Pulse Surveys - The Continuous Listening Framework For Organisations
"Pulse survey" has become a buzzword in recent times. Rightly so, becuase it has helped many organizations to transform their employee listening capability.
Organizations have been more dynamic. There are regular shifts in market conditions, competitor landscape, macroeconomics, regulatory frameworks, etc. These impact all businesses (large or small) that leaders need to address on an ongoing basis.
Gone are the days when you would ask people to take an engagement survey once a year and create yearly action plans. Current times require leaders to track of organizational pulse and take timely action.
A pulse survey is a short, precise, and science-backed survey method to understand employee sentiments across various aspects of their experience. They provide just-in-time insights that are highly relevant & actionable for businesses. It has proven to be a successful framework for continuous listening to employees.
Why use Pulse Survey?
Measure experience, not just engagement
Employee experience encapsulates the journey from recruitment to entire tenure within the organisation. Pulse checks allow you to measure & act on improving employee experience.
Experience is what you measure. Engagement is your reward.
Spot Actionable Insights
When there is so much to do, you need to prioritize. Pulse surveys provide the flexibility to narrow down key parameters per the business context. It helps build the people strategy, taking just-in-time actions, and continuously monitoring performance.
High Response Rate
Given the preciseness of Pulse surveys, they take minimal effort from the people. With a relevant communication channel, you can further lower the friction. Pulse surveys can draw response rates of 80-90% or higher.
How to run Pulse Survey?
Identify the right theme(s)
Employee experience is broad and the first step to implementing a pulse check will require identifying the relevant parameters to test. It will depend on the people strategy objective, business stage, recent changes, people insights, etc.
Keep them Anonymous
In an ideal environment, you would not need anonymity if people could raise issues or share feedback transparently. But let's be honest, most organizations are not there yet. Anonymity helps you gather genuine opinions from people & draw real insights.
Use appropriate communication channel
From informing people about the launch of the pulse survey to using the appropriate channel for rollout, communication plays a crucial role. Do not keep surprises. Share relevant context with employees before the launch. Use a unified channel for survey delivery for easy access to employees. Pick a tool that allows sending reminders, offers flexibility in timelines & integrates with existing communication tools.
Take Actions
Research shows that 52% of organizations fail to act on survey findings. No amount of survey insights can help unless you take appropriate actions. It is crucial that people leaders plan, communicate & execute the actions post pulse survey. Actions build trust in people & they are more likely to contribute to implementation & partner in success.
Run continuously & Measure Results
Pulse surveys are usually run in a periodic cycle. The frequency of the pulsing should align with the time it takes for people leaders to execute their plan. Once planned initiatives get executed successfully, reassessing the pulse score will help you quantify the impact. It drives continuous improvement in employee experience.
Pulse Themes
Revvi has prepared a comprehensive set of 11 pulse themes to help you study the wholesome employee experience. The themes are designed to be practical, scientific, and actionable. Each theme contains a small packet of 3 to 5 Likert scale questions.
Here is a brief on Revvi's Pulse survey themes.
WELL BEING
Well-being constitutes the physical, mental, emotional & financial health of people. Securing employee well-being can translate to increased morale and higher productivity. The covid pandemic has put well-being at the forefront of consideration for both employers & employees.
SATISFACTION
Employee satisfaction is the happiness or contentment an employee feels for their job. When employees are satisfied, they put their best effort into meeting their goals and develop a positive outlook toward the organization.
GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
Opportunity for growth & development is one of the top criteria for employees to stay or leave an organization. Millennials & Gen Z are increasingly focused on clarity on career progression, learning opportunities & role alignment.
FEEDBACK AND RECOGNITION
Constructive feedback is a robust way of creating a healthy environment, boosting productivity and engagement, and achieving better results. Recognition makes employees feel valued and appreciated. It reinforces the organization’s expectations, priorities, and values.
CULTURE
Culture is the environment that surrounds us all the time. Workplace culture is the shared values, belief systems, attitudes, and assumptions that people in a workplace share. In an organization, core values, strategic directions, and management significantly influence the workplace culture.
COMMUNICATION
Communication is a critical element of organizational culture. It creates a sense of camaraderie, which can lead to team-building activities and strengthens the bonds between employees. Effective internal communication builds trust and confidence, which helps all employees become more effective.
LEADERSHIP
Leadership has a profound influence on their employees and the organization's success. Employees seek trust, guidance, coaching, support, and feedback from their leaders. When people have confidence in their leadership competence & values, they are more likely to be engaged.
SUPERVISOR
Superiors arguably have the most impact on the employee experience in an organization. They set goals for performance and deadlines in ways that comply with the organization's missions and vision. They monitor employee productivity by providing constructive feedback and building personalized relationships to leverage individual strengths to empower and motivate employees.
TRAINING & RESOURCES
Access to relevant training & resources are essentials for employees to do their job effectively, skillfully, and qualitatively. Organizations typically have a diverse set of roles and responsibilities for employees. Understanding employees' needs and access to training and resources, becomes crucial.
ADVOCACY
Employees are the spokesperson or brand ambassadors for your company and the product or service of your organization. Their pride and emotional connection with the organization can reveal much about their advocacy for it.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
A diverse and inclusive workplace makes everyone, regardless of who they are or what they do for the business, feel equally involved and supported in the workplace. Equitable employers outpace their competitors by respecting employees' unique needs, perspectives, and potential. As a result, the workplace earns deeper trust and more commitment from the employees.
EMPOWERMENT
Empowering employees means giving your team members the means & ability to take action and make decisions within your organization. It also means mutual trust and understanding to ensure these actions align with the company goals. Empowering employees is crucial for growing a sustainable business.
About time we say goodbye to annual surveys and enter the era of real-time feedback.
Bonus
If you are ready to implement a pulse survey framework or are looking for a professional, yet affordable solution, you are at the right place.
Revvi offers a FREE employee engagement tool with ready-to-use engagement & team-building activity templates. Use the "Pulse Check" template with 11 scientifically vetted pulse survey themes. As an admin, you get access to real-time response tracking with analytics.
Try it! You no longer have to rely on google forms or manual data processing.