Why Employee Surveys Fail

The value of people

Insights on human capital

Why employee surveys fail: 10 stumbling blocks to success

Why employee surveys fail: 10 stumbling blocks to success

By Patrick Gilbert, Paul Sanchez and David Tong

round the world, many organizations invest large amounts of time, energy, and financial resources in conducting employee surveys. Unfortunately, if employee surveys are poorly designed and implemented, they can do unintended damage. A failed survey is more than a waste of organizational resources – it can negatively impact employee engagement, which is a direct and vital condition for organizational success.

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define the long-term objectives for the research and define how the survey process fits into and enhances change initiatives and the execution of business strategy. In addition to the project team, a network of survey champions should be developed to represent major organizational groups and locations. An additional tool to support project management is a project intranet or extranet site that facilitates the exchange of information among all of the team members. 2. Communication Employee surveys often lack the benefit of a well-developed communication plan. For many organizations, the objectives of the research are not made explicit, management responsibilities are unclear, and thus the credibility of the organization’s commitment to follow-up action may not convince employees. In other cases, the survey also may lack a brand or identity that helps position the survey as an important initiative that is worthy of employee participation. Thoughtful communication is a critical success ingredient that serves the strategic interests of research efforts and ties together all the phases of project. An effective survey needs a detailed communication plan that defines key messages, audience segments, timing, and responsibilities. The communication process should begin well in advance of survey administration, with briefing sessions for...