Quantcast
Channel: HR & Employee Surveys | Inquisium

Digging the Most Out of the Qualitative Data Mine

0
0

Data quality is directly related to question quality. Nowhere is this truer than with open-ended questions. Qualitative research draws deeply from the well of consumer thought. The use of unstructured questions on surveys is an attempt to elicit that depth of feeling and emotion and harness it for consumer insight. The recent ascent of text analytics programs is driving the need for ever-richer comments, and more of them. Three points to consider.

Point one– target your open-ended questions so they best meet the needs and interest of respondent segments. If you are using complex logic in conjunction with a satisfaction question then different follow-up questions can be tied to the various satisfaction responses.

Point two– involves shifting from ‘what’ questions to ‘why’ questions. Research conducted by SMG shows that questions asking ‘why’ elicited responses that were approximately one-third longer than questions asking ‘what’. For example;

  • Please tell us why you were less than satisfied with the service at Uncle John's restaurant?
  • Please tell us why you were not highly satisfied with the quality of service at Terrapin Station?
  • Please tell us why you were highly satisfied with your most recent experience at Sugar Magnolia?

Point three– is all about where to place your open-ends. Unstructured questions placed early in the survey allow respondents the opportunity to ‘spill their beans.’ It would be easy to hypothesize that open-ended questions placed early in the survey flow would be advantageous due to lower levels of respondent fatigue. However the opposite is the case. Research on research shows that respondents believe a survey will take a greater time commitment when it begins with open-ended questions. This has a dampening effect upon completion rates.

The same research indicated higher levels of disconnect between sentiment in open-ended responses and subsequent closed questions when the open-ended questions were placed early in the survey flow.

In summary, target your open-ended questions to specific responses on your closed-ended questions. Using advanced logic will facilitate this. Second, shifting your focus from asking 'what' to asking 'why'. This will drive more thoughtful comments. Lastly, location is king. Place your open-ended questions later in the survey. It will positively effect survey response rate and enhance the connection between closed and open-ended questions.

Need some more helpful survey tips? Check out The Art and Science of Asking Questions?


Using Binary Scales to Shorten a Survey

0
0

In consumer or B2B marketing research, as in life in general, there is typically more than one way to ask a question. Some of these methods are easier on the part of the survey respondent, while others although a bit more complicated yield richer results for our survey data analysis. When we are interested in measuring consumer attitudes toward companies, brands or products we typically call on the tried and true Likert scale. This scale, and many like it, is multi-dimensional and measures with comparatively higher levels of validity and reliability.

Yet to facilitate analysis, and presentations to senior management, we often end up collapsing these scales into a top-2 box or some derivative. If we know that ultimately we will go there, then why not consider a binary alternative up front and save yourself the trouble of re-coding variables. The primary reason for not going there initially is marketers, like most of us in the survey research business, like variation. We also like having the choice to collapse the data or not.

On occasion a binary measure, especially if it is wedged into a long survey, will serve the purpose. Below is an example of a binary attitude measure from a recent mobile technology survey.

True and false

What we give up in the ability to measure variation and create our own sub-groups is offset by the ease of analysis and a less intensive experience for the survey respondent. Even with binary measures we can still create a summary scale if the true/false questions are coded 0/1. I would suggest adding one or more negative measures to encourage a more thoughtful process on the part of the respondent.

Binary measures do have their place on a survey, and they don’t need to be limited to yes/no or demographics (male/female). If you are proposing a long survey then consider them as an alternative to lengthier scales, however keeping in mind your analysis needs.

Worldwide Employee Engagement

0
0

The number 13 is typically an unlucky number. And in the case of employee engagement, only 13% of employees are engaged worldwide, according to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report. Quite astounding to think that 87% of the workforce is not engaged with their job.

What defines a disengaged versus and engaged employee? Let’s break it down:

Engaged: these employees are willing to learn and go the extra mile. They feel a strong sense of loyalty to their employer and are invested to help the company grow and drive the business forward.

Disengaged: these employees work to just get through the day. They don’t have the company’s best interests at heart, they aren’t concerned about customers, other employees or increasing profitability.

