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Employee surveys and 360-degree feedback: asking the right questions and listening properly
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Employee satisfaction is an essential key to a company's success. It is therefore advisable to regularly compare the desired state with reality and to survey employees. This article explains how best to proceed with employee surveys and what you should pay particular attention to when giving 360-degree feedback.
Employee surveys signal appreciation
Employees are the capital of any company: their work, commitment and motivation form the basis for long-term and stable corporate success. This makes it all the more important to retain staff in the company for as long as possible and to ensure recognition, appreciation and fulfilling work content. One way to achieve this is to treat employees as equals. One way of doing this is through employee surveys.
The reasons for and objectives of employee surveys can vary greatly. You should clarify the objectives precisely at the start. Otherwise, you run the risk of not collecting the information that is of particular interest to your company. You can also better plan which survey format is best suited to obtaining the desired information. Ultimately, a clear objective also makes it easier to draw the right conclusions from the results of the employee survey and develop specific initiatives.
How to prepare employee surveys professionally
Surveys are a sensitive instrument. They must be professionally designed, planned and implemented. Even one-off, minor mistakes can lead to a considerable loss of acceptance and trust among respondents. This would mean that, on the one hand, the data collected would hardly be usable and, on the other hand, the survey instrument would be disqualified by the "collective memory" of the workforce for a long time. The following tips will help you prepare for employee surveys:
Tip 1: Involve employees at an early stage to improve acceptance
First of all, it is advisable to form a project group consisting of employees from different departments, the works council and - if available - quality management to plan and support the entire survey. In addition to such a core group, all persons who derive and implement measures in the subsequent process should be involved in the definition and development of instruments. This ensures that the survey is supported by a large number of employees in the company from the outset and is not seen as an externally imposed action.
Tip 2: Maintain anonymity - drawing conclusions about individuals is an absolute taboo
In order to achieve a high level of participation, it is of central importance to inform all employees about the campaign comprehensively and at an early stage. Common media include notices, announcements in the company newspaper, news on the intranet and information events.
The instruments used to conduct the survey - written or verbal, online, with interviews or focus groups - depend on numerous factors. The intentions of the survey (quantitative completeness vs. qualitative depth) play just as much a role as the size and structure of the company. In any case, make sure that the data collected cannot be traced back to individuals in a credible and transparent manner (guarantee of anonymity).
Tip 3: Make the results of employee surveys absolutely transparent
The actual implementation depends primarily on the survey instrument selected. In any case, you should allow enough time for a possible follow-up action if the participation or response rate turns out to be too low. A target participation rate is between 60 and 70 percent; a participation rate of over 75 percent is considered good.
It is also important that you present the results of the survey quickly - usually via the same communication channels as the announcement. Company meetings are also a good place for the presentation. Ideally, in addition to the pure results, you should also present initial statements on how any shortcomings could be addressed.
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Employee survey: Opportunities and risks of 360-degree feedback
360-degree feedback is an increasingly popular means of assessing performance and resources fairly and objectively. Companies can use 360-degree feedback as a tool to minimize risks in employee surveys. HR developers, for example, use 360-degree feedback as a diagnostic and information tool that is both innovative and objective. This is because it reflects the current state of performance and cooperation behavior and, in the case of managers, also of leadership behavior. The comprehensive information from this tool can be used to create meaningful profiles of strengths and weaknesses.
Different perspectives for 360-degree feedback
In contrast to an assessment by a line manager, 360-degree feedback assesses employees and managers from multiple perspectives. Feedback is provided by the groups of people with whom the person being assessed has professional contact. The following feedback providers are conceivable:
- directly subordinate employees
- supervisors of the manager
- Customers
- Employees and colleagues at the same level, who work closely with the person being assessed
- the person being assessed themselves
Derive questionnaires from the situation and the requirements profiles
Expert knowledge and job-specific skills do not play the primary role in 360-degree feedback. The instrument is particularly suitable for assessing soft skills, such as the ability to motivate or resolve conflicts. The relevant skills are assessed using a series of questions. A requirements profile for the position in question provides valuable support when deciding which skills to ask about.
Preventing risks in the employee survey with 360-degree feedback
As with the assessment by the line manager, it is also important to prevent risks and develop new opportunities with 360-degree feedback. Consistent data protection and anonymity are absolutely essential prerequisites for this tool. If participants have even the slightest doubt about the confidentiality of their feedback, they will not give honest answers and will not assess circumstances or people objectively.
The purpose and process of 360-degree feedback must be transparent
In addition, the objectives of 360-degree feedback must be comprehensible and clearly communicated. A transparent 360-degree feedback process also helps to prevent acceptance problems. Online feedback is generally cheaper and faster than offline forms. In addition, respondents see them more as non-traceable. Intranet surveys are one of the online options. In the case of a skeptical workforce, external service providers who conduct the survey can be an uncomplicated alternative worth considering.
Choosing the right time for 360-degree feedback
The timing of 360-degree feedback also plays an important role. During ongoing restructuring or downsizing, the atmosphere in the company is naturally not suitable for this tool. In crisis situations, respondents are understandably less willing to critically assess their performance. They are more interested in emphasizing their value to the company. Even if you ask employees about a manager's performance, the feedback is more likely to be distorted in crisis situations.
Especially when you use the 360-degree feedback tool for the first time, the people involved should have access to a fixed contact person who can answer both content-related and technical questions. This can be a knowledgeable HR manager or an external partner, such as a consultant.
Interpreting and using feedback results appropriately
You should openly discuss the results and the objective of the 360-degree feedback with the employees being assessed and, ideally, agree on tailored development measures. Ideally, the performance review should consist of further 360-degree feedback. If, for example, a manager needs to improve their communication skills, the development measures were successful if the feedback changes positively in this respect over time.
Experts in employee surveys and 360-degree feedback
Are you planning an employee survey? Or do you want to take the error and feedback culture in your company to a new, constructive level? You can find further inspiration in the knowledge article Kulturwandel erfolgreich gestalten. If you are planning a project on employee surveys and/or 360-degree feedback: the HR experts from the Deutsche Interim AG pool will be happy to support you - competently and flexibly.
Charly Kahle
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