How to tackle employee engagement with pulse surveys

Dec 05, 2019

#Employee Engagement

Is your company part of the nearly three quarters of enterprises that rely on annual surveys to glimpse employee experience? While yearly check-ins are still common practice, new sources of engagement data are gaining popularity, with pulse surveys leading the way.

Employee responding to pulse survey on mobile

What are pulse surveys?

Pulse surveys are short, informal, anonymous queries that are sent to workers on a frequent basis to measure productivity, satisfaction, and common sources of disengagement. They are based on the same model as annual surveys, but pulse queries typically have just 1-10 questions.

These surveys can be particularly effective at tracking employee engagement and monitoring changes. With just a few minutes, pulse surveys give employees the opportunity to voice their opinion, the results of which can be analyzed by leaders and utilized to make informed decisions.

Guide

7 must ask pulse survey questions to transform employee engagement

According to Gallup, every disengaged employee costs a company an average of $16k. Given that a recent report by Achievers found that only 21% of employees reported they were engaged, tackling workplace experience is a pressing issue. Pulse surveys are emerging as the method of choice for efficiently tracking worker experience in real-time.

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Pulse survey pay-offs

Pulse surveys are one of the best ways to receive frequent, timely feedback. Consequently, they can provide a host of benefits, particularly when it comes to evaluating employee engagement and devising effective communications strategies:

#1. Create a feedback culture

Employees who participate in a dialogue with their employer are engaged workers. Thus, they are likely to feel more passionate about their day to day tasks, perform more efficiently, and provide better customer experience than their disconnected peers. Pulse surveys actively prompt workers to share their thoughts, which can help get employees in the habit of giving and receiving feedback.

#2. Gauge employee satisfaction in real-time

Instead of wasting months using a system that is not beneficial to employees, pulse surveys can reveal dissatisfaction and help leaders troubleshoot efficiently. Employers who are responsive to their workers’ needs and problem points are likely to benefit from a workforce that feels more connected to their organization.

#3. Track progress periodically

Regular check-ins also give leaders the opportunity to track progress, learn what is and is not resonating, and adjust their decisions accordingly. For example, if a worker voices dissatisfaction with management, regular pulse surveys can help stakeholders monitor how this relationship changes over time. This information can be analyzed to gain new insights into best practices that can be utilized throughout the organization.

#4. Encourage employees to focus

Pulse surveys can spotlight specific components of employee satisfaction, such as onboarding, personal wellness, or office upkeep. If an organization decides to launch an office-wide initiative, pulse surveys can be used to help users focus in. A company interested in investing in employee wellness, for instance, might send out a series of short questionnaires to prompt workers to begin to evaluate their own habits and routines.

#5. Increase participation

Due to their concise design, workers may be more apt to respond to pulse surveys versus longer form questionnaires. Pulse surveys can be particularly effective communications means for frontline staffers who may not have as many formalized opportunities to share their feedback. Surveys that can be accessed via mobile and completed within minutes are likely to yield the most widespread results.

Do you need advice on tackling employee disengagement?

Pulse surveys can be a valuable tool for improving employee engagement, but it's only a starting point. If you are interested in learning more about how to breathe life into your digital workplace, get in touch with one of our experts today.