Employee Surveys That Assess the Level of Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is what human resources practitioners refer to as the level of enthusiasm an employee has about his work and what he does to ensure that the quality of his performance exceeds the company's expectations. It's a broad definition for a subjective state that varies according to the company, the industry and the employee's position. Employee engagement affects individual employees, teams, departments and even the entire workforce if allowed to go unchecked. Human resources best practices suggest disengagement is at the root of poor performance, increased turnover and low morale.
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Survey Tools
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Employee surveys are tools and exercises companies use to identify where engagement ends and disengagement begins. Employee surveys come in different forms, such as written or computer-based opinion surveys, focus groups, human resources staff surveys of performance appraisals and one-on-one discussions with employees whose disengagement influences others in the workplace. Employee surveys are easy to administer and can be tailored to address specific workplace concerns or overall working conditions. Surveys that measure employee engagement usually focus on specific areas, however.
Opinion Surveys
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Confidential written or computer-based surveys gather employee opinions on a number of issues. Common employee opinion survey questions include inquiries about job value, job readiness and leadership. When asked "On a scale of 1 to 5, rate how important your job is to overall department function" or "On a scale of 1 to 5, rate how important your job is to the company's revenue goals," employee responses shed light on whether employees believe their contributions really add value to the company. Human resources staff analyze survey responses to determine if problems with engagement are organization-wide or if specific departments promote employee disengagement.
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Focus Groups
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Focus groups obtain information from employees in a manner that encourages open and candid dialogue. A human resources employee -- usually an employee relations specialist -- conducts employee focus groups, or an outside consultant facilitates discussion among small groups of five to seven employees. Because employees don't regularly interact with consultants, a focus group expert can ease employees' apprehension about sharing sensitive information face-to-face. Focus group participants share information about their enthusiasm, or lack thereof, or they comment on what their employer can do to improve motivation levels and interest in their jobs. Focus group facilitators assemble and review their notes to determine any patterns concerning employee interest, morale and satisfaction. These factors combined assist in identifying the level of employee engagement.
Performance Appraisals
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Employees who don't understand what the company expects of them exhibit signs that mimic low enthusiasm about the jobs they're hired to perform. Lack of basic job skills, inadequate preparation or ineffective training techniques may be reasons why employees aren't excited about the work assigned to them. Performance appraisals evaluate the proficiency with which employees perform their job duties; however, surveying appraisals is an effective measuring tool to determine how well an employee believes she's prepared to do her job. Using a performance appraisal method that incorporates self-evaluation is strongly recommended in this case. Employees who review their own performance in as objective a manner as possible will indicate the skills and training they need to understand their job functions and, ultimately, have an improved outlook on their jobs.
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References
- ERC: Employee Engagement Surveys (EES)
- Workforce Management: 12 Questions to Measure Employee Engagement
- International Association of Business Communicators; Employee Engagement Survey; Buck Consultants; 2009
- "Bloomberg Businessweek": The Role of Employee Engagement in the Return to Growth; August 2010
