Test questionnaire: Motivation and stimulation of personnel. Questionnaire to determine the type of work motivation of an employee. Employee survey. Why staff leave Sample questionnaire for organization employees

03.10.2023

Dear Colleagues!

We ask you to answer a number of questions in our anonymous questionnaire regarding your work.

Comparing your answers with the opinions of other employees will allow you to draw the right conclusions about the organization of your work and its payment. But this, of course, depends on the sincerity, accuracy and completeness of your answers.

Please read the questions and choose the answer that you think is most correct and mark it with some mark. We ask you to answer all questions in the questionnaire.

1 Please determine to what extent you are satisfied with various aspects of your work?

	Satisfied	More satisfied than not	I find it difficult to answer		Not satisfied
Earnings amount
Operating mode
The need to solve new problems
Independence at work
Matching the job to personal abilities

	Satisfied	We'd rather satisfy than not	I find it difficult to answer	Rather dissatisfied than satisfied	Not satisfied
Sanitary conditions
Level of labor organization
Relationships with colleagues
Relationships with your immediate supervisor
Level of technical equipment

2 Please mark on the scale to what extent you are satisfied with your work (in percentage).

3 To what extent and how do the following factors affect your work activity?

	Doesn't work at all	Valid		Works significantly		Works very significantly
			increases		increases		increases
Financial incentives
	Doesn't work at all	Valid		Works significantly		Works very significantly
			increases		increases		increases
Moral stimulation
Administrative measures
Work spirit of the team
Economic innovations in the company
General socio-economic situation in the country
Fear of losing your job
Elements of competition

4.What motivates you to work now?:

 Salary

 Career opportunity

 Training opportunity

Fear of the unknown when leaving work

 Corporate culture and company image

Social guarantee system

Working conditions

 The desire to “not let down” the immediate supervisor

 The desire to “not let down” comrades/colleagues

5 What are your plans for the next 1-2 years?

Continue to work in the same position;

Move to the next position;

Move to work in another structural unit;

Move to another organization without changing your specialty

Move to another organization with a change of specialty

__________________________________________________

6 Does the current socio-economic situation force you to look for additional sources of income?

Difficult to answer

7 Please select the 10 most important job characteristics for you from the list below?

Opposite the most important one, put the number 1, the less important one - 2, then 3,4,5.

Characteristics of work
Opportunity for professional growth
Opportunity for promotion
Variety of work
Difficulty of work
High profit payment
Independence in performing work
Prestige of the profession
Favorable working conditions
Low labor intensity
Favorable psychological climate
Opportunity to communicate while working
Opportunity to improve your living conditions
Participation in company management

8 Please write what could help increase your work activity

9 Do you feel anxious about the prospect of losing your job?

Difficult to answer

10 Do you feel that wages depend on:

Complete specified volumes

On your skill level

From initiative and creativity in work

On the level of compliance with disciplinary requirements

From “Personal devotion” to the leader

Other _________________________________________________

11 If you or your work colleagues have misunderstandings or conflicts with managers, then for what reasons?

Management style, rudeness with subordinates

Incompetence of management

Inattention to the needs of employees, to improving their social and living conditions of work and rest

Unreasonable change in the functional responsibilities of employees and the assignment of additional

Overtime, frequent overtime

Frequent changes in department composition

Unfair distribution of wages and bonuses

Unsatisfactory distribution of vacations

Unsatisfactory provision of equipment and materials

Impossibility of career growth

12 Do you think there are internal reserves in your team to improve labor efficiency?

There are certainly significant ________________

There may be minor ________________

All reserves are used _______________________

Difficult to answer _______________________

13.What exactly do you see as unused reserves?

In the organization of personnel work

Not using the initiative and creative potential of employees

In the absence of creative initiative among employees

As insurance services

In the style and methods of personnel management

Other _____________________________________________________

14 Try to assess your level of qualifications as objectively as possible?

High

Sufficient to work in current position

Not yet sufficient

15 Do you have any other specialty besides your main one?

16 How much does the effectiveness and quality of your work depend on interaction with other departments of the company?

Completely

Partially

Doesn’t depend

Difficult to answer

17 What would you suggest to do for more effective cooperation

__________________________________________________________________

18 Are you satisfied with your job?

Satisfied

Not satisfied

Difficult to answer

19 Additional offers!

I like working for the Company because

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I don’t like working for the Company because

20 Your gender

Male

Female

21 Your age

20-30  31-40

41-50  51-60

22 Your education

Secondary special

Unfinished higher education

Higher

Two higher educations

23 Work experience:

General ________________________________________

By specialty ________________________________

At our enterprise ___________________________________

Anonymous surveys help assess the microclimate in the team and reveal management problems. They give employees the opportunity to speak out honestly, forcefully, and without fear of being fired for insubordination. This truth serum is good at breaking up stagnation in work processes. And if you make anonymous surveys regular, this will allow you to put the right strategic decisions on stream, which is what all managers strive for in one way or another.

We rummaged through open sources and found several examples of the use of anonymous surveys in management and business.

FBI

Thanks to Washington Post reporters and America's Freedom of Information Act, we can lift the curtain on how personnel decisions are made inside one of the world's most powerful domestic intelligence agencies.