With numbers like these, every organization should be focused on increasing employee engagement. It shouldn’t just be a discussion once a year or so, it should be a strategic initiative over the course of the year. All managers and above should have employee engagement on the top of their minds because it benefits everyone involved: happy employees = happy managers = more productivity = more profitability. You see the pattern.

But how do you go about building an engaged workplace? There’s no cookie cutter recipe, but there are a few strategies to help build a culture (worldwide) where people enjoy coming to work each and every day to help grow the company.

  1. Leaders need to lead– A good leader is one that looks out for their people. They care about their personal and professional development, they value their contributions, they help them strive to become better at their profession and they set good examples.
  2. Listen to your employees – Collect employee feedback throughout the year and do something with the data. Also, make sure you communicate with your employees about the changes you’ll be making based on their feedback.
  3. Define your engagement goals – and let you employees know what they are. In order to follow through on improving engagement, you need goals to measure success against. Make employee engagement part of your DNA.

Employees are a company’s greatest asset so make sure you are incorporating this mantra into your everyday culture.

Want to learn more about collecting employee feedback? Download our free playbook, Retain or Drain: The A.R.T. of Engaging Employees.

Sample Wisely when Populating Research Panels

0
0

Sampling plans for populating research panels

Panels represent opinions waiting to be shared. The question of the day is whom do we want to invite to the party? If your goal for 2015 is to create, manage and leverage a survey panel then careful thought needs to be given to deciding whose opinions are worth surveying. If you are involved in sales management or human resources then employees are your primary target (either sales professionals or company employees). If you are in marketing then your interest is in current and prospective customers.

Sampling theory provides a few options to consider when deciding whom to invite to the panel. If you have base-level statistics on your employee, customer and prospect groups then these percentages can be incorporated into your sampling plan. For example, if your company is divided into regions then ultimately the percentage of employee panelists should mirror the distribution of employees across the company’s geographic regions. Other base variables can be considered as well including job roles, tenure, staff function (manager or staff) and so forth.

Customer panels should be based on the market segments you are targeting. For example in B2B marketing research key variables include: industry vertical; job role; staff function; and tenure as a customer. I might also consider other firmographic variables including company size (employees), number of IT employees, number of facilities, annual revenue, etc. These percentages, in theory, should mirror those of your customer base. However, there is room for variation, especially if have a keen interest in a particular market segment. You can choose to disproportionately structure your panel to include a larger percentage of panelists from market segments of interest.

Creating a prospect panel often requires a bit of black ops. Creating a blind panel, where the panelists are not aware of the sponsor, allows the researcher to conduct brand awareness and tracking studies without the fear of the brand’s reputation unduly swaying opinion. When creating such a panel it is advisable to include prospects from sources outside your internal sales prospecting databases. This minimizes the potential for bias, especially if your marketing team actively promotes to your house files.

Panels are living entities and panelist retention must be taken into consideration, more on that in another post. However, suffice it to say you will need to leverage your profile survey to see who is involved in your panel and how it matches up to your base-level statistics for these groups. Use this comparison procedure to guide your future panel acquisition activities.

[Webinar]: The Importance of Growing & Maintaining an Engaged Workforce

0
0

employeesDate: Thursday, January, 15, 2015
Time: 1:00pm ET
Duration: 1 hour
Speakers: Mike Phillips, Director of Feedback Strategy, Cvent
Meg Stensrud, Regional Sales Director, Cvent

Today, organizations across all industries have recognized the importance of engaging with key stakeholders within their line of work and addressing the needs that are most important to them to be a successful service organization. What has been less recognized, until recently, is the importance of employee engagement. Organizations that deliver on their basic mission and purpose, but deliver through disaffected workforces continue to get low ratings even if they are delivering to the letter of their mission.

What’s typically missing is the spirit of that mission as reflected through employees. Energetic, empowered and aligned employees may be the key to organizational effectiveness as they are viewed by key stakeholders as vital assets to the organization. Independent research has increasingly revealed that more effective organizations, as measured across a number of relevant metrics, consistently have higher levels of employee engagement than their less effective peers.

