focus of today’s discussion, HR leaders who strive to demonstrate their impact on organizational success will conduct employee engagement surveys that precisely align with business strategy, and then deliver fact-based results and actionable recommendations to the executive leadership team. This approach will maximize the relevance of HR’s efforts to empower the organization to effectively execute its business strategy and achieve sustainable success in the marketplace. Maximizing the Value of Employee Engagement Surveys www.Engage2Excel.com