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What are employee surveys, and why are they important?

Valuable insights are a game-changer for your team and small business. Whether it’s recognising a dip in staff morale or finding ways to improve worker satisfaction, employee surveys offer meaningful information about what's working well and what needs attention. 

When employee surveys are a routine part of your company, everyone can learn and improve. But often, employee surveys are an afterthought, or worse, overlooked, which means chances to understand how your people feel and how your business is performing are lost.

Make sure your employee surveys are meaningful and effective in increasing employee engagement, satisfaction, and performance. This blog post will explain why employee surveys matter and the different types available to gather insights for positive change.

What is an employee survey?

An employee survey is a powerful tool companies use to gather feedback and opinions from their people and make better decisions. It typically involves asking employees questions about work culture, job satisfaction, and company policies, making your people feel heard and empowered to suggest solutions, which improves their work experience. By analysing survey results, small businesses can identify areas for improvement, address concerns, and reinforce positive aspects of the culture.

The benefits of an employee survey

Small businesses face many challenges, including competition from bigger companies, limited resources, and market fluctuations. Finding solutions to innovate and adapt is crucial for success.  

Considering that employees involved in daily tasks and customer interactions possess valuable insights that leaders and HR might overlook, employee listening strategies, such as staff surveys, offer several benefits. 

Firstly, surveys provide a structured way for employees to give feedback on their work environment. Because trust in leadership took a nosedive during the pandemic, surveys can give real insights into opinions on management, employee job satisfaction (more on this later), relationships with colleagues, and perceptions of company culture.

Employee trust in leadership

Source

Secondly, a staggering 90%[1] of businesses are concerned about employee retention. Employee surveys give you the insights needed to improve job retention by identifying aspects that influence staff turnover, such as lack of career development opportunities or poor work-life balance.

Thirdly, surveys tell us how employees view their own work, their coworkers, and the company's performance. Since 44%[2] of workers’ skills might change in the next five years, survey insights can help predict and get ready for those changes. This feedback helps manage performance and spot where extra training is needed. Businesses can give the proper training to keep employees ahead of industry changes, setting them up for long-term success.

Finally, employee surveys can assess workplace culture and values, helping you understand if company values align with employees' experiences. Surveys empower people to share their ideas and suggestions and help prevent missed opportunities for innovation and improvement. 

By capturing employees' ideas, suggestions, and concerns, you can embed a culture of continuous improvement. This can highlight discrepancies and guide efforts to strengthen the company culture. The data collected from employee surveys can help you make informed decisions based on facts, not hunches.

Five types of employee surveys for small businesses

1. Employee satisfaction survey

It's a fact that enthusiastic and fulfilled employees feel better about their work and workplace. Yet, according to Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2023 report, almost every UK worker (90%) is unhappy at work. This presents a unique chance for small businesses to improve the employee experience (something we've already identified as a key HR trend for 2024).

Employee satisfaction surveys help small businesses understand why employees might be unhappy and take steps to fix it. This could mean changing policies, improving communication, or offering training opportunities. 

Considering happier employees tend to work better[3], improving satisfaction can increase profits. These surveys check whether employees feel appreciated for their work. By addressing their concerns and making changes based on feedback, you can boost satisfaction and reduce turnover[4]. And with happy employees being more likely to stick around, you can save costs with hiring and training and keep valuable knowledge in your company.

2. Culture survey

A workplace culture survey can tell you how people behave and work together, understand how leaders lead, and how people treat each other. A strong company culture inspires trust, teamwork, and success, while a negative one can cause disengagement and affect morale.

But did you know that 86% of people looking for work[5] also avoid businesses with a bad reputation?

Culture surveys can help you detect underlying issues, such as team conflicts. By uncovering hidden problems that might not be obvious on the surface, you can take steps to resolve them before they escalate, ensuring a smoother and more harmonious workplace for everyone.

Since employee culture surveys identify areas where trust in management and leadership may be lacking, you can address concerns like poor communication from leadership and build stronger relationships with your people. 

Besides highlighting leadership issues, culture surveys can pinpoint areas where employees feel unheard or undervalued or where there are discrepancies between company values and actual practices. Identifying these areas helps you understand what needs improvement and take action to enhance trust and teamwork.

Appogee HR Success can help you develop and share culture surveys across your workforce. Customisable fields allow you to add specific sections and topics and set the frequency and audience. Alternatively, you can save time by choosing a survey from an existing template.

