Employee engagement surveys to drive action planning

Employee engagement surveys

An employee engagement survey measures the cognitive, emotional and behavioural aspects of employees' relationship with their employer. Studies of employee engagement surveys by organizations such as the Institute for Employment Studies show a positive correlation between increasing employee engagement and better business performance. A survey is an important step towards understanding how to enhance employee engagement in your company. Survey results are used to identify business actions that improve engagement and therefore performance.

How can ETS help? You will achieve great results by either asking us to create a new programme from the ground up or by ETS improving your existing programme. Group HR Director Angela Williams from Land Securities, a FTSE 100 real estate firm, gives a perspective in the video above.

ETS develops bespoke HR technology solutions and specialises in employee engagement surveys. Our approach is to create an Engagement Index in consultation with you that takes into account the published research and our experience. This leads to an online tool and a set of questions that are relevant to your context and employees. HR Managers and Line Managers can then use the online tool to analyse survey results and inform action planning to increase employee engagement. ETS works with each client to help managers interpret results and prioritise actions, conducting key driver analyses and focus groups as needed.

Employee engagement

ETS says that "Employee engagement is the positive relationship between the employee and the organisation resulting in greater employee involvement, enthusiasm and commitment. Engaged employees demonstrate greater alignment with company goals and values, greater pride in working for the organisation, a greater sense of loyalty and improved motivation to ensure company success.”

A sense of involvement and value within the organisation is central to employee engagement. In addition, higher levels of engagement are found in employees who have regular appraisals and a personal development plan. As such, the role of line managers is very important in driving levels of engagement. Employee engagement surveys themselves have a role to play as they give employees a voice within the company, according to a major study by Investors in People.

Employee engagement is affected by wider factors than just the employer/employee relationship. The employee must also believe in the company as a whole: its values and the quality of its products and services.

Why is it important to have an engaged workforce?

The answer is better business performance – not just on an individual performance level but also on a team and organisational level. For example, research shows that employee engagement increases both productivity and customer satisfaction. Employee engagement also has a knock on effect in terms of enhanced talent retention and reduced sick leave. The bottom line is that highly engaged employees mean better financial results.

Contact ETS today to find out more about Employee Engagement Surveys from ETS.