Register now for our webinar on HR.com

During this webinar, attendees will learn:

•  The importance of the link between employee engagement and stakeholder loyalty, and its impact on organizational performance
•  How to move toward a more engaged workforce and the challenges associated with development and implementation
•   The necessary analytics to move from engagement concept to reality

We hope you can join us!

 

Low to High or High to Low - Scale Design

0
0

Scales in market research share a similar purpose with those devices found in bathrooms, gyms and doctors offices. They are both designed to measure. In one case it may be our physical weight, while in the other it may be the importance of an attribute or attitude. In the context of B2B and consumer market research the literature is deep on best practices for scale construction. Some of the obvious areas to consider include:

  • Number of items – multiple item scales have greater reliability than single-item measures and should be considered where feasible.
  • Number of categories – 5 and 7-point scales are typical for market research, although 9, 10 and 11-point scales are increasing in popularity. We have to balance the increased granularity of higher point scales with increased cognitive load placed on survey participants.
  • Direction of the scale points – Should positive values be on the left or right?

In addition to the words we choose and the number of scale points it is wise to consider the visual layout of the scale. Online survey platforms, such as Cvent, allow the survey developer options when it comes to displaying scales. The example below comes from a hotel guest survey. The actual page included two additional questions regarding willingness to recommend.

scale

The items used to create this satisfaction measure incorporate a 10-point scale with positive values on the left, as well as descriptive headers above the scale points. The use of descriptive headers, which happens to work well with a 10-point scale, is a best practice as it minimizes potential for confusion. However, starting the scale with the most positive values could lead toward upwardly biased values. This might be good for an executive whose bonus relies upon satisfaction numbers, but it may also yield an inaccurate picture.

This issue can be addressed using a bit of simple experimental design. Mirrored versions of the survey can be run where potential respondents are randomly assigned to either a high number first design (10 to 1) or the reverse. After data collection is complete the research analyst can test for significant differences. If no differences are noted then use of the 10 to 1 design is accepted.

Another concern is the mixing of different concepts on a page. This is more an issue of survey flow, but mixing satisfaction, with value, with recommendation, may confuse the respondent. Consider allocating these concepts to their own pages.

Measuring Frequency of Usage

0
0

Usage frequency is a critical variable to marketers. Frequent users of our products and services tend to look and feel different than lower frequency users. Understanding these differences can help guide strategy that maximizes revenue and profitability. The question at hand then becomes how do we measure frequency? There are two ways to get to the question of frequency of use. The first is to analyze your transactional data and create a suitable measure, such as the average number of visits in the last week, month, year etc. This provides a reliable benchmark, but it does not allow you assess the attitudes behind those behaviors.

Alternatively, we can ask our survey respondents how frequently they have visited a website or eaten at a restaurant for example. The advantage with this approach is that it allows you tie this frequency to other variables of interest, such as performance on key service factors or dollars spent. However there is a caveat, in that the farther back we ask respondents to recall the less accurate their recall will be. In short, if you keep the time horizon to the immediate past then the data will be more reliable.

Assuming we want to ask patrons of Moe’s Diner how frequently they visit the restaurant there are options in how this question can be asked.

Option one:
How frequently do you eat at Moe’s?
Very infrequently
Somewhat infrequently
Occasionally
Somewhat frequently
Very frequently

Option two:
In the last 30 days how often have you eaten at Moe’s?

Either of these approaches will yield workable data. However, the first option, with its scaled approach, is limiting in that we do not know what the differences are between categories. This alone makes it less actionable. The second option can be presented as an open-ended question or scaled (e.g. none, 1 – 2 times, 3 – 5 times, etc.). Open-ended will provide numerical data, scaled will provide ordinal data. Either of these is superior to option one.

Capturing frequency of usage in your customer satisfaction survey allows marketers to establish workable benchmarks. For example, in analysis we would check to see if there are differences in average amount spent by frequency of usage category. These measures can provide actionable areas for improvement. Again an example, if you know that moving a customer’s average usage from one time per week to two times will increase revenue by the average amount of the bill this provides a realistic target to work toward.

Lastly, if you have actual transactional data from a CRM or marketing data warehouse, it is advisable to calibrate these figures with survey data. Odds are the respondent’s recall will be off to some degree. Calibrating the two sources affords you the ability to create a correction factor based on real transactional data that can then be applied to survey results.

