The relationship between employer and employee thrives when both parties are committed to learning, growing, and improving through open and honest feedback. In a professional setting, this is achieved when employees feel empowered to share their thoughts and feelings, whether it's in a mediated group setting, a one-on-one check-in with a manager, or through an anonymous survey.

Employee engagement surveys have become standard tools used by employers to identify organizational strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. These surveys are often conducted annually but can also be sent out monthly or quarterly to gauge the organization's "pulse."

While conducting employee surveys has become commonplace, the follow-up process is often lacking consistency. Simply asking employees for feedback is not enough. You need to have a clear plan with goals, benchmarks, and consistent communication to demonstrate that you are taking their words seriously and translating them into action. Without a well-executed follow-up plan, the impact of an employee survey can be detrimental rather than beneficial.

To make the most of your survey, here's how we recommend framing your follow-up plans:

Review Results Promptly and Thoroughly Once your employees have completed the survey, it's important to promptly review the results. What should you focus on? Whether you partner with an external vendor or handle it internally, your team should objectively analyze the data to identify strengths to build upon and areas of concern or improvement.

When identifying strengths, consider the following questions:

• Which feedback highlights our organization's strengths?
• How have these strengths contributed to our teams' and company's success?
• Are there best practices that can be shared across the organization?

To identify opportunities for improvement, consider the following questions:

• Which responses highlight our biggest pain points?
• What barriers can we address to enhance the employee experience?
• Which issues can we tackle immediately, and which may require a more long-term approach?

Once you've identified the key takeaways, it's time to take action. When sharing the data, it's crucial to be honest and transparent. Your employees know what they submitted, so avoid sugarcoating the results.

Make Your Data Actionable Employers invest significant time and resources into engagement surveys, but they often make the mistake of neglecting the follow-up plan. To avoid this, prioritize making the survey results actionable and ensure they are effectively communicated throughout the organization. Follow these steps:

• Identify quick-win items that can be addressed in the short term, as well as issues that require further conversations or research.
• Categorize the feedback and create an action plan that outlines how each area will be addressed. Share this plan with employees and leaders.
• Assign a timeline to each action, distinguishing between immediate and long-term solutions.
• Prepare talking points for leaders to ensure consistent communication of the action plan.
• Archive the survey results to establish benchmarks for future surveys. Maintaining consistent questions over time allows for result comparison and demonstrates progress.

Establish Consistent Follow-Ups Engagement surveys are intended to address concerns and improve scores year after year. This requires ongoing improvement planning and consistent follow-ups. As an employer, maintaining open communication with employees is crucial for monitoring progress, celebrating achievements, and reaching milestones. Here are some ideas to move your improvement plan forward:

• Post specific actions in a central physical location or on an online platform such as your intranet or a dedicated website.
• Provide managers with necessary resources and talking points so they can regularly update their team members on the progress within the action plan.
• Include survey topics as a standing agenda item in company calls or town halls.
• Establish a steering committee or utilize an Employee Advisory Group where team members and executives assigned to tasks can regularly report progress.
• Continuously modify, add tasks, and update the action plan as it evolves.

Employee engagement surveys can be powerful tools for driving genuine improvement and enhancing employee satisfaction. Remember to prioritize the follow-up process right from the start to maximize the impact of your survey.

At Intellect Management Services, we specialize in helping organizations make the most of their employee engagement surveys. We understand that every business is unique and requires a tailored approach to communications. Whether you need assistance with internal communications assessment, development of internal communications and social media strategies, digital media intelligence, crisis communications services, media relations, or media training, our team of expert communications consultants is here to provide customized solutions.