Since 2007, the FBI has used regular anonymous surveys to assess the internal climate in all 56 regional departments of the agency. Inside the company, these surveys are called “smoke detectors.” The survey measures employee morale, commitment to service, leadership competencies, and level of cooperation with other federal agencies.

All FBI employees are surveyed - both operational personnel and support services. Quite voluminous questionnaires are compiled by psychologists and contain several dozen questions. They touch on all the main aspects and problems of the department’s daily work: the feasibility and feasibility of requirements, compliance with professional ethics, management’s ability to cope with negative phenomena, favoritism, and so on.

After analyzing the responses, each department is given an average score from “1” to “5”, where “1” means serious problems, and “5” means their complete absence.

In departments that score fewer points, mandatory personnel changes occur. No exceptions are made for anyone: according to the survey results, key employees of the largest departments in New York and Washington were removed in different years.

Result

Anonymous surveys, coupled with a two-stage selection for the personnel reserve (also based on questionnaires), improved the quality of management decisions by 9.5%, according to department analysts. An assistant director of the FBI's HR division called anonymous surveys "a great measurement tool."

Earls

Earls is a large chain of inexpensive family restaurants operating in North America. During peak seasons it has up to 8 thousand employees. Its leaders made it a rule to regularly communicate with subordinates and give them the opportunity to speak out through anonymous surveys. The Wall Street Journal spoke about Earls' practice back in 2015.

In the fall and spring, Earls HR officers conduct scheduled anonymous surveys to monitor the work process, the work of managers, and opportunities for growth.

Regular surveys at Earls revealed that restaurant staff who had to arrive at work at 5am to prepare food in the kitchen felt socially isolated.

In addition to regular "seasonal" surveys, Earls managers often conduct "quick response surveys" for limited groups of employees. They are resorted to in case of failures in the workflow that need to be quickly identified and resolved.

Result

HR Director of the Earls chain Brenda Rigney shares the successes the company has achieved after introducing an anonymous survey system:

Reducing personnel recruitment costs by $1 million;
Reduce legal costs by 90%;
Increased employee retention rate from 28% to 43%.

Glassdoor

The large recruiting portal Glassdoor knows firsthand about the importance of anonymous surveys. Anonymity of reviews formed the basis of the work of their resource with more than 30 million users. On Glassdoor.com, any employee who registers through a profile on social networks can leave insider information about salaries and working conditions at their company. All data is published on condition of anonymity. This gives job seekers unvarnished information about companies, and gives companies the motivation to correct their mistakes before they become public knowledge.

So, a biweekly general meeting of Glassdoor employees ends with them asking management any questions through an anonymous service. Few people dare to express their doubts publicly, but the guarantee of anonymity encourages sharp and frank questions.

We don't have clear data on how this helps Glassdoor's business, we can only look at the overall metrics. The company is growing rapidly; by 2017, it had raised about $200 million in several rounds of investment. If Glassdoor goes public, experts estimate it at $1 billion.

How to conduct an anonymous survey?

The easiest way to do this is to use the Questionnaire cloud service, designed specifically for conducting online surveys and collecting results. This is a fast, convenient and economical solution.

Give your employees the opportunity to speak up!

Just a few years ago, all that was required to attract employees was to “make a cry” in the media or on the Internet, but now an increasing number of companies are included in the “competitive selection of employers.” Even now, despite the crisis, they need professionals who can “move” the business forward...

Most people want to do a good job.
If they feel uncomfortable and perform poorly,
the problem usually lies in the structure of the organization.
Dr. Mitchell Rabkin, President of Beth Israel Hospital

Today, labor relations between employee and employer are largely becoming market-based. At the same time, salary itself ceases to be the only motivating factor. The most important tools for attracting highly qualified employees are the qualities of the company itself: its spirit, brand, corporate culture, organizational structure, employee care programs. The image of the best employer is the “hook” that helps to attract and retain the best employees, without giving competitors a single chance! And given the current crisis situation in the country and the world, organizations with a strong and effective corporate culture have a greater chance of surviving.

The overall level of satisfaction with the company and motivation of employees largely depends on how effectively communications are built in it. I am firmly convinced: the vast majority of problems in work teams arise due to ineffective communication - in this case, the company loses up to 60% of the potential of its “hidden talents”! HR should not only talk to people themselves, but also help management develop reliable, full-fledged, constant channels of communication with their employees!

At the heart of modern business is a standard management vertical: we are all accustomed to the fact that the performer has a boss, who, in turn, also has his own boss, and above him is another one - the most important boss. Each department considers itself indispensable and strives to maintain autonomy, which is facilitated by the very organization of internal processes that often encourage isolation. Often, ordinary employees interact only with colleagues from their own department and do not know what other departments are doing. Lack of effective communication and collaboration leads to disunity.

The average employee gets used to living in a “case”: he indifferently carries out daily duties and looks forward to weekends or vacations so that he can “forget about work as quickly as possible.” Its effectiveness, as a rule, does not exceed 50%. I have come across companies where the staff is completely indifferent to the work, no one strives for responsibility or creativity. For business as a whole, this creates serious problems: an unfavorable image of the employer, overstaffing, low employee efficiency, a protracted decision-making process, a high level of conflict and stress, an epidemic of general “bad mood”, etc., etc. This situation follows change as quickly as possible. It’s good if a talented manager is at the helm of the company, otherwise it will be up to the HR people to establish effective communication and improve the overall motivational field.