 

True Love? 3 Survey Questions to Measure Passion (from Customers and Employees)

0
0

This Saturday is Valentine’s Day, which means that obvious and sometimes expensive proclamations of love—greeting cards, roses, chocolates, jewelry—will be everywhere. Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, you can probably agree there are different levels of observation among those that do. Some couples who feel passionately about it will be springing for bottles of champagne and dining by candlelight (read: shelling out some serious cash), and others will just exchange a simple “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

When it comes to gauging customer and employee passion, it’s the same thing. While your most passionate customers and employees won’t show it by showering you with chocolates and flowers, they will show it by going all out in a way that helps your bottom line—being loyal and engaged, posting about you on social media, and singing your praises to friends and family.

You may wonder why you need to measure passion if you’re already measuring satisfaction. It’s simple. Passionate customers and employees behave differently than ones who are merely satisfied. For example, satisfied customers may be pleased by your product or service, but they’re also not smitten with it. They’re susceptible to being swooned by your competition whenever it becomes cheaper or more convenient for them. The same goes for employees who are only satisfied. While they enjoy working for your organization, they’re not necessarily posting stellar reviews on Glassdoor.com or stopping themselves from checking out other jobs.

But passion is a different story—a love story. Customers and employees who are passionate about your organization are more likely to reject outside temptation. They don’t seek deals at competitors or put feelers out for new gigs. They’re evangelists who love, trust and can't stop blabbering about you to their friends.

Harvard Business Journal’s Tim Halloran came up with three statements intended to capture a consumer’s passion, but they also work for gauging an employee’s. Ask these three questions, and provide a seven-point scale for respondents to select from (strongly agree, agree, somewhat agree, neither agree nor disagree, somewhat disagree, disagree, strongly disagree) to find your passion score.

  1. X is a brand for me.
  2. X is a brand I can trust.
  3. X is a brand I enjoy introducing to other people. (A better employee version for this statement would be, I enjoy talking to other people about my company.)

In addition to asking respondents to rate their level of agreement with these statements, ask them to elaborate after each one by giving them an open-ended text box. Discover what inspires passion in your most passionate customers and employees, so you can double down on your strengths and begin the process of eliminating weaknesses. Also, track passion overtime to make sure you’re keeping the spark alive.

For more helpful survey tips, ideas, and advice, sign up to receive the Cvent Web Surveys newsletter each month.

 


Know Your Rows and Columns: How to do a Cross Tabulation Analysis

0
0

Data can be analyzed in numerous ways. There are a few go to methods that every researcher needs to be proficient with. The tool of choice for diving into survey data is the crosstabulation. There are fancier multivariate techniques, and those have their place, but for everyday use the crosstab is the preferred method for analyzing nominal and ordinal data. Questions that generate these data types dominate most consumer and B2B market research surveys.

The crosstab (xtab for short) can accommodate two, or more, variables. Its purpose is to examine the shared distributions of the variables. When coupled with a statistical measure, such as the chi-square, the researcher can assess the degree of association between variables. Please note that I did not say causation, but association, this important distinction is reserved for another discussion.

The sample below provides an illustration of a two variable xtab with five levels for the row variable and two for the column variable (3 x 2). A third variable can be added to ‘control’ for potential influence. In this case we could add gender to see if the relationship between job satisfaction and feelings of compensation is impacted by gender. We could add other variables such as age or income to further test the relationships in the data.

crosstab

We view crosstabs from the perspective of rows and columns. For example we can say that 57.8% of those who are satisfied in their current position feel they are paid fairly for the work they do. This compares to 24.4% of those who are not satisfied with their current role. In other words, those who feel satisfied about their current position are more than twice as likely to report they are paid equitably. From the column perspective 48.8% of those who are consider themselves unfairly paid are somewhat satisfied.

When making comparisons we can compare one cell to either another cell or to the row or column totals. For example, 59.6% of the fairly paid group were satisfied compared to 32.0% of the unfairly paid group. In total 43.7% of all respondents were satisfied. From the compensation perspective 42.3% were fairly paid.

