Do you know what your employees need and what they think about their corporate culture? How satisfied are your employees in general, how do they feel about the implementation of your measures and are they possibly missing something to be even more engaged, motivated and innovative? A simple way to get honest feedback: Ask your employees directly!Employee surveys, such as the Trust Index™ Survey from Great Place to Work®, are more than just a questionnaire or a means to an end for a label. They give you the opportunity to really listen and involve employees. To show that every employee's opinion is wanted, heard and valued.
More employee involvement with the Trust Index™ employee survey
Employee surveys are a great way to identify potential and fields of action and to address them in a targeted manner. At the same time, they are an ideal opportunity to obtain honest feedback from employees and actively involve them. In this way, you as an organisation can show that you care about your employees and at the same time set the basis for a trust-based workplace culture. And this trust is the foundation for high employee satisfaction, which in turn leads to more employee involvement, commitment and overall better performance. That all sounds fantastic! But what questions should you ask your employees so that they measure the right things and derive the right measures from the results?
The Trust Index™ is a reliable employee survey that provides the basis for analysing and developing workplace culture towards a Great Place to Work. The results obtained from the Trust Index™ make workplace culture tangible. And thanks to the anonymity, you get an objective view of the current state of employee satisfaction on the important elements of your workplace culture and can thus identify and further develop strengths and potentials.
But first, regardless of what kind of employee survey you are talking about, it is important to actively and regularly ask employees for feedback. And we will show you how to have the greatest possible impact.
Larger organisations conduct employee surveys more frequently
According to a representative study by Great Place to Work® Switzerland, 55% of organisations with over 250 employees regularly conduct employee surveys. A study examining the use of employee surveys in Germany, Austria and Switzerland comes to the same conclusion: Of the 249 large companies surveyed in Switzerland, almost two-thirds regularly conduct surveys. In smaller organisations with 50 or fewer employees, regular surveys take place in only a quarter of all interviewed organisations.
In smaller organisations (less than 50 employees), more than 70% do not conduct regular employee surveys - often due to a lack of resources. Be it a lack of time or budget. Often there is also a fear of a lack of impact or the value proposition is not considered particularly high. This is an understandable entry barrier. Therefore, we wanted to know whether there are success factors that can increase the benefit or impact of employee surveys. The key words here are regularity, participation and follow-up!
Regularity
Conducting regular surveys increases the trust of employees in the company and thus the overall trust within an organisation. For example, the Trust Index™ is on average 15.5% higher in organisations in Switzerland where regular employee surveys are conducted. But why these differences in perceived workplace culture? One possible explanation may be obvious and yet is overlooked: an organisation's interest in active employee feedback is in itself an indicator of great workplace culture.
It has been shown that especially along the dimensions of cooperation, team spirit and organisational support, regular conduct is related to a more positive perception. The three elements are central to a functioning corporate culture and form the foundation for its development.
Participation
If a survey is conducted regularly, employees are also more willing to participate. This finding is also supported by our representative study: In organisations where no regular surveys are conducted, just under 48% of employees express their willingness to participate. If, on the other hand, regular surveys take place, around 90% of employees intend to participate repeatedly. One reason is that regular surveys lead to more trust in the survey instrument.
At the same time, employees are reassured that they can provide feedback on a regular basis. Thus, surveys are becoming an integral part of the feedback culture. The higher participation rate (i.e. the ratio of participants to the total number of employees) also makes the survey more representative. In turn, the findings and measures derived from the survey meet with greater acceptance and thus involve more employees.
For the credibility of the company, it is eminently important that actions are to be taken with the results of the survey. An appropriate follow-up is needed!
Follow-Up
In addition to regular implementation of the survey itself and the highest possible level of representativeness, what ultimately matters is what happens with the results and to what extent findings lead to concrete measures. If change processes are not driven forward with sufficient determination until they eventually "fizzle out", your survey will lose credibility. So think through the follow-up process carefully in advance and always communicate the planned steps clearly and transparently.
The first step is to communicate the results of the survey internally. How this is done (internal email, intranet, presentation by HR or management, etc.) is secondary. What is more important is that, in addition to celebrating the positive feedback, you also openly communicate any areas for improvement. Show employees that you recognise their opinion and want to actively improve the current situation. You can also involve employees, for example, in defining relevant fields of action and developing solutions. Developing measures together is crucial to give employees a voice beyond the survey and make them co-responsible for the development of the workplace culture as part of the organisation. This will lead to more trust, more motivation and a better overall workplace culture.
Compete with the best
Employee surveys not only have an internal added value. They also offer organisations the opportunity to measure themselves against other companies of the same size, region or even sector. For this purpose, Great Place to Work® collects a representative benchmark for Switzerland in a regular cycle. Organisations that take part in a Trust Index™ Survey are thus given the opportunity to benchmark themselves against other Swiss organisations.
But that's not all: they also get the opportunity to compete with the best through Best Workplaces™ Switzerland and see how they rank nationally. Are you one of them? Then take part in the Best Workplaces™ Switzerland 2022!