Components of the corporate culture of an enterprise

Transforming corporate culture is a difficult task; it cannot be artificially “formed” at will. The process of “cultural shifts” is slow, with delays and relapses. Eichar understands what is happening in the team and can promptly respond to emerging problems if he systematically “measures” the parameters of the corporate climate. Of course, most people resist being “measured,” “tested,” “analyzed,” and “tuned” (especially if this is the first time). Therefore (as in any other HR project), debugging of communication programs must be carried out methodically and efficiently - or not at all!

A unique human personality can only be conditionally “classified” or placed under a certain “category”. How to analyze and evaluate what cannot be “seen with the naked eye” or “touched” - involvement, loyalty, motivation, etc.? After all, for success in conducting an internal corporate questionnaire or survey, employee loyalty is also primarily important - if people do not want to “be counted,” HR is unlikely to be able to hope for the success of its diagnostic studies and the implementation of motivational programs.

In order to develop measures aimed at increasing the low level of loyalty and involvement of employees, first of all, you should assess their motivation: what suits them, what does not; what they fear, what they rejoice at; What inspires them and what detracts from their performance? The best way is to ask them directly. We do this using the “Employee Opinion Survey” (EMS), for which we have developed a special questionnaire (for an approximate list of questions, see Application).

Each time, the goals of corporate research should be clearly and specifically formulated: “What do we want to know?” and “What do we want to ask employees?” For example, when conducting compulsory health insurance, we set ourselves the following goals:

convince the staff that everyone can express their opinion, the point of view of the performers is interesting to management;

make sure that the exchange of information between performers and management becomes an effective way of interaction;

remove communication barriers, promote team unity;

improve corporate culture;

increase employee loyalty to the company;

increase the performance of each employee.

If compulsory medical insurance is carried out for the first time, it is useful to assess the overall picture of satisfaction and diagnose the main aspects of the corporate culture. In the future, you can more deeply analyze the motivation and level of involvement of employees in various departments, the ratio of expectations and satisfaction of employees, and the degree of their personal productivity.

It is better to conduct the first research anonymously; This will reduce employee anxiety and they will be able to sincerely talk about what really worries them.

From my point of view, it is advisable to develop diagnostic tools - questionnaires and questionnaires - independently, so that all questions are aimed at assessing those aspects that are important “here and now”. Of course, creating a professional toolkit is a difficult task; only experienced HR managers can do it.

Any survey is not just a collection of opinions, but also, first of all, a dialogue between the company administration (on behalf of which HR develops and implements certain programs) and employees. Therefore, you should listen to any opinions: objective and subjective, ironic and positive, constructive and even impudent... But all statements addressed to the company should be treated critically, taking into account the specifics of the situation in each individual division and the company as a whole, the management style of a particular manager, psychological characteristics of a particular person. Regardless of differences in skill level or communication skills, people tend to be much more willing to voice criticism. This needs to be taken into account.

The results of the survey should be interpreted by a professional who not only understands the intricacies of psychology, but also knows the corporate spirit well. In this case, first of all, it is important to assess the satisfaction of employees and the degree of comfort of working in the company, and to reveal the “bottlenecks” in communication schemes. Then you can do a more in-depth analysis - taking into account job categories, regional affiliation and age of respondents.

Let's imagine a situation: a survey has been conducted, the results have been analyzed, but there is no logical continuation of the process - a clear and effective action plan for implementing changes. Or: the results have been received, but not announced... The effect of the event in this case will be extremely negative, perhaps even the exact opposite of what was expected. Therefore, having identified problem areas through a survey, we develop an action plan, in which we necessarily indicate the responsible persons, the necessary resources and deadlines.

Success in such a complex matter as the formation of an effective corporate culture can be achieved provided that the company regularly conducts compulsory medical insurance, based on the results of research, employees receive high-quality feedback, and management not only initiates changes in issues important to the team, but also achieves positive results .

A happy team is one in which the emphasis is initially correctly placed, where mutual understanding, teamwork and involvement in work are important, where leadership and efficiency are encouraged. But for some reason there are much fewer of them... More often there are ordinary, “standard” ones, which are based on an individualistic model of behavior, where everyone is predominantly “for himself”...

There are no good or bad corporate cultures: any of the existing forms and models corresponds to the goals of the organization, since it was created by the people themselves. In the process of enterprise development, business goals naturally change, while serious organizational changes lead to a restructuring of the team, a revision of corporate values and basic operating principles. To make the process of corporate culture change manageable, HR (with the support of senior management) must guide it in the right direction. At the same time, it is important, on the one hand, not to “squeeze” personnel into the clutches of “new, best rules”, and on the other hand, not to let the process take its course.

Rules for effective corporate communication

Exceed customer expectations: Every contact is an opportunity to demonstrate that we care about them.
Live by the Golden Rule: Treat others with courtesy and respect.
Be a leader: everyone can lead, for example by managing themselves.
Participate in the common cause: everyone is responsible for the success of the company.
Strive for excellence.
Work as a team: Teamwork stimulates innovation and creativity.
Share your knowledge.
Keep it simple: It should be easy for clients to do business with us, and for us to do business with each other.
Listen and communicate: Our clients and colleagues deserve the best.
Enjoy life! If it doesn’t work out, find the cause of dissatisfaction and eliminate it!

