Employee engagement surveys are a popular HR solution for employers who want to understand how employees see their jobs and the company leadership. Recent CEB data tells us that 80% of senior leaders believe good employee engagement is a critical part of achieving their business objectives, and 92% of companies use an employee engagement survey.

However, there are also opinions that employee engagement should be redefined beyond an “annual HR measure” to a continuous, holistic part of an entire business strategy. So, is an employee engagement survey an effective HR solution, and do they garner enough participation to contribute to productive outcomes?

As companies spend over $720 million each year on employee engagement, low participation is always a concern for company leaders. However, according to Gallup, employee engagement is on the rise. It’s not only important for employers to organize the best and most effective survey questions but to also communicate to employees the value of these surveys and then act on their responses. If you’re on the fence about whether to do an employee engagement survey, consider these reasons employee engagement surveys matter, as well as what to include within them.

Why Employee Engagement Surveys Matter

Employee engagement surveys are valuable because they can inform an employer about how employees feel about their jobs, leadership, and the entire company. Even more, employee engagement surveys can provide good insight on how interested employees are about offering their voice for feedback and solutions. Employees want to feel valued, so when they can lend their opinions in honest and vulnerable ways, it sends a message that the employer values their hands-on wisdom and expertise. These surveys can also help guide organizational development, showing employers and company leaders the best ways to manage people and resources.

An employee engagement survey is also an excellent predictor of behavior. Even when an employee doesn’t take a survey, it tells the employer something. Several companies report that employees who don’t fill out the employee engagement survey are more than two times as likely to leave the company in the next six months as employees who do. All in all, the efforts involved are worth it when the proper time and attention is spent on the results collected.

What to Include in Employee Engagement Surveys

A variety of questions can be used to collect important data within employee engagement surveys, so it’s critical that employers make sure to tailor their surveys with questions that are relevant to the company’s specific culture and mission. To save time, your company may want to hire a Professional Employer Organization or another company that provides HR Solutions to help create your survey.

When it comes to general questions to include, here is a great list to use as a starting point. In addition to general questions that should be included, it’s also good to add in some company-specific questions that relate to the environment, work conditions, culture, and leadership. This will help you to craft a better results strategy that can help you improve your specific company culture and the environment in meaningful and tangible ways.

There’s a lot that goes into a successful employee engagement survey, and our experts are ready to help. Contact us today to speak with a trusted professional about how we can customize a plan that works best for you.