Employee surveys tend to be conducted annually. But sometimes that’s not enough. Smaller, more frequent surveys—known as a pulse survey—are more effective in capturing the full employee experience. And, they let you act on the results more quickly. Read on for tips on how you can use more frequent surveying techniques to get a better pulse on engagement.
Employee surveys are a beneficial tool to understand how engaged employees are at work, gauge their intent to stay with the organization and ask probing questions about whether they feel valued or would recommend the company to others.
But conducting a survey just once a year doesn’t give you the chance to capture real-time, nuanced insights into the drivers of employee engagement and employees’ overall workplace experience. And, longer, less frequent surveys tend to have lower response rates. More frequent, shorter surveys are becoming more popular.
READ MORE: The Ultimate Guide to Employee Engagement Survey Questions [24 Examples to Get You Started]
Why big annual employee surveys fall short.
Annual employee surveys are an essential component in any employee engagement initiative. But they are not perfect. Here’s why:
1. Annual surveys tend to be long and cumbersome.
Employees simply don’t have the time to complete a long survey. This is part of the reason why response rates often fall below 50% at the average organization.
2. Employees lose interest, diminishing response quality.
When a survey takes a while to complete, people get bored and lose interest—and the resulting data may not be as reliable.
3. HR and leadership are often unprepared for the volume of employee survey data.
Annual employee surveys produce a lot of information. It might take an organization several weeks or even months to synthesize all that data. This means any actions that need to be taken as a result of the data are delayed, and that makes employees feel like the organization isn’t actually listening.
4. The insights have a short shelf life.
By the time the survey analysis is ready to share with the organization, it’s already outdated. Research finds that this is the one of the primary reasons managers prefer pulse surveys to annual employee surveys1.
A better way to conduct annual employee surveys.
Annual surveys allow deeper dives, trend analysis and comprehensive exploration—if you conduct them the right way. Be sure to follow these best practices:
1. It doesn’t have to be long.
Start these surveys with the “why” to show their purpose and what actions will be taken after. Consider what you want to measure and come up with a list of questions you’ll ask to reach your goals.
2. Mine the data for quick, actionable insights.
Employees are motivated to take these surveys when they know you’ll act upon their feedback in a timely manner. Begin by analyzing the high-level findings and report those findings to employees.
3. Maintain a regular cadence.
Annual surveys tend to get better response rates when employees come to expect them. Distribute the annual survey at the same time every year and be sure to send regular reminders before the survey window.
Using pulse surveys to get regular feedback.
What is an employee pulse survey?
Pulse surveys help to remedy some of the problems of an annual survey. Most pulse surveys contain a short set of questions. Pulsing is done on a much more frequent basis—such as once per week or every two weeks. It measures the same metrics on a consistent basis.
The advantages of pulse surveys.
Because they are smaller and more frequent, pulse surveys help you tap into real-time insights about your employees’ sentiment and morale.
Here are some of the benefits you can expect from incorporating pulse surveys into your employee feedback strategy.
1. Increased response rates.
Because employees don’t have to spend a lot of time completing them, pulse surveys tend to get higher completion rates. One study found that completion rates rose from 37% for long surveys to 63% for ultra-short surveys2.
2. Solve problems faster.
Because you’ll be asking specific questions about how employees currently feel or think, pulse surveys help nip problems in the bud so that issues impacting performance and culture don’t fester.
3. Increased engagement.
By seeking feedback and acting on it quickly and frequently, employees feel seen and heard and believe their opinions are valued.
Acting on employee feedback helps employees feel a larger sense of ownership and influence over their work. They feel a sense of purpose which increases productivity and encourages them to do their best.
The bottom line: Run surveys to measure employee satisfaction regularly and act on feedback immediately.
While annual surveys are a good practice, they can be insufficient on their own. Adding a regular cadence of pulse surveys gives you better and more timely feedback you can act on.
You may be wondering…how do leading organizations actually get all this surveying done? TINYpulse by WebMD Health Services can do the heavy lifting for you.
TINYpulse enables you to conduct regular employee surveys with ease. You can ask behavioral, science-backed questions at the cadence you choose and receive actionable feedback.
Book a free demo today to find out why more than 1,000 organizations around the world rely on TINYpulse to transform their workplace—and enjoy better business outcomes because of it.