If the team adopts these rules, the phrase “thank God, today is Monday!” - will become familiar in this company.

Application

QUESTIONNAIRE

Please take a few minutes to fill out the questionnaire (you don’t have to indicate your last name). Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the statements below. Your feedback is very important to us. Please return the completed questionnaire to your workplace coordinator.

No.	Statements	Grade
No.	Statements		I don't quite agree	Don't know	Partially agree	I completely agree
I. Expectations
	My daily responsibilities match my expectations
	I am proud to work for my company
II. Productivity
	Established processes help me complete my work efficiently
	Decisions are made promptly
III. Interaction
	Departments collaborate effectively with each other
	There is an exchange of experience
IV. Safety
	I was provided with safe working conditions
V. Potential
	Risk is encouraged
	Creative initiative is rewarded
VI. Communications
	I receive enough information necessary for work
	I can freely express my opinion
VII. Justice
	Responsibilities between company and/or department employees are distributed fairly
VIII. Ethical
	My colleagues adhere to ethical standards of behavior
	My boss is my role model for ethical behavior.
IX. How long do you plan to continue your career with the company?		less than 1 year	1–2 years	2–5 years	more than 5 years	Don't know
		of course not	probably no	Maybe	Probably yes	of course yes
XI. Please write your comments and wishes to the company
XII. How long have you worked for the company?		less than 1 year	1–2 years	2–5 years	5–10 years	10 or more years
XIII. Please indicate your age		over 21 years old	from 21 to 34 years old	from 35 to 44 years old	55 and older
XIV. Please indicate your gender		male	female
XV. Please indicate which department you work in

Comment your rating

Thank you for participating in the survey and for your ideas!

Article provided to our portal
editorial staff of the magazine

The concept of “customer centricity” has firmly entered the business dictionary. No one needs to be convinced that a company's level of customer satisfaction determines its long-term prospects. But, unfortunately, not all managers pay attention to another strategically important variable - the level of employee satisfaction. Low satisfaction of company personnel will most likely lead to low levels of satisfaction among customers and partners. In my article I would like to tell you how and by what criteria you can assess the morale of your team. This is necessary both to determine starting positions and to assess the dynamics of change.

Tasks of assessing employee satisfaction

“Find the dissatisfied” is the wrong task. Employee satisfaction assessments are carried out to find opportunities for company development. And while identifying the strengths of the business organization is an important task of such a project, the greatest benefit will come from identifying the “zones of dissatisfaction” and the desires of employees (no matter how unpleasant this may be for management and shareholders). Another objective of assessment is to see changes taking place by comparing current performance with that of previous years.

Ultimately, satisfaction assessments should provide guidance on how to attract and retain the most valuable employees for the company.

Step one: identifying drivers

It would be a mistake to start preparing a survey by writing survey questions. Each company has its own specifics of activity, its own history, culture, strategy and objectives. First of all, it is necessary to determine which factors (drivers) are key in terms of influencing employee satisfaction in a particular business. If Archimedes were a business consultant, his famous quote might be: “Give me a list of key drivers and I will turn the business around.” When viewing other people's questionnaires, you should always take into account the characteristics of the company for which they were developed.

Working conditions,
Nature of work
Management,
Compensation,
Education and development,
Career,
Relationships in the team.

Next, in each area, we determine the key conditions for achieving success (in our case, success is 100% employee satisfaction with work in the company and their willingness to continue their activities for the benefit of shareholders). As an example and starting point, I offer the following list:

Working conditions

1.1. Convenient office location;
1.2. Comfortable environment inside the office;
1.3. Technical equipment of the workplace;
1.4. Convenient work schedule.

Nature of work

2.1. Pride in working for the company;
2.2. Opportunity for self-expression;
2.3. Variety of tasks performed.

Management

3.1. Clear, precise, achievable goals;
3.2. Clear tasks, responsibilities and procedures;
3.3. Fair assessment of work results;
3.4. Availability of necessary powers;
3.5. Management's attention to employees' ideas and opinions;
3.6. Respectful attitude from managers.

Compensation

4.1. Compliance of the motivation system with the situation on the labor market;
4.2. Compliance of remuneration with the professional level and performance of employees;
4.3. Compliance of non-material incentives with the personal values of employees;
4.4. A sense of security and confidence for employees in the future.

Education and development

5.1. Availability of training programs;
5.2. Compliance of programs with work tasks;
5.3. Opportunity to receive mentor support in the workplace;
5.4. Opportunity to access training materials and best practices.

Career

6.1. Possibility of vertical career;
6.2. Horizontal career opportunity.

Relationships in the team

7.1. Friendly atmosphere in the team;
7.2. Opportunity to receive support from colleagues.

Driver statements can either describe a desired outcome, such as “respectful management,” or provide direction for action, such as “clear operating procedures.” The last option is preferable.

Compiling a list of key drivers is a challenging but important task. It can be solved by involving the employees themselves, for example, by conducting interviews and focus groups. You should not rely solely on the opinion of company management representatives.

