Many companies conduct employee surveys on a regular basis. But what happens to the results afterwards? Are they used to create change? To understand how employees are doing? Or do they become primarily a temperature measurement that ends up in a drawer?
To get value out of an employee survey, it's important to be clear about what you want to measure and why. Without good KPIs and clear goals, it's easy to collect large amounts of data without getting the insights needed to create improvements.
What is a KPI in an employee survey?
A KPI (Key Performance Indicator) is simply a measurable indicator that helps you track progress over time. In employee surveys, KPIs can provide HR and management valuable insight into what works well, where there are challenges and which areas have the greatest potential for improvement. The most important thing, however, is not to measure as much as possible. The most important thing is to measure what actually matters to the business. Good KPIs make it easier to prioritize the right measures and to monitor whether they actually have the desired effect.
Employee satisfaction is important, but not sufficient
Many employee surveys focus heavily on employee satisfaction. This is important, but it doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. For example, a company may have employees who say they are happy, but at the same time experience high turnover or challenges with engagement and productivity. Therefore, it is important to view employee satisfaction in the context of other indicators.
Some areas that often provide valuable insights are:
- commitment and motivation
- the experience of leadership
- collaboration and working environment
- development opportunities
- perceived workload
The goal is not to collect as much data as possible, but to get a comprehensive picture of how employees actually experience their daily work life.
Read also: Questions and tips for the performance appraisal with employees
Which KPIs should HR actually follow?
Which KPIs are most relevant will naturally vary from business to business. What is important to one organization is not necessarily as important to another. However, there are some indicators that are often HR departments benefit greatly from tracking over time. For example, it could be:
- response rate
- employee satisfaction
- development in engagement
- the experience of leadership
- competence and development opportunities
- cooperation and belonging
- perceived workload
The most important thing is not how many KPIs you track, but that you track the right ones. The KPIs should also be comparable over time, so you can see developments, identify trends and assess whether the measures you implement are actually having an effect.
How to use HR -analysis of employee surveys?
The value of an employee survey doesn't come when the responses come in. It comes when the data is analyzed, understood, and used to create improvements. Here, HR -analysis is an important tool. When data from employee surveys is combined with other HR -data, it becomes easier to see connections that might otherwise be difficult to detect. For example, you can see how employee satisfaction develops across departments, or investigate whether there are connections between engagement, sick leave, and turnover. This type of insight often provides a better basis for decisions than individual measurements alone.
How many KPIs should one have?
It can be tempting to measure a lot. But more KPIs do not necessarily provide better insight. On the contrary, the result can be extensive reports that are difficult to follow up in practice. For most businesses, it is better to choose a limited number of KPIs that are closely linked to the business's goals and what you actually want to improve. This makes it easier to communicate the results, prioritize the right measures and monitor developments over time. When it comes to KPIs, quality is usually more important than quantity.
Read also: Take employee and management surveys to a new level
From measurement to action
An employee survey does not create value in itself. Value only arises when the results are used to create improvements. These can be improvements in the work environment, in management work or in how the company works with employee development and follow-up. To succeed with this, it is advisable to:
- define clear objectives for the survey
- choose KPIs that support the business strategy
- analyze the results systematically
- follow up with concrete measures
When employee surveys become part of the ongoing HR work, they become more than just a temperature measurement. They become an important tool for both HR and the management.
Employee surveys as a strategic decision-making basis
Too modern HR -functions, employee surveys are less about conducting an annual survey. Instead, they are about using the insights to better understand the organization and make better decisions. When relevant KPIs are combined with good HR -analysis, it becomes easier to see what affects the employee experience and where there is the greatest need to implement measures. Then the employee survey becomes more than a measurement. It becomes an important tool for developing both employees, managers and the business as a whole.
Do you want better insights from employee surveys?
An employee survey only provides value when the results are used to create improvements. With good employee survey tools and HR -analysis, you can get more than just numbers and reports. You can gain insights that make it easier to understand what employees need, prioritize the right actions, and make better decisions. At Sariba, we help businesses collect, analyze, and follow up on employee data in a structured way.
Want to learn more about how to create great employee experiences and choose KPIs that actually deliver value? Download our guide here .