When was the last time you sent out an employee survey? How many responses did you get? If not a lot, there is a good chance that the reason was the survey itself.
The way you write the survey really matters to get honest feedback from employees and make the workplace better. Not just the survey questions, but the style of writing can also be an important factor in getting answers.
In this post, find four essential writing tips to make your surveys more engaging and give you more of the valuable employee feedback.
1. Avoid Leading Questions
A leading question is a question that encourages a specific answer, e.g., “Don’t you love our new coffee machine in the office?” It’s used mainly to confirm a piece of information, which is totally inapplicable if you want to get honest feedback.
A better option of the just-mentioned question would be:
“What do you think of our new coffee machine in the office?”
In this case, you’re not putting words in the survey taker’s mouth and encourage an honest answer.
Another “classic” type of undesirable leading question starts with “Do you…” For example, the question “Do you have any problems with your manager?” prompts the survey participant to questions their relationship with their manager.
Instead, try an open-ended option like, “Could you describe your relationship with your manager?”
Always check your surveys for leading questions before sending them out. It can be easy to forget and add a couple of them accidentally and affect employee engagement with the survey.
2. Avoid Addressing Two Subjects in One Question
Having two subjects in the same question can easily confuse your employees and cause inaccurate feedback. These questions are often called “double-barreled,” and they reduce the quality of the answer given by survey takers.
Here’s an example from a recent employee survey at an academic writing services company that employs 150+ people:
“How satisfied are you with your compensation and wellness policy?”
It’s a great and meaningful question, but there’s a small risk that the employee won’t understand what exactly the employer needs to measure. Moreover, the survey taker might focus on one part, say, compensation, and provide a detailed answer. As for the second part, they can limit their response to one short sentence.
To get honest feedback from employees, focus each question on a single subject.
Pro tip: Avoid double-barreled answers to questions in case you write multiple-choice questions. For example, if the survey asks, “What is your biggest work motivation?” an answer “Positive work environment and my colleagues” would be double-barreled.
3. Keep Each Survey to Less than Ten Questions
One major reason why people avoid taking surveys is the time it takes to complete them. Even if it’s your employees, they still can skip questions they deem too complicated (especially if there’s a bunch of them). In some cases where they experience issues like work-from-home burnout or stress, they can even skip entire surveys.
The advice of HR experts on this also differs. The Society of Human Resource Management, for example, says that a general employee survey can contain up to 75 questions, which translates into 30 minutes of answering.
To have the best chance of getting honest and detailed feedback from your employees, limit your surveys to ten questions. This applies to all surveys, be it a weekly or an annual.
Pro tip: Display the number of questions and the time estimate at the start of the survey. It will help your employees to manage their time expectations and avoid unnecessary frustration and incomplete answers.
4. Always Include Questions About Work Environment
Almost every employee survey should collect feedback about the work environment. In order to create and maintain a productive and safe work environment, you need to get regular updates on potential issues, successes, or new ideas.
Here are some examples of questions to consider.
- In your opinion, how safe is the current work environment at the company?
- What do you think is the best thing about the work environment in our company?
- How, in your opinion, can your manager be a better leader to you?
- Did you notice any workplace issues in the past week/month?
- Do you feel valued?
- Do you feel recognized for your contributions?
Feel free to customize these if you feel there are more opportunities to learn. Just remember to limit the number of questions to ten to avoid overwhelming the participants. One good idea is to make a “work environment” section in each survey with a few related questions. The rest could be questions about other workplace matters.
Conclusion
Employee surveys are a great way to collect workforce feedback on a regular basis. It’s the duty of every employer to ensure the best possible work environment, so asking for feedback directly can be an effective tool to meet the needs of employees.
This blog post was reprinted with permission.
About the author: Daniela McVicker is a career specialist and a content editor at the AllTopReviews website. She enjoys sharing her experience with students and job seekers who want to improve their chances of getting their dream job.