Step two: preparing the questionnaire

Having a list of drivers in hand, you can proceed to compiling a list of questions. Depending on the information requested, the question type is selected. In some cases, this may be a closed question, requiring a “yes” or “no” answer. But most of the questions will most likely ask you to make a choice from available options (a 5-point scale would be the best choice due to its simplicity and obviousness). It is advisable to provide each question with a comment field.

Below are questions that need to be adapted and supplemented to fit your list of key success factors.

Overall satisfaction rating

How do you rate the Company as a place to work?
Would you recommend a job for the Company to your close friend?
How long do you plan to work for the Company?
For what reasons do experienced employees most often leave the Company?
What one phrase would you use to describe the Company as a place to work?

Working conditions

Is it convenient for you to get to and from work?
Do you have all the necessary materials and equipment to do your job well?
Is your office space and interior conducive to productive work?
Does your work schedule allow you to effectively balance your work and personal life?

Nature of work

Do you enjoy telling your family and friends about your work?
Does your job allow you to fully realize your abilities?
Does your current job give you the opportunity to develop as a professional?
Do the tasks assigned to you match your interests?
Do you have the ability to take initiative and implement your ideas?

Management

Do you know and understand the company's strategic goals?
Are decisions made in the Company promptly and without unnecessary delays?
Do you clearly understand what results are expected of you?
Are all the tasks assigned to you feasible?
Do the tasks assigned to you correspond to your level of professionalism?
Do you have a good understanding of your responsibilities and work procedures?
Is the interaction between employees in your department well organized?
Do you receive regular performance reviews from your line manager?
Do you believe that the assessment of your work is objective and fair?
Do you have enough authority to complete the tasks assigned to you?
When setting tasks, does your manager ask for your opinion?
Do you receive moral support from your immediate supervisor?
Does the Company's management treat you with respect?
Does the Company's management encourage justified risks and tolerate mistakes?
Do you understand the decisions made by the company's management?

Compensation

Do you think that your salary corresponds to the situation on the labor market?
Do you believe that financial and non-financial compensation is commensurate with your level of professionalism and the results of your work?
Does the non-financial incentive system meet your expectations?
Do you feel confident in the future while working for the Company?
Do you have to look for additional sources of income?

Education and development

Does the company encourage the professional growth of its employees?
Does the company provide an opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to complete assigned tasks?
Can you get support from more experienced comrades if needed?
Do you have access to information that helps you do your job better?

Career opportunities

Do you think that your current position corresponds to your level of professionalism and services to the Company?
Do you see a real opportunity to make a career in the Company?
Do you feel that the Company's management is interested in your career?
Do you understand how and by what principles the Company promotes employees?
Do you know exactly what you need to do to get a promotion?
Has your manager talked to you about your career?

Relationships in the team

Are all divisions of the Company working towards a common result?
Do you assess the atmosphere in the Company as friendly and aimed at productive work?
If you ask your colleagues for help, are you most likely to receive it?
Do you have colleagues whom you would call your friends?

Make a “long list” without trying to filter questions.
Select the most accurate and clear questions by preparing a draft questionnaire.
Test the questionnaire on a limited number of employees, identifying questions that are unclear to representatives of the target audience or questions that produce ambiguous answers. Adjust the form based on the test results.

Example of a questionnaire design

Please indicate how much you agree with the following statements. 1: strongly disagree; 2: rather disagree; 3: difficult to answer; 4: rather agree; 5: I completely agree.

Question	1 2 3 4 5	Your comments
1.1.	□ □ □ □ □
1.2.	□ □ □ □ □
1.3.	□ □ □ □ □

In the questionnaire, you can allocate space for employee ideas, for example, ask them to answer the question: “What, in your opinion, should the Company stop/continue/start doing to make its attractiveness as a place to work increase?”

For a more in-depth analysis, it is useful to add several “socio-demographic” criteria to the questionnaire, for example, gender, age, marital status, education, length of service in the company, length of service in the current position.

Step three: conducting a survey

The first requirement for the survey procedure is confidentiality. If an employee has the slightest doubt about the safety of his participation, one cannot count on obtaining reliable results.

The second requirement is the technical ability to process the received data quickly and without errors. The best option for organizing a survey is using Internet technologies. Completing and analyzing paper forms will require a significant amount of time.

It is very important to “sell” the idea of research to employees. A positive perception of the survey is necessary so that there is no formal attitude when answering questions. Employees must believe that they have a real chance to influence the company's performance.

The task of presenting the research is undertaken by the company's chief executive and immediate managers. In addition, the survey form itself should include a preamble with a brief description of the goals and objectives of the study, as well as simple and understandable instructions.

Example instructions

We ask you to take the time to answer a number of questions in this questionnaire. The purpose of the study is to find out your opinion and the opinion of your colleagues about working conditions in our company. Your responses will help us learn what you believe should be maintained as our organization's strengths and what needs to change. We will be grateful for your sincere and accurate answers.

The survey is conducted anonymously and the data obtained will be used and presented to the company management in a summarized form.

The questions are divided into groups and relate to several aspects of your work. Most questions require you to select an answer that best reflects your point of view. If you would like to give a detailed comment on your answer, please do so in the “Your comments” field. We ask you to answer all questions in the questionnaire.

Completed forms will be accepted until the twentieth day.

