The 3 Ps to an Employee Engagement Communication Strategy

The 3 Ps to an Employee Engagement Communication Strategy

The 3 Ps to an Employee Engagement Communication Strategy

It’s no surprise to anyone in Human Resources that high engagement leads to increased retention, productivity, and business success. Assessing the level of engagement or commitment your employees have to your organization through Employee Engagement Surveys is only half the battle. The other, more crucial, half of the battle is how you communicate Employee Engagement Surveys and the results to your employees.

The Purpose

Get off on the right foot by communicating the purpose of why the organization is going to be conducting Employee Engagement Surveys, how the data is going to be used, and what they should expect before the survey is distributed. Be sure to emphasize to employees that their honest and open feedback is expected and encouraged. Calm the nerves of weary employees by reassuring them that processes are in place to ensure their identity remains anonymous.

Tip: Have leaders and managers educate employees on what employee engagement is and what it measures such as the job, the people, the opportunity, before administering the survey.

The Process

Before administering the survey, send an email out noting the details involved such as, the expected amount of time it should take to complete the survey, what type of format to expect, what type of questions they’ll be asked, and sample questions.

Once all of the employee feedback is collected, reach out again to employees. Thank them for participating, share a few, very high-level outcomes, and what is next to come.

Tip: Continuously thank employees for their honest and open feedback, and remind them that their feedback, whether good or bad, helps influence the future company culture.

The Plan

Meet with your senior leadership to discuss the results and analysis to determine the goals and action plan necessary to either increase or maintain the engagement levels of your employees. Developing an action plan before communicating results to employees can be the best way to ensure that the outcome is focused on the feedback, not the people.

Be collaborative, clear, open, and objective when communicating the results and action plan to employees. Reiterate that the importance of this feedback is how it will influence positive change in the business and the culture. Give an overall summary of the results then prepare leaders and managers to communicate department specific results (if applicable) with their respective employees.

The worst possible thing you can do during Employee Engagement Survey results communication is resisting the feedback. This is not an opportunity to guilt-trip employees or play the blame game. It is an opportunity to obtain objective feedback and listen.

Tip: As the year goes on, share updates with staff on how the employee engagement action plan is progressing.

All in all, utilizing Employee Engagement Surveys can greatly help organizations who want to improve their retention rates, their productivity, and their company culture. The most successful employee engagement initiatives are supported by leadership, embraced by the organization, and acted upon.

 

Interested in learning more about engagement surveys?

Submit your contact information and an ERC staff member will reach out regarding ERC’s engagement surveys and our process for conducting and assessing.

Learn More About ERC Engagement Surveys