Getting Better Survey Results Means Meeting People Where They Are

It’s a trying time for organizations. Unhappy employees are quitting jobs and rematching with organizations to satisfy their unmet needs. Quantum Workplace researchOpens a new window shows 37% of employees leave their organizations due to a lack of career growth, 28% due to pay, and 27% because they feel undervalued or underappreciated for their work.

Meanwhile, remote employees might not have opportunities often enough to relay concerns to their managers. Asking employees for their perspectives, analyzing the feedback, and acting on it tells employees that their opinions matter, boosting engagement, employee and team performance, and in turn, achieving organizational goals. Gathering feedback is the first step.

But getting feedback isn’t always easy. Many jobs require workers to operate from a truck or on the store floor. Some are in the office a few days a week, and some are completely remote. That doesn’t mean their feedback matters less than the manager sitting in an onsite office. 

High-performing workers might have stayed instead of walking out the door if employers listened to their employees’ needs and career aspirations. The only way to improve the employee experience is to gather feedback, analyze perceptions, and form a plan of action.

Embrace the Consumer Experience

Consumers are taught to operate through their channel of choice. Maybe it’s signing up for a product alert text message. Maybe it’s push notifications through a social media app. Or maybe it’s coupons to your email. We sign up to receive information through our preferred communication channel. 

Technology is integrated into everything we do in our personal lives. It’s only natural that the employee mindset operates the same way. Organizations can use the same technology from consumer experiences to make feedback gathering easy for employees.

Communication channels vary by generation and by individual preference. A Soprano Design studyOpens a new window showed that 85% of consumers prefer text messages over businesses communicating by email or phone call. Consumers are increasingly using their mobile devices for everyday tasks, from paying bills to communicating with friends. 

Employees expect to utilize the same experiences found in their consumer lives in their work lives. Their communication preferences are likely to be similar in a work setting.

Try a Multi-channel Approach

Technology has transformed pen and paper surveys into digital versions with real-time results. Many employee engagement surveys are sent by employee email. There are likely even a few reminders sent in between launch and the deadline. This isn’t enough.

Service, retail, or industrial workers don’t always have a traditional company email, or if they do, they aren’t well equipped to check email. According to SkeduloOpens a new window , paper-based processes are still used by an estimated 44% of employers with large numbers of deskless employees. Reaching deskless employees has been an obstacle for many organizations. This can be solved by using the same technology people prefer in their everyday lives and using multiple communication channels to engage the entire audience.

Integrating survey notifications with company instant message platforms gives employees a nudge if the messaging app is downloaded to their smartphone. Using SMS capabilities responsibly gives organizations the flexibility to reach employees where they are in an increasingly mobile world through channels that are complementary to their individual preferences. The younger generations in the workforce grew up using mobile phones and smartphones and will expect work communication to use similar channels. Even office employees may prefer a text message survey.

Creating a multi-channel approach to survey outreach makes providing feedback easy and accessible for all. Survey rates are likely to increase when employees are alerted by their preferred channel. Higher response rates provide better data so that organizations can make better business decisions.

Don’t Overlook Other Feedback Opportunities

Reaching people where they are isn’t only about measuring employee engagement. Technology helps gather feedback to provide insights into other interactions with the organization like the job candidate’s experience, and though not a happy occasion, gathering perceptions from those leaving your organization.

Collecting feedback from candidates or former employees isn’t as simple as sending an all-employee email, and the same mindset of meeting people where they are applies. Organizations can hone in on individual preferences to reach people, especially through their smartphones and get higher response rates in the process. A variety of feedback from different people boosts the information organizations can use to act in making work a better place.

Having employee feedback is essential to evaluate where the organization is excelling and what it can do to improve the employee and candidate experience. Rule number one of communicating is knowing your audience and making a plan to reach them. That means meeting them wherever they’re located. 

Organizations can use individual preferences and various communication channels to reach a broader audience and increase survey response rates. Not only will getting the feedback helps the organization understand where to implement changes, but it will make the work and candidate experience better for everyone involved. 

How are you obtaining employee feedback in a distributed work environment? Let us know on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window .

MORE ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

• The Role of OKR Software in Engaging and Retaining Employees
• The Great Resignation: Retaining a Contingent Workforce in a Tight Talent Market
• Staff Meetings and Personal Connections Help Employees Feel More Engaged
• 3 Benefits a Successful Employee Feedback Management Program Should Bring to Your Organization