We thank you for understanding the importance of this research for the company and for your participation in the project. Thank you very much for your cooperation!

Step four: summing up

I propose summing up the results of the survey not in points, but in percentages that characterize the number of people who answered positively (who gave 4 and 5 on a 5-point system). At the same time, it will be possible to assess the state of affairs for each of the key factors:

above 70% - everything is fine, maintenance at this level is required;
30-70% - work to improve is required;
below 30% - urgent measures are needed.

The results can be visualized using color (similar to the colors of a traffic light): green, yellow, red.

If the survey is not conducted for the first time, it becomes possible to compare the progress and dynamics of the organization’s development according to one or another indicator, and if the survey was conducted throughout the company, then compare the results for various divisions - functional and territorial.

All drivers are important, but some are more important. Having the appropriate statistical base, you can assess how the overall level of satisfaction changes due to changes in one or another indicator, in other words, calculate the correlation of key factors. By understanding which aspects primarily determine the level of satisfaction, it will be possible to allocate company resources more effectively.

An easier way to assess the importance of a particular factor is to give the employees themselves the opportunity to set priorities.

To clarify the picture, it is worth conducting a series of focus groups and individual interviews with survey participants. For obvious reasons, the focus should be on the most valuable and most promising employees. Questions for discussion: identified strengths and weaknesses of the company’s activities, as well as the survey itself (the immediate reaction of participants and their expectations regarding the use of the research results).

And, of course, it is worth paying attention to the percentage of employees who took part in the survey. This is a clear indicator of people's engagement and trust in management initiatives.

Step five: development of a development plan

Awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the organization of the company's activities should result in an action plan to eliminate the identified bottlenecks. It is better to focus on 3-5 problems than to draw large-scale but impossible plans. First of all, you should pay attention to the variables that have the greatest impact on the final result, but received the lowest scores.

The more specific the plan, the greater the likelihood of seeing its results.

Identified problem;
Reasons for the problem (bottlenecks in the organization);
Problems that need to be solved;
Initiatives to eliminate bottlenecks;
Time frame for implementing initiatives;
Responsible “sponsor” of the project and members of the project team.

Step Six: Presenting Research Results to Employees

If participants do not see the results of the study, you can be sure that they will be lukewarm about the next one. For the same reasons, you should not delay the presentation of the survey results - the sooner, the higher the interest and involvement, the more comments and ideas you can get.

What should you present to your employees? Firstly, show the strengths of the company and “celebrate” joint achievements together. Secondly, present those aspects of the work that require changes and improvements. At the same time, it is absolutely forbidden to make excuses or blame anyone. In general, the tone of the presentation should be positive: strengths speak for themselves, and weaknesses are opportunities to make the company even stronger. Don’t forget, no private opinions - only generalized results (for example, you don’t need to clarify with a specific employee what he had in mind when he filled out the questionnaire).

The data received is already yesterday; what will happen tomorrow is much more important. Conclusions are more important than the numbers obtained, so the presentation should be completed by presenting and discussing the developed plan for further action. An honest admission of what remains unclear and a sincere willingness to hear employees make changes to the prepared action plan will bring valuable comments, ideas and support to those who will implement the plan.

The last words of the presentation are gratitude for participation in the study, questions asked and ideas proposed.

Sixth seventh: implementation and monitoring of plan execution

Employee trust and motivation can only be maintained if they are regularly informed about the current status of the project. For example, a monthly report describing current results, problems and next steps will help you see progress and make timely adjustments.

If management is not ready or doubts that the results of the study will be able to change the company’s performance for the better, it is better to immediately abandon the idea of surveying employees. And at the same time from the idea of creating a client-oriented organization.

People are the main capital of any modern company. That is why the personnel management strategy should be aimed at developing their loyalty and establishing a high quality level of relations between employees and the company. An opinion poll allows you to assess the level of these relationships, determine their strengths and weaknesses in order to develop measures for improvement. During the survey, employees have the opportunity to express their attitude towards work and towards the employer, which, in turn, can influence the formation of personnel management policies and the development strategy of the company as a whole...

It is known that most HR managers consider employee opinion surveys to be an effective tool for collecting information that is important to the employer. However, not all of them conduct such surveys in their companies, since management is not yet ready to spend either money or time on this. Some believe that the reason lies in the Ukrainian mentality, but our experience shows that the distrust of the heads of domestic companies in employee opinion surveys is caused by the same reasons as the distrust of their Western colleagues who have already gone down this path.

What concerns do employers face when they want to conduct an employee opinion survey? Most often, company managers believe that employees:

will not want to participate in the survey;

they will not tell the truth;

they will tell the truth, but there will be no way to adequately respond to it;

they won't say anything new.

Indeed, all of the above concerns are justified and may well become a reality if the survey is conducted incorrectly.

Among the main mistakes that HR managers make when conducting surveys are the following:

incorrect goal setting;

incorrect definition of the subject of research;

distortion of the essence of the study;

flaws in the collection of information;

errors in analyzing the results;

lack of feedback;

ineffective communications.

However, all these mistakes can be avoided if you clearly understand why an employee opinion survey is being conducted, what stages it consists of, and what are the main prerequisites for success in its implementation. At the same time, one should remember the main misconceptions regarding such a survey.

