Employment Industry News
Should You Survey Employees’ Thinking Now?
July 2009
Sales are down, expenses are up and there don’t seem to be any bright spots on the horizon. The news — inside and out — is dismal. You wonder what employees may be thinking, but should you ask? “It’s probably not a good time,” you reason. You could be wrong. It is not uncommon for organizations and their leaders, especially during difficult times, to avoid asking employees tough questions or seeking input about how employees are feeling about their jobs, leaders, organizations and futures. But this is when you most need feedback.
Avon Calling
Avon Calling Marc Effron, vice president of talent management for Avon Products, New York, says that Avon started its “engagement survey” about three years ago, immediately after a major turnaround effort. “It was probably one of the most difficult times in our company’s history,” he says. Yet, despite that, introducing the survey sent a positive message to the organization. “It was a good demonstration that we care about their opinions, whether times are good or not,” says Effron.
Maybe Not
Not all experts agree. In fact, some caution against introducing a new survey during difficult times because mutual trust may not exist. Karen Horn, a vice president at Washington Mutual in Seattle, says, “I put it into two buckets: If you have an ongoing survey process and the next scheduled survey comes at a down time, I absolutely would continue.” On the other hand, for organizations that have not surveyed employees previously, it can be challenging and even misleading to conduct a survey. Besides, if you don’t have data from previous surveys to compare, it will be difficult to evaluate results of a survey taken in bad times. Should You Survey Employees’ Thinking Now? Most important is a commitment to following up on what you hear, good or bad. Organizations with a poor track record of following up on, and being responsive to, employee feedback shouldn’t even bother surveying, says Horn.
Timing is Important
Companies need to carefully consider timing when making a decision about whether or when to do an employee attitude assessment or survey. Roberta Chinsky Matuson, owner of Boston’s Human Resource Solutions says, “Would I recommend that you survey the day after you’ve done a layoff? No, but I equally wouldn’t suggest you keep your head in the sand and think that everything is fine even though your gut tells you that there’s a lot of discontent. You’ve got to strike a balance.” Regardless of whether you conduct formal surveys, you need to keep your finger on the pulse of employees’ thoughts and feelings, at least with walkaround management, frequent discussions and careful observation.