The story we tell depends on a few aspects. The first thing to look at is whether or not the value of the chi-square is significant. If it is large enough for the significance to be at or less than .05 then we have a story to tell. In a table that is significant you will see larger than expected differences in the percentages within a cell. If there is not significance then the cell percentages will be closer to their column and row total counterparts. If you are working with large tables (large as in more than 500 respondents) then you will want to see significance values closer to .000. The chi-square value is impacted by the number of respondents – it will grow as the response pool grows.

Lastly, using the table above, if our story focuses on satisfaction then we would read across the rows (% within Satisfied at work). If our focus is on compensation then we would read down the columns (% within Compensation). Take the time to get to know your rows and columns and you will become adept at converting data into insights.

Webinar: How to Effectively Navigate Employee Feedback

0
0

Date: August 5, 2015
Time: 1:00pm ET
Speakers: Mike Phillips, Director of Feedback Strategy, Inquisium
Meg Stensrud, Regional Sales Director, Inquisium
Register now

Imagine if you could clone your highest performing employees—the ones who inspire their co-workers, always motivated to go above and beyond, perpetuate a culture of high achievement and treat customers like gold.

That sure sounds ideal, but after hearing this statistic from Gallup: actively disengaged employees continue to outnumber engaged employees by nearly 2-to-1 that dream is far from realistic. However, you can cultivate an office of engaged employees by surveying your workforce, analyzing their feedback and using their insights to guide organizational policies, implement new programs and benchmark progress.

During this webinar in partnership with HR.com, we will explore key industry trends in using employee engagement to enhance organizational effectiveness, as well as how feedback program champions need to identify engagement goals, get management on board, craft surveys, collect and analyze data, and take action.

During this webinar, attendees will learn:

  • The importance of the link between employee engagement and its impact on organizational performance
  • How to move toward a more engaged workforce and the best practices associated with development and implementation of a feedback program
  • The necessary analytics to move from engagement concept to reality

Register now and start laying the groundwork for high engagement and a healthy bottom line today.

Using research to craft brand strategy

0
0

Market research is all about supporting the brand. Companies with a defined brand strategy are better suited to dealing with the vagaries of the marketplace. In a recent article by HubSpot they identified seven core practices necessary for developing and maintaining a strong brand. They include:

  1. Purpose – brands should have a defining purpose – not just an understanding of your brand promise, but an in-depth knowledge of what separates your brand from the competition.
  2. Consistency – actively avoiding talking about things that do not relate to or enhance your brand.
  3. Emotion – understanding the “irrational” or otherwise emotional attachments consumers have with your brand.
  4. Flexibility – having the space and freedom to adapt your identity programs, within the limits set out by point number two, in order to keep the message fresh.
  5. Employee Involvement – employees are the biggest proponents of the brand and they need to be versed in how they should be communicating with customers.
  6. Loyalty – show your brand ambassadors the love they deserve. Best done when it is genuine and not contrived.
  7. Competitive Awareness – stay on top of what the competition is doing and saying. This can be easily done if you are leveraging a social monitoring application. There is no shame in tailoring your brand positioning on the successes of the competition.

Market research can be employed to provide actionable insight for each of these seven principles. One principle where both qualitative and quantitative research comes in very useful is in measuring the emotions attached to a brand. Harley Davidson is a prime example of a brand that understands the emotional component. There are motorcycles that are equally well-made and less expensive than Harleys, but they just don’t offer the sense of connection that Harleys do.

Harley is known for its community HOG (Harley Owners Group) which serves both as a means of conveying information and providing insights from an impassioned group of consumers. Communities such as HOG fulfill an innate need to belong and build relationships. Savvy market researchers will leverage these communities for quick consumer reads as well as more in-depth analysis, which is often needed to understand customers on a more emotional level.

Labor Day Resolutions to Engage Your Employees

0
0

The origins of Labor Day can be traced back to one of the most tumultuous decades for workers’ rights in U.S. history. At the height of the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing was booming and the demand for cheap labor was unrelenting. Faced with abominable working conditions, exploitive child labor practices and stubbornly low wages, workers began organizing strikes and rallies in protest. While some of these events turned violent, on September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers in New York City took unpaid time off to march in what would become the first-ever Labor Day parade.