Misconception 1. Surveying employee opinions is a ready-made solution to existing problems.

This statement is incorrect; a survey is not a solution to the problem. It is only a tool for collecting management information that needs to be carefully analyzed. Then, based on the results of the analysis, you need to draw up an action plan aimed at solving the identified problems.

Misconception 2: Employee opinion surveys can be used to evaluate the performance of individual employees.

This misconception is dangerous because using the results of an opinion survey to evaluate individual employees can lead to distrust of the employer and all subsequent surveys initiated by the company. However, the survey allows us to determine general trends in employee perception of processes occurring in the company.

Misconception 3. A survey of employee opinions is the only and sufficient source of management information.

Unfortunately, the results of the employee opinion survey are not the ultimate truth. However, through a survey, it is possible to identify “undercurrents” and problems, as well as identify areas that require more in-depth research (through sample interviews, group discussions, focus groups, etc.).

Taking into account and realizing all the above-mentioned features of this tool, you can begin planning the main stages of the survey through questionnaires (see diagram). At each stage, surprises await the researcher and, if everything is not planned and foreseen in advance, errors are possible that can lead to the “failure” of the survey.

So, let’s consider separately each of the stages of conducting a survey of employee opinions.

Stage 1. Setting goals and defining the subject of the survey

First, you need to create a working group, which usually includes company executives (including the HR manager), an HR specialist responsible for conducting the survey, and a consultant conducting the survey (if it was decided to use an internal or external consultant for this task) . Such a working group will be able to most effectively set the goals of the survey and identify areas of interest to the company (the subject of the survey), while taking into account the business goals of the company and the stage of organizational development at which it is located. The main thing is that the goals set are not too diverse, as this will make the research “indigestible.” It should be remembered that a properly conducted survey in itself is an excellent way to increase employee satisfaction and their loyalty to the company.

All further stages of the survey should be aimed at achieving the goals and researching a specific subject of the survey.

Stage 2. Identification of target groups

This stage is directly related to the previous one, and its tasks are often carried out simultaneously with setting goals and defining the subject of research. Dividing the total number of employees into target groups allows you to obtain quantitative results for each of the groups and compare them with each other. As a rule, when determining target groups, three characteristics are taken into account:

functional - target groups are formed by divisions or departments;

regional - target groups are formed according to the location of employees.

However, when forming target groups, you do not have to limit yourself to these three characteristics. You can divide employees by their length of service in your company, by age, or by some other criteria that will allow you to get as close as possible to achieving your research goals. However, it must be remembered that if you conduct a survey in a too narrow target group (up to 20 people), you risk encountering a certain degree of distrust in it, as employees may begin to doubt the anonymity of their answers. Target groups can also be formed according to several criteria, for example, dividing employees into a certain number of regional and category groups, but in this case you must be prepared to process and analyze a larger amount of data.

Stage 3. Development and testing of the questionnaire

At the stage of compiling the questionnaire, you should not deviate from the goals and subject of the survey. Although the temptation to ask additional questions is very great, it must be remembered that “related” topics and questions “just in case” lead to unnecessary administrative and time costs when processing and analyzing completed questionnaires. In addition, it often turns out that it is almost impossible to draw any clear conclusions from the answers to such questions, since the additional topic is only partially covered. But the most unpleasant consequence of including unnecessary questions in the questionnaire is the irritation and distrust of employees who may not understand why this or that question is being asked. Therefore, if possible, try to keep the number of questions in the questionnaire no more than 50, and write clear instructions for filling it out.

IN Application An example of a questionnaire designed to conduct a survey of employee opinions is given. In this case, the company's management was interested in assessing the overall level of development of individual components of the company's organizational culture, as well as determining how effective, in the opinion of employees, the communications existing in the company were. Since cultural values and communication methods vary from company to company, it is especially important to involve management in conducting such a study, and not only at the stage of determining the goals and subject of the employee survey, but also when approving an already prepared questionnaire. It is important that the researcher correctly understands the company’s declared values and, accordingly, asks the right questions. We encountered the fact that different employees of the company put different concepts into one value. For example, “Growth through quality” was perceived by some as the need to monitor the quality of goods produced and services provided, while others perceived it as the need to strive for professional growth.

In order to make sure that the questionnaire you developed is understandable and easy to fill out, you should definitely test it. For this purpose, a fairly representative pilot group is usually selected, whose members fill out a questionnaire and give their comments on the accessibility of the terms and scales used, the general logic of the questions asked, etc. Testing the questionnaire will help you take into account the nuances of the corporate culture that has developed in the company, and this This point is very important, since surveying employee opinions, in addition to all the above advantages, also contributes to the development of corporate culture.

Stage 4. Distribution and collection of questionnaires

While distributing and collecting questionnaires may seem like the simplest part of a survey, it's actually the most critical part to ensuring employee participation and earning their trust. The key to trust is properly constructed communications. Be sure to inform employees in advance of the purpose of the survey, explain the importance of participation, and tell them about the opportunities the survey provides. In addition, through communications it is necessary to create an atmosphere of openness in which employees will not be afraid to answer questions frankly. This is only possible if the confidentiality of individual information is ensured and guaranteed at all stages of the survey. Typically, in order to achieve a higher level of trust among survey participants and, accordingly, to obtain more reliable and high-quality research results, an external consultant is involved in conducting the survey.

