How to Create an Attitude Survey
A well-designed employee attitude survey will tell you what employees think about their jobs and the work environment. Something that seems insignificant, like the break room microwave's power level or the copier's reliability, can cause dissatisfaction that affects productivity and morale. A comprehensive, confidential attitude survey gives employees a safe place to voice their concerns and gives employers a wealth of knowledge on how to create a better work environment.
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Instructions
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Decide the desired outcome of the survey. The questions you devise will all be tailored to the information you want to get from the survey. You may want to find out how employees like the new telephone system or if they use the company's Facebook page for updates and questions. The questions need to be focused and specific.
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Hold focus groups. You may think you understand the problems or concern of the employees, but you will not be sure unless you ask them. Invite representatives of the departments affected and hold a focus group to explore the issues and narrow down key topics for the survey. Invite both management and hourly employees at different sessions to make each group comfortable sharing information and concerns.
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Decide on questions. The success of a survey depends on the quality of the questions. Vague or confusing questions or those that use language or jargon unfamiliar to those taking the survey won't give you the information you are looking for. Keep the survey manageable. A few well-written questions are better than a hundred confusing or repetitive questions.
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Choose a rating scale. A rating scale, such as from one to five, with one being the highest or most desirable, is one way to score survey questions. You will get intensity, but not keys to why the person chose that particular rating. Open ended-questions requiring written comments give more information but are more difficult to categorize and quantify.
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Test the survey and revise as necessary. Pilot the survey with a cross-section of employees. After they take the survey, compile the results and hold another focus group to get feedback on the questions. The employees may have interpreted a question very differently than you intended. Be open to the feedback and adjust the questions and survey length accordingly.
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Choose a delivery system. Depending on the capabilities of those taking the survey, you may need paper and pencil and/or online survey access. Confidentiality and ease is key to employee participation. Set a time limit to complete the survey and promote it to the employees.
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Compile, analyze and share the results. Show your employees you appreciate their effort and time by quickly analyzing the responses and sharing the results. Negative comments about employees or managers should remain private. Surveys are not an opportunity to embarrass anyone, and you should be careful to protect the privacy of all involved.
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References
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