Employee Experience Surveys That Matter
Fresh Ideas from Us
Organizational assessment has been top of mind lately—we’ve been doing quite a bit of it. Assessment is the work of gathering qualitative and quantitative data about what employees are experiencing and what cultural norms are most influential in an organization. We learn about experiences and perceptions around communication, decision-making, DEIB, collaboration, management practices, compensation, power dynamics, and professional development.
One tool in our toolbox is the almighty survey. It’s a great way to gather data from groups over time, and we often use it in concert with other methods (interviews, observation, engagement sessions, etc.). Based on years of experience surveying, we want to share a few core practices to help you get the most out of this method, especially if you’re just starting. Let’s do it!
Ask meaningful and specific questions that get to the heart of direct employee experience. Your survey should ask participants about their own experiences and assessments of your organization and culture, not ask them to speculate about other people’s experiences. Specific questions are often easier to respond to than broad questions.
Gather demographic and identity data. In some organizations, this may be standard practice; in others, it may be brand new. There’s a handful of things that are often relevant and helpful to collect: race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability status, and tenure in the organization. Collecting this data allows you to look at differences in experience across groups, an essential part of your analysis.
Pay attention to people facing marginalization. When looking at survey results, our default is to focus on what the majority of respondents are saying. But when we’re looking to create equitable and inclusive organizations, we must pay close attention to the minority. Who this is depends on your context, but it is especially important when an organization is more homogeneous than diverse. When few marginalized perspectives are represented in the data, we give weight to those perspectives and act on what we learn from them.
Share results and actions. Create an accessible analysis of the survey results (in a written report, presentation, or video) that you can share back with the people who completed the survey and the decision-makers who will champion organizational change. Prioritize transparency, even if the results are hard to swallow. Create an action plan that describes what you’ll do as a result of the data, and follow through.
Quote from Somebody Else
"Effective measurement of DEI experience demands a commitment to transparency, data privacy, and the use of findings to inform meaningful interventions."
― Dr. Alexis McGill Johnson
Probing Question
How might you improve the impact and rigor of measuring employee experience at your organization?
