Here are a few short questions and answers for managers and HR specialists who have been postponing employee engagement survey and have not yet made a decision to implement it for whatever reason. 

Why should we measure employee engagement?

Employee engagement surveys, when done well, have the potential to create substantial advantages for organizations. If your organization has been waiting for the right time, for favorable conditions, or for a more supportive climate, you may be creating disadvantages for your company.

When is the right time to conduct employee engagement survey?

The answer is the same as for the following questions: When is the right time to measure company profits? When is the right time to measure production efficiency? When is the right time to measure quality? The answer to all of the questions is: as soon as additional information is needed to make an informed decision. 

How often should surveys be conducted?

Perhaps the best way to make sure adequate attention is paid to strategic issues is to schedule periodic surveys. People tend to pay attention to what is being measured and if the company conducts surveying only once a year it signals that the company is merely curious, not committed. Measuring on a regular basis indicates that the issues are critical and ought to be improved.

Should survey results be communicated to employees?

When managers share the survey results at the organizational level, it is best to keep the items generally focused on strategic and global organization issues. In addition, when the survey results are shared with employees at the work group level, it is best to focus on work group issues.

How to get the most out of it?

By creating an Action plan. When you compare the survey results to the company’s future vision, key gaps between present and future become evident. Firstly, you compare the present configuration of strengths and weaknesses with the desired configuration. The most negative (highest impact) issues that appear become the key issues for organizational improvement efforts. Improving these issues becomes a high priority because they are the high-impact organizational areas that stand in the way of fulfilling organization’s vision and strategy. It is hard to imagine senior management not allocating resources to these areas, for they are critical to organizational success.

This last question is for YOU: How do you predict business outcomes, accelerate and add focus to the entire change process to keep the company at the right track?