Stage 5. Data processing

Solving problems arising at the data processing stage depends mainly on the availability of technical resources and expertise. From the point of view of optimizing the processing of survey results, it is best to use electronic versions of questionnaires by placing them on the company’s local network. However, this option, unfortunately, is not always available due to the fact that not all company employees may have access to a computer or the company does not have a special program that allows conducting an electronic survey. In addition, it is sometimes preferable to use paper questionnaires, as this gives employees greater confidence in the anonymity of individual responses. However, it is desirable that data processing be automated as much as possible and constant monitoring of the quality of information input and processing is carried out, then the reliability of the data will not be questioned.

At the same time, at this stage it is very important to calculate all the necessary quantitative indicators (for example, an index of overall satisfaction, level of loyalty, etc.), which will allow us to draw certain conclusions and carry out further analysis.

Stage 6. Analysis of the results obtained

This stage is one of the most interesting and significant in conducting a survey of employee opinions. It is at this stage that conclusions are formulated on the basis of which you can determine what further actions to improve this or that area of personnel management will need to be taken. If an external consultant is involved in the project, then at this stage he will be able to develop recommendations based on the results of the survey and taking into account his previous experience of working on similar projects in other companies.

In principle, there are quite a lot of options for analyzing survey results, but within the framework of this article I would like to pay special attention to the comparative analysis of the results, as the most frequently used and, in our opinion, the most effective. The fact is that many managers, having received the quantitative results of the survey after processing, begin to ask specific questions: “If 72% of employees are 80% satisfied with their work in the company, is this good or bad? What to focus on? What to compare with?

Most often, managers express a desire compare your company with other companies on a regional or industry basis. This is a fairly useful exercise, as it allows you to determine the capabilities of your company in comparison with similar companies operating in the market. However, it should be remembered that by using only this method of analysis, you risk coming to erroneous conclusions. Thus, a company that finds that it is at an adequate level compared to other companies may decide that there is no reason to worry. However, in any company there will be an area that needs to be supported and developed, and what is good for one company may not necessarily be good for another. In addition, when comparing the results of your company with the results of other companies, the interrelationships of factors are often not analyzed, and therefore the causes of the identified problem may be incorrectly identified.

Very helpful comparison of the actual state of affairs in the company with the desired one: This analysis allows us to identify the steps that are necessary to reduce the gap between reality and ideal. And don’t be scared by the fact that such a gap will always exist. Employees are well aware that the ideal is unattainable, but they will appreciate every step the company takes towards it.

It is also quite useful comparison of results obtained for different target groups(departments, management levels, etc.). Thanks to this comparison, it becomes possible to identify leading groups that problem groups can follow, as well as to discover different approaches to solving problems in individual target groups.

And perhaps the most common method of comparison is tracking changes over time. By comparing the results of the current year with the results of last year, you can see whether the right steps have been taken to improve a particular situation, what trends are emerging in a particular area, which activities should be continued and which should be abandoned.

Step 7: Survey feedback and action plan

Whatever the results of the survey, whatever conclusions you come to, do not withhold information from employees. Your employees are smart enough to remember questions that interest them, and may lose trust in an employer who is unwilling to show negative results. It is better to diplomatically present the results and try to explore their nature, as well as explain what the company can do to change the situation. In this case, it is best to hold a meeting with employees where you can not only present the survey results, but also discuss them in detail. If such a meeting is held by the head of the company (department) together with the HR manager, then employees will have a feeling of the importance of their own opinion and personal involvement in the further development of the company. During such a meeting, analyze the results obtained, discuss with employees possible ways to solve existing problems, ask them to express their suggestions, and involve them in drawing up an action plan and in its implementation.

To achieve maximum impact, the connection between your next actions and the results of the survey should be obvious. To do this, after a certain period of time (usually no less than a year), you will need to conduct another series of communications with employees in order to provide them with a report on the work done. In this case, you can use any means of communication that seems appropriate to you - letters, information on bulletin boards, presentations, meetings, etc. In this way, you will maintain not only the trust of employees, but also their interest in the next survey.

As you can see, the process of conducting an employee opinion survey is actually cyclical and lasts from developing the survey goals to reporting to employees on the steps taken by the company, which were developed based on the analysis of the results obtained. Moreover, the cycle does not end there, but involves conducting subsequent rounds of the survey, reminiscent of development in a spiral. By properly putting this spiral into action, despite all the difficulties that await you, you can give a tremendous impetus to the development of your company by building employee loyalty.

Application

Employee Opinion Survey

Subject of study: COMMUNICATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

QUESTIONNAIRE

Please determine the degree of your agreement with this or that statement using a five-point scale, where: 1 - completely disagree; 2 - rather disagree; 3 - I take a neutral position; 4 - rather agree; 5 - completely agree.

No.	Statement	Your comments
	Information about events taking place in the Company is provided regularly
	It is important for me to learn information about the development of the Company from management
	I can trust what management says
	I understand the tasks and priorities of my colleagues from other departments
	The communication system between the Company’s departments is effective
	The Company treats all employees with respect
	The team has developed an atmosphere of trust and goodwill towards each other
	I respect and trust my colleagues
	I have been given a real opportunity to develop and grow within the Company.