Create an Employee "Think Tank"

The saying, “perception is reality” is never more true when observing employees of an organization relative to how they perform and interact with each other on a daily basis. Having a clear and common understanding of employee perceptions offers enormous opportunities for ideas and improvement in the future. Have you ever wondered how to implement an employee survey to help foster high regard and recognition for employees’ thoughts and opinions, and to help them feel like a valuable part of the team? We can help.  

 

There are different types of employee surveys that help to obtain feedback, and the goal of each of those surveys depends on the questions you want to ask.

 

Employee Climate Survey

 

The typical survey we conduct for our clients is an online Employee Perception Survey, also called a “climate survey.” For this kind of employee feedback initiative, you are trying to understand how employees feel about working at the organization. The following categories are normally used as a basis for asking questions:

• Job perception
• Work environment
• Opportunities for involvement and work improvement
• Management support
• Compensation and career advancement
• Education and training
• Overall understanding of (your organization)

Conducting a climate survey is essential in your efforts to identify areas for internal improvement. Retaining employees is a huge issue for most organizations today, and doing all that you can to create a work environment that fosters respect, teamwork, and loyalty is not only the right thing to do, but a smart one as well. A high level of employee retention positively impacts the bottom line.

 

Employee Think Tank Survey

 

Another type of survey that is gaining speed with our clients is an “Employee Think Tank” survey. For this kind of feedback initiative, you are trying to tap into the minds of your employees by asking more strategic questions that could identify potential opportunities for the company based on what they see and experience at work. The following are some questions to ask employees in this type of survey (just to name a few):

• In our current strategic plan, XYZ actions are described as critical elements for reaching our long-term growth plan. Which one do you feel is most critical to our growth in the future, and why?
• What specific factors do you believe influence customers’ purchasing decisions relative to the products/services we offer?
• What are the top three things you believe customers need most from us? 
• What is one idea you have for making it more convenient for customers to do business with us?
• If there is one area in which you feel we have lost the most ground over the past two years, what would that be, and why?
• What factors do you believe stand in the way of our overall growth?
• What customer service/support activity do you think we should offer to satisfy customer needs/demands, but currently we do not provide?
• Overall, what should we STOP doing or offering because you feel it adds little to no value at all to customers?
• If you became President of our organization tomorrow, what’s the one thing you would do immediately to increase sales, and why?

You would be surprised and thrilled with the depth of thinking and feedback these kinds of questions spark in employees (especially those employees in positions that have direct contact with customers and the marketplace). Because they view the organization from different angles, they provide a holistic snapshot that you can feel confident covers all bases within your operations. Implementing an Employee Think Tank survey will help you see things through a different lens that will help ensure you are not missing the obvious when developing strategies and planning for future growth.

 

How much insight, knowledge, and wisdom is being untapped within your organization? An Employee Think Tank survey will help you find out. We can help you Know More, so you can Do More. Call us toll-free at 1-800-999-6615, email us at mail@tweedweber.com and/or visit us on the web at www.tweedweber.com. Also, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn (Tweed-Weber, Inc.) and Twitter (@TweedWeber).