Happy, motivated, and engaged employees are easy to spot. They’re the ones who go the extra mile, are always willing to lend a hand, and pride themselves on their contribution to your business. They may be vocal advocates for your brand on social media, consistent client favourites and an overall safe pair of hands.
Disengaged employees can be harder to spot. They may not overtly be doing anything wrong, but equally, they aren’t interested in being a top performer, either. Their mild dissatisfaction may bring the wider team down and productivity levels could be well below what’s actually achievable.
Unhappy employees don’t just cause morale and motivation to drop. They’re also a huge financial drain on UK businesses. In fact, disengaged employees are thought to cost around £340 million per year. Whether they’re job hunting on your time, badmouthing your organisation to others, or refusing to collaborate, a disengaged workforce represents a real threat to your bottom line.
In short, disengaged employees:
- Are more likely to do the bare minimum during their working day.
- Could be actively looking for another role.
- Hinder team productivity.
- Damage morale.
- Impede collaboration.
- May damage your reputation.
- Could cause irreparable damage to customer relationships.
- Lead to lower staff retention rates.
Why do employee engagement surveys matter?
While there’s no quick fix to turn an unhappy, frustrated employee into a productive team player, regularly conducting employee engagement surveys can help.
Honest feedback: By serving as an open and honest avenue of communication, they empower employees to voice their frustrations and give you the insight you need to nurture a happier workforce.
Deeper insight: A company-wide survey may bring to light complaints that you weren’t aware of.
Early identification of issues: Regular surveys also act as an early warning system, with any changes in overall sentiment an indicator of concerning developments. These are the things that you’ll want to get to grips with before they become more deeply rooted, disruptive issues.
Employee wellbeing: The act of asking your team members about their opinions and feelings can have a positive impact on employee wellbeing. It shows that you’re committed to listing, willing to offer support, and ready to make changes.
What questions should you include in an employee engagement survey?
An employee engagement survey is a tool to measure employee satisfaction levels. It can help you quantify commitment levels, motivation drivers and sentiment around issues such as employee recognition schemes, development opportunities and more.
Your questions should be measured and specific. This allows you to perform a wider analysis, highlight trends and then monitor the impact of any changes made.
Sample questions to ask:
- Do you feel happy at work?
- Do you feel that your work is valued?
- Do you feel that your accomplishments are recognised and acknowledged?
- Do you feel appreciated?
- Are you happy with the development opportunities on offer to you?
- Do you see yourself working here in three years’ time?
- Would you recommend a role here to friends and family members?
- Do you feel supported while at work?
- Do you feel your efforts are adequately rewarded?
- Are you happy with the level of feedback you receive?
- Are you given the tools you need to succeed in your role?
- Do you see a future for yourself in this company?
- Do you feel your work matters?
- What changes could we make to help you feel more engaged and valued?
What happens after an employee engagement survey?
The period following an engagement survey is just as important as the survey itself. While you’ll need to allow time to analyse responses, you should also aim to formulate a structured response to deal with commonly recurring themes, such as a lack of recognition or unhappiness with advancement pathways.
Taking clear action to address the feedback given by respondents shows that their time, opinions, and suggestions are welcomed, listened to, and can result in positive change where appropriate.
