The Importance of Employee Surveys
Since a company's workforce is one of its greatest assets, employers solicit feedback from employees to see if employees are happy, what the company's strengths or weaknesses are and where organizational improvements can be made. According to Censeo (an online organization that seeks to improve business talent), employee surveys are valuable because they provide insight into the company from the perspective of the people who do the work.
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Definition
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BNET (a website that offers business management tips) defines employee surveys as questionnaires that employees are asked to fill out, which inquire about specific information that employers wish to know. Employee surveys can be administered by employers at any time and are sometimes given to employees during exit interviews. There are no right or wrong answers on surveys, as surveys are not tests; they are opinion-based.
Function
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According to the National Business Research Institute, employee surveys function as a means for employers to measure things like employee morale and the effectiveness of organizational processes. Censeo argues that since employees are in the action, they will have an accurate perception of how things really are, how processes work and what needs to be improved. As such, employers value their opinions. After the outcomes of a survey are collected, employers may make organizational changes to create more effective or efficient processes, or to uplift low morale (if employees are dissatisfied).
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Types
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According to Top Results (a website that offers leadership advice), there are various types of employee surveys, including satisfaction, development and employer improvement surveys. There are also different types of survey formats. Some surveys utilize a multiple-choice approach, while others require narrative answers to be written in by employees.
Significance
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When employers survey their workforce they are taking a proactive approach to make sure they aren't overlooking any pressing concerns that employees may be privy to, but may otherwise remain hidden. When issues are not brought to the surface, employers don't have a way of reversing them. Consequently, the problems will go unaddressed. According to Top Results, when employers survey their staff they can identify ways to improve the business so that employees are happy and everything is working effectively and efficiently. As such, surveys serve a significant purpose in staff retention and organizational improvement efforts.
Benefits
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The nice thing about employee surveys is that the process of surveying staff is anonymous. Most of the time, employees are not required to put their name on the survey, so they are able to be honest and truthful with their responses due to the comfort of anonymity. Surveys benefit employees because employees will feel as though they can still voice their opinions in a process that is safe.
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References
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