Once surveys are broadcasted to a predetermined list, each employee will receive an email notification to complete the survey. A progress bar will be visible so staff members can see where they’re up to, prompting them to complete it. 

Not only that, but the person configuring the survey will see “Pending” against those to whom it has been sent for a response. A weekly reminder can be sent to those who have not completed it.

3. Exit survey

Small businesses that approach exit interviews strategically get maximum value. These interviews, often the last chance to talk with departing employees, hold valuable insights. By using a structured process, asking consistent questions, and promoting honesty, you can learn why employees leave and find ways to fix recurring issues.

Effective exit surveys include a wide range of diverse elements of the employee experience. Questions such as, what was the best part of your job, and were there any company policies you found difficult to understand can:

  1. Tell you the reasons why people leave
  2. Help you to identify leadership and management problems
  3. Suggest improvements to company policies, such as onboarding and training
  4. Improve employee retention

That said, exit surveys aren’t just a ‘paper exercise.’ For your people to honestly share feedback, they need to feel that giving feedback is heard and acted upon. By that, we mean we shouldn’t treat an exit survey as a research project.

4. Employee engagement survey

Did you know that only 9% of employees in the UK[6] are engaged or enthusiastic about their work? 

Individuals who are quiet-quitting (those who do the bare minimum and don’t go above and beyond what is expected) can seriously harm your small business.

Firstly, employees who aren’t engaged are prone to exclusion. Considering 42% of workers[7] feel lonely at work, quiet quitters are at risk of further isolation. Employees stop working together and interacting with colleagues. They detach from conversations by not contributing to team meetings or attending social events with their peers. 

Secondly, when employees are not engaged, they might not put much effort into their tasks, leading to delays and mistakes. Also, they're less likely to innovate or suggest improvements, slowing down progress and growth.

For example, let's say a receptionist notices an increase in customer service complaints. They see trends in visitor feedback that could help improve office policies or procedures, like visitors complaining about long wait times at the front desk. Through employee engagement surveys, the receptionist can suggest improvements to existing practices. In this case, implementing a digital check-in system to speed up the process.

Regular surveys empower employees to provide feedback, promoting ongoing improvement and building a culture where everyone feels valued. Be sure to carefully choose your employee engagement survey questions wisely.

  • “[Appogee HR Success] has given both our employees and managers a specific place to speak their truth and organise everything in one spot. It has truly fostered a culture of learning and growth because it allows everyone involved a safe space to vocalise their opinions and thoughts.” –Britt Chavers, Office and Human Resources Manager at ASE Direct 

Employee engagement surveys provide valuable data and analytics, allowing you to take proactive steps to make improvements. For example, if surveys show that employees feel stressed or unappreciated, you can take action to enhance their work environment or provide more support before it affects productivity or causes social isolation. This fosters a sense of community and belonging among your employees–boosting engagement.

5. Diversity and inclusion survey

Understanding the demographics of their workforce and how employees from diverse backgrounds feel is crucial for small businesses. Without this awareness, they may unintentionally treat people unfairly, leading to discrimination and legal issues, damaging their reputation and driving valuable employees away.

Research[8] has shown the numerous benefits of diversity and inclusion efforts for companies. For instance, McKinsey found that diverse companies are more likely to outperform their peers financially.

When we look at how to build a positive culture in the workplace,  diversity and inclusion surveys play a key role in assessing employees' sense of belonging and inclusion at work. These employee surveys help pinpoint obstacles to inclusion, such as unconscious bias or microaggressions, and enable businesses to implement strategies that build a culture where everyone feels valued and respected. This feedback can inform targeted training programs or workshops aimed at addressing these issues and creating a more inclusive environment.

Get the most out of employee surveys with Appogee HR Success

Conducting meaningful employee surveys is essential for understanding your team and improving your small business. 

Appogee HR Success streamlines the survey process, making it easy to gather feedback and gain valuable insights. From creating customised surveys to analysing results and taking actionable steps, it promotes open communication and employee engagement while empowering your people to shape and reinforce a cohesive company culture.

Try Appogee HR Success for yourself. We have a range of pricing and package options to suit your small business. Request a free demo today.

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[1] LinkedIn: Workplace Learning Report 2024
[2]  World Economic Forum
[3] University of Oxford
[4]  ResearchGate
[5] Team Stage
[6] Gallup
[7] Mental Health UK
[8] McKinsey