[Sneak Peek] How to Gain Employee Survey Buy-In With a Strategic Communication Plan

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION

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HOW TO GAIN EMPLOYEE SURVEY BUY-IN WITH A

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7How to Gain Employee Survey Buy-In With a Strategic Communication Plan

Top-down communication within an organization serves two essential functions: it provides the information employees need to get things done and builds relationships of trust and commitment. Communication within an employee engagement survey process serves the same main purposes with some additional benefits. Your survey communication strategy should:

1. Inform and EducateFirst and foremost, your communication strategy needs to provide employees with the basic information. Inform employees that they will be asked to take a survey, including how and when it will launch. You will also want to educate your employees on what employee engagement is, what the survey will measure, and how they will benefit from participating.

2. Gain EnthusiasmYour survey communication can also help you get your employees excited about the process. Explain that this survey will allow them to freely voice their opinions about the organization and help to improve their work experience.

3. Ensure Confidentiality Assure employees that their participation and responses will be kept confidential. One advantage of consulting an external partner is being able to promise your employees 100 percent anonymity. Provide a link to your external partner’s privacy policy to address any unanswered questions.

PURPOSESOF EFFECTIVE SURVEY COMMUNICATION7



4. Encourage HonestyEmployee participation alone isn’t enough to make the positive changes needed in your organization. Encourage your employees to answer honestly. Make sure your employees know that this is their chance to make a difference in their organization and each survey submission will be taken seriously.

5. Disclose IntentAn explanation of leaders’ intentions is often that extra bit of transparency employees need to drive participation in an organization-wide survey initiative. Explain to your employees what information will be shared post-survey and what you plan to do with the results. When employees believe your intentions are good and for their benefit, they are more likely to participate.

6. Continuously Improve EngagementAn employee engagement survey process isn’t like spring-cleaning, where once a year you gather feedback to address old issues from last fall. It’s an ongoing process that needs to be continually communicated throughout the year. To make the most of your survey process and improve engagement, remain in constant contact with your employees, frequently discuss how initiatives are working, address any lingering concerns, and celebrate successes.

7. Gain Buy-InWhile your communication pieces primarily serve one of the six purposes listed above, they also should be leveraged to gain employee buy-in. Use each piece to build trust, value, and empowerment throughout your employee engagement process.



7DANGERSOF INEFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Whether it’s your customer service department interacting with a client or your executive management implementing a new corporate initiative, communication can make or break the success of your organization. It’s no surprise that communication plays a crucial role in the success of your employee survey as well. Failure to communicate with your leaders and employees throughout this process can be costly.

Don’t underestimate this part of the engagement survey process. When communication is unclear or nonexistent, you risk:

1. Low Participation RatesNeglecting to inform your employees of how and when to take the survey can result in confusion and missed deadlines. But your biggest risk is lack of buy-in. To gain buy-in and drive participation rates, effectively communicate why each employee should take the survey.

2. Dishonest and Insincere ResponsesWhy would your employees answer honestly and sincerely if they don’t believe their opinions will be heard? Be straightforward about the survey’s benefit and your post-survey plans. Explain the value of honest feedback to make the survey worth their time and effort.

3. Decrease in Employee TrustIf you implement an organization-wide initiative without proving its worth to your employees, you may lose trust. If you don’t inform your employees of the survey’s purpose, results, and positive outcomes, you’ll risk losing employees’ trust in the survey assessment, future initiatives, and leadership.

4. Organization-Wide DisengagementIf you don’t effectively communicate through every step of the survey process, you risk further disengaging valuable employees. Don’t let ineffective communication make your employee engagement efforts backfire.



5. Little or No Positive Organizational ChangeIf you have low participation rates and receive insincere responses, then you won’t get a realistic view of your organization’s engagement level. An inaccurate collection of employee feedback provides leadership with little leverage to implement positive organizational change.

6. Loss on InvestmentEmployee surveys take time, effort, and yes, money. Without employee participation and sincere feedback, your organization is unable to implement positive change, and ultimately, increase engagement. Communicate effectively throughout the entire process to get the most on your investment.

