How to Act on Employee Feedback Data from Employee Engagement Surveys
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How to Act on Employee Feedback Data from Employee Engagement Surveys

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So you’re a believer.  You’ve seen the connection between employee engagement and company success… read the stats on how engaged employees are happier and more productive… given employees a platform to share their voice and be heard in your company… received measurable data in real-time, anonymous and expressive, straight from your employees.

But what do you do now?

Surveying is just the first step. Moving the needle on employee engagement is dependent on how you act on employee feedback data.

We’ve designed an entire guide to help you measure and act on employee feedback data including employee engagement. This is only one aspect, but we hope it gets you excited and inspires you, as well as proves to be valuable and useful. Here are 4 tips on what to do once you’ve begun the journey of employee engagement:

1. Create a baseline and stay on top of your employee pulse

Because every person is unique, when you take in all employee feedback, you will see a wide variety in the ways employees answer. Even if they have similar jobs, they may express different responses, which is why it’s crucial to develop a baseline. Remember, this takes time, and it may be several months before you can start seeing accurate insights.

A great way to develop this baseline is by starting with key engagement drivers as well as asking questions to gauge employee sentiment. If you’d like more detailed advice on what questions to ask your people, check out our free guide for the Best Questions to Ask Employees.

Once you have determined this baseline it’s an instrumental way to monitor your department’s eNPS and work to ensure it continually improves. Creating a baseline and pulse is your first step to understanding your most valuable asset–your employees.

2. Determine next steps

To quote the guide:

“Gathering and analyzing your data is like going to the grocery store and buying ingredients – you have the tools and supplies, but that doesn’t mean you have dinner. Likewise, now that you have analyzed your data and  figured out what areas need improvement, you need to put everything together and act on employee feedback to improve those scores.”

Here are 3 tips to help you effectively act on your data:

  • Take all your feedback seriously – remember everyone has their own opinion, and the things people say are important to them. So pay attention.
  • Prioritize – You won’t be able to act on all your data. Rather, the point is to help you focus on the most critical issues or trends affecting your company.
  • Be transparent. While it may take a bit of time to create positive change in response to feedback, it’s important to get back to your employees and let them know you’re working on it.

3. Leverage your secret weapon (your managers) to ACT on employee feedback.

Your people leaders are the ones who empower your teams. But first, you have to teach them how. Here are five tips to get you on the right track:

  1. Educate – Your people leaders need to see your passion and vision and understand how much employee engagement means to the company. Show them the impact and the possibilities. Inspire them.
  2. Measure –  Don’t just do it once–continue to take employee pulse surveys, measure engagement, and provide feedback to your people leaders on an ongoing basis.
  3. Empower –  When you entrust your people leaders with the reins to move forward, you empower them to work hard and succeed.
  4. Accountability – The success of a team often mirrors the strength of its leadership, so hold managers and leaders accountable.
  5. Results – Show your people leaders how they are actively affecting employee engagement and performance, and teach them to continually listen, adapt, and act.

4. Measure again

Once you’ve moved into a comfortable groove, and employee engagement is working for you at your company, resist the temptation to put it on the shelf and forget about it. The workplace is always changing, and so are people’s moods, behaviors, and circumstances. Continue to pulse and survey to make sure you continue to give employees a voice in your company. Use the baseline net eNPS and measure, so that you know what’s working and what’s not.

Conclusion

This is just one small segment in the fascinating topic of Employee Voice. If you’re interested in hearing more about how to measure and assess employee engagement initiatives, download the Blueprint for Effective Employee Engagement now.