A little more than a decade later, in 1894, Congress passed a law declaring that the first Monday in September of each year be a public holiday dedicated to honoring the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of this country.

Today, the activist fervor that marked the inception of Labor Day has understandably waned. After more than a 100 years of labor reform and hard-fought employee rights battles, workers no longer face the same severity of issues they did in the 19th century. In 2015, Labor Day doesn’t just represent the plight of the worker, it represents the ceremonial end of summer, a time to go back to school—even if just symbolically—and the chance to revel in one last beach excursion or barbeque party bender.

In some ways, Labor Day is an end that kicks off a beginning, which is a lot like what it feels like to usher in a new year at the stroke of midnight. With that in mind, I propose that we treat Labor Day as a time to make workplace resolutions that improve one of the foremost struggles plaguing today’s modern office environment—employee engagement. Here are three resolutions to get you started when you come back from the long weekend:

1. Make communication a two-way street – There’s a reason the commonly invoked expression “communication is the key to a healthy relationship” has become a cliché. It’s because it’s a battle-tested truth. More than likely, you frequently communicate with your employees, whether it’s to assign responsibilities, give feedback or inform them of company policies. But how do they communicate and give feedback to you? Face-to-face communication doesn’t always foster the most comfortable or candid discourse. This means, if you don’t already have one, it’s time to start surveying your employees to measure their satisfaction, solicit their opinions, and find out how to increase their engagement. Check out our ebook on how to get started (there’s a sample survey included).

2. Invest in training and development – Did you know that 83% of working professionals consider the ability to learn and grow essential to their jobs? If you’re not offering a way for employees to learn new skills, they are likely to leave for a lack of being challenged. Furthermore, training programs help ensure your employees can perform better and be more productive. If you don’t have a training program yet, start small. You can focus on a monthly topic, institute cross-departmental training, or even organize a mentor program.

3. Recognize a job well done – As quaint and simple as this gesture seems, recognizing employees is an incredibly effective way to maintain, improve or restore morale. It was the entire basis for declaring Labor Day a national public holiday in the first place. Recognizing employees can be as simple as a verbal thank you or as elaborate as an incentives program. Office-wide happy hours, pizza parties or impromptu half-days are great ways to build camaraderie and inspire employees to stay engaged and invested in their work.

This Labor Day weekend, while you’re bidding farewell to summer, take a moment to appreciate how far we’ve come as a workforce. Then when you return on Tuesday, start solidifying your employee engagement resolutions to ensure years of continued progress at your organization. Happy Labor Day! 

 

 

 

HR Tech & Feedback Revisited

0
0

As October marches on, we’re getting closer and closer to the 18th Annual Human Resource Technology Conference and Expo in Las Vegas. What with all the CEO’s, big-name sponsors, and of course, the new HR technology, I know I’ll be as impressed as ever from the moment I walk in the door.

It’s the perfect venue for staying informed on trending industry topics, and it provides the platform to meet with over 300HR Tech Conference 2015 fellow vendors and 30 HR startups – making it the largest HR tech and services expo in the world. I’m particularly looking forward to the session entitled “Beyond the Hype: What’s Really Important in HR Technology Today,” led by Steve Boese and Trish McFarlane, which will tackle trends in our competitive market as seen by accomplished HR leaders and advocates. There will be over 60 new product announcements made that weekend alone!

While we’re busy learning and networking, we’ll also be able to make a global impact thanks to HR Gives Back, which is already raising money toward finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease. They’ve partnered up with FitBit to put all 4,000 attendees to the test with onsite challenges and activities. I’m honored to be a part of an event that doesn’t just stop when the going’s good, but reaches out to extend the embrace of the HR community.

However, my visit won’t be solely inquisitive. I’m also eager to introduce HR professionals to the latest development here at Inquisium, the Closed Loop Workflow. It’s designed to drive employee satisfaction, engagement, and long-term loyalty by getting to the root of positive and negative feedback. I want to discuss that when employee feedback has the power to reveal new insights, everyone benefits from immediate action that follows. The new, tighter workflow design amplifies employee concerns and streamlines response to make sure HR pros are always in the loop. Drop by booth #2620 to learn more!