7. Increase in TurnoverIneffective communication can lead to distrust, disengagement, and turnover. According to 21 Employee Turnover Insights, disengaged employees are 3.6 times more likely to leave an organization. Not only could ineffective communication cost you your survey investment, but it may also cost you the investment of valuable employees.

http://www.quantumworkplace.com/resources/whitepapers/research-and-trends/21-employee-turnover-insights-inspire-2013-strategy/

http://www.quantumworkplace.com/resources/whitepapers/research-and-trends/21-employee-turnover-insights-inspire-2013-strategy/

BUILD YOUR COMMUNICATION PLAN

In the next section, you’ll learn about the survey communication dos and don’ts. Keep reading for valuable tools that will help you build your communication plan, including:

• 8 crucial tips for communicating • A communication timeline• 16 sample communication pieces• 8 “what not to do” examples• 3 meeting agendas• And more




Tone and voice drastically impact the effectiveness of your communication pieces. Who are you talking to, and how do you address them? Is your piece easy to read with a clear call to action? Before you decide what you’re going to say, consider how you’re going say it.

1. Talk About ThemTalk about your readers, rather than at them. Use “you” at every opportunity, and stick in “we” and “us” as secondary pronouns. People like to read about themselves. Make your employees the subject of your communication to spark interest and gain buy-in. Say this: Take your survey to share your honest opinions. Not this: Take the survey to submit feedback.

2. Make It PersonalYour survey communication should connect with employees on a personal level. Relate to them, talk about specifics, and relay your personal voice. Say this: Your feedback is extremely important to this organization’s future and greatly impacts our direction. Thank you for your participation and support. Not this: We appreciate your participation and support of this important initiative.

3. Relay the BenefitsIf your employees aren’t gaining from the survey process, why should they put in the time and effort? Show them how they will benefit from participating. Make benefits of the workplace and entire organization secondary. Say this: This survey gives you an opportunity to improve your work experience while helping shape the future of Awesome Corp. Not this: This survey will give leadership the opportunity to make Awesome Corp a better place to work.

8CRUCIAL TIPSFOR COMMUNICATING WITH EMPLOYEES



4. Choose a Method That Fits Your Employees’ NeedsChoose a communication mode that will reach your employees in the most effective way. For example, if your employees have access to computers, email communication might make the most sense. On the other hand, if a majority of your employees aren’t online, email communication might not be your best option.

5. Make It ScannableYour employees are busy. Make your survey communication short, to the point, and easy to read. For scan-ability, use headlines and subheads, bulleted or numbered lists, adequate spacing, and bolding of important points. Avoid bogging your communication pieces down with text-heavy, paragraph formatting.

6. Segment Your AudienceTarget specific employee groups in order to connect with them on a personal level. For example, in your formal announcement, recite location or departmental initiatives that are currently in place as a result of past surveys to motivate different employee groups to participate again.

7. Create a Call to ActionCreating a call to action is one of the most important aspects of your initial survey communication. If you don’t tell your employees what to do, how will they know? Place your call to action buttons or links in multiple places, including the beginning of your communication pieces. That way, employees can choose to act immediately or continue reading for more details.

8. Brand Your SurveyBrand your annual employee survey to help your employees connect with the process and gain enthusiasm. Refer to your survey as its branded identity rather than “The Employee Engagement Survey” to make the entire process more meaningful, personalized, and fun for your employees. Choose a brand that makes sense for your employees, the organization, and your culture. Examples: Amp Up Awesome, AC Voices, Engage at Awesome Corp



COMMUNICATION TIMELINELeadership Meeting4-6 weeks before launch

Formal Announcement Email1 month before launch

Launch Reminder Email2-3 days before launch

Survey Invite EmailDay of survey launch

Survey Reminder EmailsTues/Thurs after launch

Last Chance Survey Reminder2-3 days before survey close

Thank You EmailDay of survey close

Results Overview Email1 week after close

Detailed Results Email1-2 months after close

All-Company Follow-Up1-2 months after close

Leadership Follow-Up Meeting3 weeks after close

BEFORE THESURVEY

DURINGTHESURVEY

AFTERTHESURVEY

BEFORE THE SURVEY


Leadership Meeting

Formal Announcement Email

Launch Reminder Email



LEADERSHIP MEETINGGain buy-in and assign leadership roles

When talking to leadership, show how they will benefit from the survey first and foremost. If you don’t provide data on the linkage between engagement and financial success, customer service, and retention, you might risk losing buy-in. Check out Quantum Workplace’s resource center for some valuable data points you can use.

