Employee surveys are an essential tool for company management to gain insights into employee motivation and satisfaction. When used correctly, they help create a good working atmosphere in the long term.
Company management must be prepared to react to poor survey results and initiate changes.
Employee surveys often fail because employees feel their opinions are ignored, and no changes are made.
How much does an employee survey cost?
There are many tools on the market specifically tailored to employee surveys. These tools provide interfaces to the major HR systems, for example, or offer a variety of PDF reports for management.
Unfortunately, the disadvantage of these tools is often the price, as a monthly fee of between €3 and €5 is charged per employee surveyed, and the connection to the company infrastructure is complex. Especially for occasional surveys in large companies, costs can quickly rise to over €1,000 per month.
Riddle offers a good alternative here. With affordable plans for unlimited surveys that can be canceled monthly, any company can quickly and easily conduct employee surveys.
Definition: What is an employee survey?
An employee survey is a systematic approach to recording the current mood in the company.
This can range from a simple question about the current state of their health to detailed surveys on the working atmosphere, relationship with management, further training, or the commitment of the workforce.
The aim of the survey is to make well-founded decisions on improving the working environment based on the findings and ideally, the survey should be conducted regularly in order to measure the effect of the measures taken on the mood in the company.
Objectives of an employee survey
The objectives of employee surveys include, but are not limited to:
- Increasing satisfaction: Problem areas can be identified, appropriate improvement measures introduced, and their success monitored.
- Increasing employee engagement: After gaining insights into the current status of employee motivation, you can then implement appropriate processes that increase motivation in a targeted manner.
- Recording the satisfaction of new hires: Checking whether new employees have been successfully integrated into the company.
- Recording reasons for dismissal: An employee survey can also be used as an exit interview to gain insight into the reasons for dismissal and subsequently introduce improvements to prevent dismissals.
Planning an employee survey
Set targets
Clearly define what you want to achieve with the survey. In general, there are two main objectives that also influence the design of the questionnaire:
1. Measure general employee satisfaction: A simple question such as “How satisfied are you currently at work?” is sufficient here.
2. Obtain feedback on specific processes or measures: A detailed questionnaire with the option to provide detailed feedback in the form of free text responses is a good way to do this.
Design the questionnaire
For the survey objective “General satisfaction,” a questionnaire consisting of only one question is recommended. This type of survey can be conducted regularly (e.g., once a month) to measure the change in satisfaction over time.
One example would be this type of display with an easy-to-use slider:
If it is more of a survey to obtain opinions on processes or measures, the survey can also contain several question blocks, including free-text answers.
Here is an example of a more extensive survey:
This survey uses Riddle’s branching logic to ask follow-up questions depending on the previous answers. This ensures that satisfied employees, for example, are not asked for suggestions for improvement.
Implementation of an employee survey
Conducting employee surveys is a systematic process that requires careful planning and implementation. Here are the key steps:
- Define goals: Set clear objectives, as already described.
- Select survey type: Select the appropriate format depending on the objective.
- Design the questionnaire: Design the questions clearly and purposefully.
- Define the survey method: Choose an online, paper-based, or mixed medium.
- Conduct the survey: Communicate and provide the employees with the surveys.
- Evaluate results: Analyze the data collected.
- Communicate feedback: Feed the results back to the employees.
- Implement measures: Introduce targeted improvements based on the results.
Evaluate the employee survey
Analyze results
Once the data has been collected, it should be analyzed comprehensively to gain important insights. Use statistical tools carefully to obtain valid results. Comparing the results with industry benchmarks or previous survey results can provide additional context for understanding the data.
Use both quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis:
- Quantitative methods: descriptive statistics, crosstabs, charts, and graphs to visualize data
- Qualitative methods: thematic analysis to identify recurring themes in open responses
Feed results back to the employees
It is essential to communicate the survey results transparently to employees. Create a report summarizing the key findings and explaining what actions will be taken based on the feedback, promoting trust and showing employees that their feedback is valued and taken on board.
Types of employee surveys
Employee surveys are a versatile tool covering different aspects of the employee experience. Here are the most common types:
Employee satisfaction survey
These surveys measure employee satisfaction with various aspects of their work, such as compensation, professional development opportunities, and work-life balance. The results help to identify problem areas and make necessary changes to improve overall morale.
Corporate culture survey
Culture surveys assess whether employees’ perspectives are aligned with the company’s values and goals. They aim to assess the working environment and the general cultural dynamics in the various departments in order to create a coherent and supportive working environment.
Employee engagement survey
These surveys provide information about the commitment and motivation of employees towards their work and the company. They help to determine employees’ emotional attachment as well as develop strategies to increase commitment.
