Learned's vision on a modern employee satisfaction survey

Companies are increasingly confronted with challenges such as increasing competition, growing attention to employee wellbeing and changing needs of new generations. In Learned's vision, an employee satisfaction survey is increasingly recognized as a crucial instrument for success.

An employee satisfaction survey enables an organization to understand what motivates and satisfies employees, and which aspects of the work environment need improvement. This helps create an environment where employees want to be and contributes to attracting and retaining talent. It stimulates development, increases productivity and reduces absenteeism.

The popularity of free survey tools has led more organizations to choose to conduct their surveys internally, to save costs and have more control over the process. However, this brings unique challenges. Designing an effective and fair questionnaire requires special attention, taking into account matters such as scientific validity and a balanced mix of open and closed questions. In addition, approval must be obtained from the management team and the works council, which can be a time-consuming process. Furthermore, factors such as ensuring anonymity and survey fatigue can influence the response rate.

After the survey has been conducted, the hardest part actually still needs to begin: interpreting the collected data and drawing up action plans. To support organizations with these challenges and help develop a data-driven talent management strategy, Learned has formulated a modern vision on employee satisfaction surveys. This vision is based on six crucial elements:

1. Use of an academically validated questionnaire

According to our vision, several things are important to gain the right insights. It is important to focus on scientifically proven themes, such as leadership, communication, development opportunities and work-life balance. These are some factors that have a significant influence on employee engagement. The quality of the survey depends on the chosen themes and the questions asked.

This is where the Learned Engagement Model comes into play, which we developed based on extensive academic research. This model highlights 18 themes that have a positive impact on employee engagement, which in turn influence important business results such as eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score), absenteeism, turnover and productivity.

The advantages of the Learned Engagement Model are as follows:

Scientific questionnaire: By working with a scientifically supported model, we eliminate the risk of interpretation differences. This ensures that your organization actually measures what it wants to know, without distortion or subjectivity.
Simplified interpretation of results: The model is built around 18 themes, making it easier to interpret results. You first analyze the main themes and then zoom in on the underlying questions.
Benchmark results: We provide organizations insight into benchmark data for their specific industry. This allows you to assess whether a score on a particular theme can be considered "good," or whether there is room for improvement compared to other players in the market.

2. Continuous measurement, collecting feedback and implementing improvements

A modern employee satisfaction survey goes beyond a one-time measurement. It must be a continuous process, where feedback is regularly collected and used to improve the organization. Modern methods such as continuous pulse surveys are a powerful tool in this regard. By regularly conducting short surveys, organizations can collect real-time feedback and continuously improve employee engagement.

Our advice for a modern survey cycle is as follows:

1. Baseline measurement

Start with a basic questionnaire covering all themes, but limit yourself to 2 (or maximum 3) questions per variable. This keeps the questionnaire concise and promotes participation. The baseline measurement provides insight into the current situation of the organization based on the 18 themes.

2. Pulse Survey

Follow up the baseline measurement with a pulse survey that uses the full questionnaire, consisting of 90 questions measuring the 18 themes. Determine a frequency of 1, 2 or 4 weeks, with 2, 3 or 6 questions asked each time. This continuous process measures engagement, collects feedback and provides insight into the effectiveness of potential improvement plans.

3. Additional Research

When the organization feels comfortable with the process, add other surveys, such as onboarding evaluations and exit interviews. This provides valuable insights into the onboarding process and collects structured feedback from departing employees.

Sentiment measurement

If you don't want to start directly with a pulse survey, consider a sentiment measurement. With just 5 questions you can constantly measure sentiment within the organization. This helps identify which employees are more engaged and who may be less satisfied. However, if you choose the more extensive pulse survey, these questions are redundant because the 18 themes provide broader and deeper insight.

5. Custom Surveys

As an organization, you also have the freedom to send other surveys. Want to know the team's opinion about a specific event or gather ideas for a new marketing campaign? Create your own template and get started. You can choose whether answers are given anonymously or non-anonymously.

3. Data-driven decision making

The ultimate goal of an employee satisfaction survey is to gain insight into usable and reliable data that can be used for data-driven decision making. This means that the collected data must be both quantitative and qualitative, providing insight into the key drivers of employee engagement. Based on this, strategic HR initiatives can be developed and implemented.

According to our vision, applying the Learned Engagement Model can provide insights into scores per variable. By filtering these scores per team, challenges within the organization are clearly identified. Thanks to this method, it is possible to maintain effective reporting even with a set anonymity threshold (at least three respondents per team).

4. Anonymity and confidentiality

Ensuring anonymity and confidentiality is crucial for a modern employee satisfaction survey. It is essential that employees feel safe and free to give their honest and sincere feedback, without fear of any negative consequences. The anonymity of free survey software is often questioned by employees, as it is often linked to their IP address or email address.

In Learned, we can guarantee this anonymity. This is also clearly communicated throughout the process. In addition, the Learned platform offers the ability to communicate anonymously with employees. This allows them to receive support and advice about their challenges without having to reveal their identity.

5. Agile methodology

A modern employee satisfaction survey must be aimed at stimulating active improvement actions within the organization. It goes beyond just collecting data and identifying problem areas, but is about taking targeted measures to increase employee engagement and satisfaction.

According to our vision, organizations work in short sprints to address specific areas of concern. This starts with drawing up a project plan together with the project group. Determine when you will tackle which topics, how you want to improve them and when you will present the results. Organizations benefit from the support of the Customer Success team and best practices from other companies.

6. Active involvement of stakeholders

Active involvement of stakeholders, including management, team leaders and employees, is essential for a modern employee satisfaction survey. It is recommended to present all results to all employees during a joint meeting. The focus is on positive findings, but less favorable results are also discussed. Ignoring negative results can undermine the credibility of the survey.

In addition to a joint presentation, it is important to integrate the action points resulting from the sprints into regular meetings within the organization. These topics can be put on the agenda of management team meetings and discussed with managers by HR business partners. Actively involving employees in the process, discussing results and jointly developing improvement actions increases acceptance and engagement.

In summary, a modern employee satisfaction survey is a continuous process based on a scientifically validated questionnaire, data-driven decision making and active stakeholder involvement. It must provide a safe environment for open feedback, be focused on taking concrete actions and use an agile approach.

More information about Learned's vision

If you want to know more about our view and vision on HR-related topics, please feel free to contact us.