Board Member Matthias Diete Speaks at the Economic Forum for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses About Employee Surveys
At the renowned AGITANO business forum for medium-sized companies, our board member Matthias Diete explained in a bi-weekly series of topics entitled “In Dialogue – How employee surveys and feedback processes can unlock their full added value for companies” what needs to be taken into account when conducting employee surveys, especially in the context of medium-sized companies.
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Companies that want to conduct an employee survey should be aware that the results should be used to derive follow-up measures. This is not only important for reasons of credibility with employees, but also for their own benefit.
Actions must follow words
Therefore, companies should not just find out what their strengths and weaknesses are. Instead, the existing development potential should be systematically developed. To do this, a concept should be developed on how the identified weak points can be eliminated and what personnel and organizational development measures are required. Necessary steps can also be discussed on a topic-specific basis within the framework of project groups that should include employees from different hierarchical levels and, if necessary, different locations. The task of these project groups is to specify the measures and make them ready for implementation.
Initiating such continuous improvements strengthens the company’s competitiveness. At the same time, they increase the willingness of employees to remain loyal, as they recognize that their commitment is valued. Not least in the competition for qualified employees, it is an enormous advantage if the company is perceived as being seriously interested in the concerns of its employees.
Use Tracking Tool
In addition to the improvement measures initiated by the company’s management, which mostly concern organizational and personnel development, areas, departments and teams are required to develop ideas in workshops on how weaknesses can be eliminated and strengths developed. These workshops promote active exchange from “bottom to top” and “top to bottom”. In order for these meetings to be efficient and effective, they should be led by people who know how to moderate such events in a goal- and result-oriented manner.
All ideas and measures that are to be implemented should be included in a web-based tracking tool. Good consulting companies provide their customers with such a tool. It contains a central overall plan of all activities that are to be driven forward, responsibilities and time limits. Color coding (red, yellow, green) and percentages show those responsible how successfully the individual measures have already been implemented and where further action is needed.
Support Follow-Up Measures One Hundred Percent
For example, structured induction programs for new employees and a new employee interview system can be implemented. Basically, it is important to ensure that the approach is very pragmatic. The responsible project team can use the tracking tool as a controlling instrument to ensure, in collaboration with HR staff, that work continues consistently on the identified fields of action or follow-up measures.
To ensure that everyone involved is ultimately satisfied with the successes achieved, management should not only support the employee survey itself, but also the follow-up processes 100 percent. Employees must also know that work is being consistently carried out on the relevant fields of action.
It is crucial for success to inform the workforce about the work and progress of the project groups. Because only if the analysis does not stop there, but is followed by actions that are positively evaluated by management and employees, will acceptance for future employee surveys continue. In addition, it is the task of managers to discuss the results that concern them with their employees and to initiate further improvement processes.
The Effort is Worth it
This is demonstrated by the study “Organization 2015: Designed to win” by the Boston Consulting Group. According to the study, the companies that perform best are those that consistently focus on their soft core competencies: leadership, motivation, internal communication and cross-company collaboration. Strategic employee surveys, according to the authors of the study, create the conditions for this and are predestined to systematically challenge, evaluate and promote these core competencies.
It is recommended that employee surveys be repeated at regular intervals. An interval of around two years has proven to be effective. The follow-up surveys show to what extent the follow-up measures are having an effect, what is on the right track and in which areas there is a need for further action.