360-degree feedback
With this method, employees receive feedback from superiors, colleagues, and subordinates. It enables a comprehensive view not only of performance but also of development opportunities, supporting a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Examples of an employee survey
Here are some examples of questions that can be used in different types of employee surveys:
Example of a satisfaction survey
1. Overall, how satisfied are you with your current position?
- Very satisfied
- Satisfied
- Neutral
- Dissatisfied
- Very dissatisfied
2. How would you rate our company’s professional development opportunities?
- Very good
- Good
- Average
- Bad
- Very bad
3. Which aspects of your work would you like to improve? (free text)
Example of a cultural survey
1. To what extent do you agree with the company values?
- Fully agree
- Agree
- Neutral
- Do not agree at all
- Disagree
2. Do you feel respected and valued in your department?
- Yes, always
- Mostly
- Sometimes
- Rare
- Never
3. What could our company do to improve the corporate culture?
Provide a free text answer option
Design employee surveys yourself with Riddle.
With Riddle, companies can create, conduct, and evaluate customized employee surveys cost-effectively and flexibly. The platform offers:
- Unlimited surveys: no limit to the number of participants at a fixed monthly price
- Customizable templates: different templates for different survey types
- Industry-specific interfaces: integration with large HR systems for seamless data utilization
- Interactive elements: simple integration of sliders, free text fields, and more
- Real-time analysis: immediate evaluation of survey results with visual dashboards
Further Reading
If you want to capture a simple sentiment from employees or customers, give our NPS Block a try. With the Net Promoter Score Block you can create a great looking simple poll in under a minute.
Frequently asked questions
Employee surveys provide valuable feedback that helps to improve the working environment, increase satisfaction, and boost productivity. They promote a culture of trust and cooperation, making them a vital step in aligning company goals with the actual situation in the company.
The following departments generally conduct employee surveys:
– Human resources
– Executives and company management
– External service providers
– The HR department usually takes over the planning and implementation of the employee survey in consultation with management. If there is a works council in the company, it must be involved in the planning and implementation.
Furthermore, the rules of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) must be observed. These include:
Legal basis: There must be a basis for processing the collected data, either through the consent of the employees or through the legitimate interest of the employer.
Transparency: Employees must be informed about what data is collected for what purpose and how long this data is stored.
Anonymity: Ideally, surveys should be conducted anonymously unless there are compelling reasons against an anonymous survey. It is important that the tool used does not use cookies or trackers and does not store the IP addresses of the respondents. Riddle fulfills all these requirements.
Data minimization: The survey should only collect the data that is absolutely necessary.
Conduct employee surveys regularly, ideally quarterly or every six months – to keep an eye on the mood in the company and be able to react promptly.
A representative survey accurately reflects the opinions of the entire workforce. This is usually achieved when at least 70% of employees take part.
For small companies (less than 1000 employees, ideally almost 90% of employees should participate, as sampling is not recommended for a survey size of less than 1000 participants).
The main criterion for a good employee survey is employee participation rate. A good survey is also willingly completed. The experience of the employees in terms of reactions to the last survey also plays a role. If company management did not respond to the previously identified problems, for example, the likelihood that employees will participate again in the next survey also decreases.
A good employee survey is characterized by clear communication of the objectives and a transparent response to the results.
The following steps are necessary to create a good survey:
– Defining objectives
– Selecting the right survey type based on objectives
– Formulating clear and easy-to-understand questions
– Selecting a suitable platform that meets all data protection and anonymity requirements, such as the tools from Riddle.com
– Implementing a pilot run with up to 10 participants
– Distributing the survey to all employees
– Reminding employees if participation is below the desired rate
– Analyzing the data
– Communicating the results and the measures derived from them
An effective employee survey requires careful planning and implementation, and here are some best practices to maximize the effectiveness of your survey:
Set clear and specific goals:
Define exactly what information you want to collect and how it should contribute to improving the organization.
Relevant and well-formulated questions:
Develop questions that directly target your objectives. Avoid duplicate questions or questions that are too general.
Use a mixture of closed and open questions to obtain comprehensive data.
Guarantee anonymity:
Ensure that responses are anonymous to encourage honest and unbiased feedback.
User-friendly design:
Design the survey clearly and intuitively. Use clear instructions and a logical structure.
Make sure that the survey is easily accessible on different devices.
Optimal length:
Keep the survey as short as possible without leaving out important aspects. An average duration of 10-15 minutes is ideal.
Regularity and timing:
Conduct the survey regularly in order to recognize trends and be able to react promptly to changes.
Choose a time that is convenient for the employees and avoid stressful phases.
Transparent communication:
Inform employees in advance about the purpose of the survey, the procedure, and how the results will be used.
Promotion of participation:
Use incentives and create a positive environment that motivates participation.
Efficient evaluation and implementation:
Analyze the data thoroughly and derive concrete measures based on the results.
Communicate the results and planned measures transparently to employees in order to build trust and promote commitment.
With these strategies, you can ensure that your employee survey is effective and provides valuable insights that contribute to the continuous improvement of your organization.
The participation rate can be significantly increased by clearly communicating the purpose, guaranteeing anonymity, making the surveys easily accessible and, where appropriate, offering incentives such as vouchers or additional vacation days.
Use negative results to implement targeted improvements in your company. Develop an action plan to address the identified issues and communicate the planned measures transparently to employees to restore trust and commitment.
Use tools supporting anonymous surveys and clearly communicate that all responses will be treated confidentially. This encourages honest and constructive feedback.
