We talk with organisations often about their response rates. They’ve often run surveys in the past that didn’t get enough responses and felt it wasn’t worth their time. We understand! It is demoralizing to invest time and effort in creating something that has low uptake.
It’s a delicate engagement See-Saw. You need to find the right balance. You can create a program that balances the needs of your business with the needs of the respondent by using the correct approach. This will result in high response rates.
These are some tips and techniques to increase response rates and engagement in your organization…
First, what is a good response rate for an employee survey?
74% of employees is our benchmark for response. This is a reasonable benchmark and achievable by most organizations. We have found that our customers are able to consistently receive a response rate above 80% if they use the right approach.
How do you find out? Continue reading…
PROACTIVE
Employees often say that participation is pointless. It could be that they think it’s a check box exercise or that their feedback isn’t important and will not be heard. They may think that the feedback will not be used. This can sometimes be due to ineffective listening strategies in the past, but it could also be due to previous experiences or responsibilities. Your organisation will gain momentum if you’re proactive and take positive action based on feedback from your colleagues. This will encourage them to speak up.
PRESENT A PLAN
A clear roadmap is another way to help people understand that the survey is not a waste of their time. In the first communications around your strategy, we recommend that you explain the long-term strategy. These should include details about the survey’s launch date, duration and expected results. After the results have been shared with the wider organization, it is important to create an action plan. You can use workshops or team-based planning to include your people in the results of your program.
COMMUNICATION
It is important to think about how your program can be used to tell people. Your response rates can be affected by the quality of your signposting and branding. Your people will remember and be able to recognize your program if you use consistent language and imagery. Marketing is important, but it’s also important to consider how and where you communicate. Your communication should be placed where your employees spend the most time. This could include the internet, intranet, kiosks or posters depending on your team.
SHOW BUY IN
Showing that everyone is involved in your organization is one of the best ways to show your employees that they are valued and will not be wasted. You can also show your organization’s commitment to positive change by investing in tools like The Happiness Index. We recommend that the programme be launched with a key stakeholder, such as the CEO or Chief People Officer. You can also go even further. You could create a group of working people with participation from all levels of the organization. You can also organize a larger meeting for senior team members to discuss the goals and objectives of the activity.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Although it may seem obvious, the timing of your survey and communications can have a significant impact on the success or failure of your program. You will likely have a low initial response rate if you launch on Friday afternoon. Similar results can be expected for Monday morning launches. You don’t have to be concerned about the day of week. You’ll miss people if you launch for more than a week during holidays. Planning your program will start with thinking about when and how long you are sending out surveys.
MAKE IT ELECT
People will be more likely to respond to an unexpected question than those who are familiar with it. When you create your communication play, you will need to consider how surveys can be part of a larger people strategy. It will be more effective to send a Wellbeing Survey after you have shared your wellbeing week or programme. A Future of Work survey will get a higher response rate if it is framed within the context of a return-to-office plan or a larger review of remote work. You get the idea. People don’t like to answer random surveys that don’t address their needs or wants. So, it’s important to tell the story that this is true.
COVER THE BASICS
It is important to make it simple for people to complete the tasks you ask. This is a key aspect of increasing your response rate. It’s important not to make the survey long. Make sure the survey is in your business language. Also, make sure that it’s accessible on any device they might be using. Also, ensure that you allow people enough time to complete the survey. You might give workers who don’t work at a desk a 15-minute break. It might be necessary to provide sufficient WiFi or place a tablet, for example, in a designated area. It’s not a bad idea to have some tea and biscuits.
MAKE IT SOCIAL
A team of happiness and engagement champions or advocates can help spread the work of action planning and show that you mean business. It can also increase response rates directly. They can talk to their colleagues about the survey and advocate for it’s importance, encouraging participation. This taps into neuroscience’s social desirability bias. If we see others doing something, we want to do it as well. A great idea is to create league tables that share the response rate. You may find that people will be more interested in participating if there is some competition among departments or teams.
DO NOT GIVE UP
It can be tempting to quit if your first survey does not get a high response rate. Customers often find that their response rates increase naturally as they build trust over time. It might take some time to find the right formula for your organization. You’ll soon find that you can get lots of feedback to help you with your people strategy.