The 2015 HR Tech Conference and Expo will uncover industry trends and updates never seen before. Let’s learn from senior executives to improve the HR sphere and make a difference in the way we do business. See you there!

 

When: October 18-21, 2015

Where: Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV 89119

Website: www.hrtechnologyconference.com

Cvent Booth: #2620

The Value of Happy Employees

0
0

The modern professional journey depends heavily on engagement, both for the employee and employer. Fostering success and satisfaction often falls on senior employees, which means organizational disengagement soon becomes a question of leadership.

This growing responsibility is prompting many organizations to find and create innovative techniques to keep employees engaged, in order to maintain higher employee retention rates and build lasting loyalty. Here are just a few factors that help employers achieve this:

  • Loyalty fluctuates. Personal achievement tends to outrank larger corporate goals for many younger employees, meaning that loyalty must be earned on both ends.
  • Department size matters. Smaller departments generally experience less attrition compared to bigger ones because employers hire more selectively, train more intensely, and vocalize the value of their employees more directly.
  • Retention saves money. Many costs are associated with departing employees, including exit interviews, administrative costs, and unused vacation time. Replacement cost can include ads, recruitment, applications, and entrance interviews, while training new personnel has the power to prevent the need for replacement all together.
  • Chaotic culture holds employees back. One of the most common reasons for turnover is a lack of motivation. Employees crave organizational direction to perform and succeed in their positions. If leaders fail to prioritize employees’ work-life balance, then even the best workers will be forced look elsewhere.
  • Smart hiring saves time. Behavioral interviews have the power to predict the future. Prevent dissatisfaction by openly discussing the expectations of the candidate and the employer.
  • Corporate policies motivate change. Apart from communicating the organization’s mission, vision, strategies, and goals, internal policies must also emphasize the importance of employee comfort and value. A competitive pay structure, effective reward/award plans, and timely recognition play a huge role in building and strengthening employee loyalty.

Boost engagement by challenging talented employees and rewarding their accomplishments. Those in leadership positions have the power to promote a prosperous work environment, which will attract and retain hard workers. Satisfy your employees’ needs in order to succeed as a business overall, saving everyone, time, money, and all the headaches in between. Learn more about the voice of your employees at www.inquisium.com.

Why Employee Engagement Metrics Matter More than Ever

0
0

Let’s face it, employees are either engaged or disengaged. There is generally very little middle ground, and that makes tracking and measuring employee engagement rates rather difficult for HR executives and the C-suite. I read a recent article on LinkedIn from Mark Crowley, Leadership Change Agent, consultant and author. He shared that employee engagement is not improving, which is alarming.

First off, the header says it all: “Employee engagement isn’t getting better and Gallup shares the surprising reasons why.” Yikes! As you may remember, Gallup launched a survey a couple of years ago and cited that only 30 percent of the U.S.’s workforce was engaged in their work. Seriously? That means that 70 percent of the workforce didn’t like what they were doing, didn’t feel a sense of worth to the greater good of their company, and that their work didn’t matter. This means they’d rather clock in, clock out, and collect a paycheck, rather than finding something more meaningful in their work.

Millions (and probably billions) of dollars have been invested from the largest Fortune 100 companies, down to small and mid-sized businesses to do whatever it takes to improve employee engagement and culture. But it’s barely moving the needle. Mark Crowley, along with Dr. Jim Harter of Gallup, dug deeper to find out why.

For them, it simply came down to this: put outdated engagement practices to rest and adopt new methods to inspire high performance. You can only learn that from listening to your employees through annual surveys, pulse surveys, and other means to provide immediate feedback that is heard and acted upon. The second big takeaway was that engagement rises when employees feel like managers and leaders care about them. It sounds very simple, but it can make a significant difference.

Do you know how engaged your employees are? How do you measure that? We’d love to hear from you, so leave your comments below. Also, be sure to watch our on-demand webinar, “What is Your Employee Data Telling You?” to get to the root of what matters most for your employees.






Latest Images