Get them on board. The leaders of your organization influence your employees. Get your leaders to buy into the process to drive participation and survey response quality.

HR or top leadership Four to six weeks before launch

— Basic survey info — Purpose of survey — Rough timeline — Leadership’s role — Benefit of survey

WHO LEADS WHEN

WHAT

AVOID

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SAMPLE

LEADERSHIP MEETINGEmployee Engagement Survey Meeting Agenda

Objective: Discuss upcoming employee engagement survey and assign leadership rolesDate: September 7, 2013Time: 8:30 a.m.Location: Conference room

Agenda

• Purposeofemployeeengagementsurvey(5 min) — Leadership benefits — Employee benefits — Organizational benefits

• Review of previous year survey (5-15 min) — Brief overview of results — Implemented changes

• Details for upcoming survey (5-10 min) — Date and timeline — Survey partner information — Expected leadership roles — Dos and Don’ts

• Post-survey expectations (5 min) — Executive presentation to leadership — All-company meeting — Action planning with teams



Gain buy-in, generate awareness, and spark enthusiasm

Numerous studies have found that employeesurvey response rates improve when pre-survey communications are effectively delivered.(Fox, Crask, & Jonghoon; Shannon & Bradshaw, 2002)

FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT EMAIL

Be mindful of your tone and voice. If you only focus on leadership’s benefit or use words like “mandatory” or “must,” you might turn off your employees. Don’t make employees opt-out of the process before they have a chance to opt-in.

Cite examples. Remind your employees what you did with last year’s results to gain buy-in for your upcoming survey. New to the process? Tell your employees how you’re going to use the results.

Top leadership One month before launch

— Basic survey info — Purpose of survey — Rough timeline — Benefit of participating

WHO SENDS WHEN

WHAT

AVOID

QW TIP



SAMPLETo: All EmployeesFrom: Top LeadershipSubject: Employee Engagement Survey

This email is to notify you of the launch of Awesome Corp’s 2013 Employee Engagement survey. This survey is a great way for leadership to evaluate the strengths throughout our organization.

Every team member is required to participate. An external vendor will send an email on the survey start date and provide any necessary details.

The survey must be completed by Friday, November 1st.

Joe Awesome, CEO

BAD




SAMPLEGOOD


To: All EmployeesFrom: Top LeadershipSubject: 2013 Employee Engagement Survey is Coming!

The 2013 Employee Engagement Survey will launch on October 15th. The anonymous and confidential survey is your opportunity to help shape the future of Awesome Corp, while improving your own work experience. Your feedback will be compiled and used to guide further positive changes across our organization.

An independent firm, [Survey Partner*], will conduct the survey and analyze the results, which will then be disseminated to Awesome Corp employees via email and an all-company meeting.

Get ready! You’ll receive an email invitation from [Survey Partner*] on October 15th with a link to take the survey.

Please complete the survey by Friday, November 1st at 5 p.m.

Thank you for your participation and support of this important initiative.

Joe Awesome, CEO



SAMPLEBEST


To: All EmployeesFrom: Top LeadershipSubject: Amp Up Awesome! 2013 Employee Engagement Survey is Coming!

I am excited to announce our Amp Up Awesome survey will launch on October 15th and will remain open until November 1st. We would love to get 100% participation in order to ensure that each and every employee’s voice is heard.

How You BenefitLast year, we used your valuable survey feedback to better your work experience with:

• GOOD lunches to improve manager-employee communication and make your goals and accountabilities clearer

• New office furniture to give you more privacy• Communication workshops to create open and honest communication among

your team members• Refurbished break room to give you a more comfortable and welcoming

in-office break area

About the SurveyThis annual survey gives you an opportunity to improve your work experience, while helping shape the future of Awesome Corp. An invaluable tool for our team, the employee survey is:

• Quick and convenient• 100% confidential• Optional• A way for you to share honest feedback• A tool to improve your work experience

In order to maintain 100% confidentiality, we are partnering with [Survey Partner*].

Get ready! You will receive an email invitation to take the survey from [Survey Partner*] on October 15th. Your feedback is extremely important to me and greatly impacts the direction of this organization. Thank you for your participation and support.

Joe Awesome, CEO

Documents

[Sneak Peek] How to Gain Employee Survey Buy-In With a Strategic Communication Plan