According to GartnerOpens a new window , only 29% of employees feel understood by HR, and it is little surprise.Â
Methods for measuring employee engagement are inconsistent. While 79% of businesses use formal, large-scale surveys to measure employee sentiment, only 50% measure through regular pulse surveys, 23% utilize topic-specific surveys, and 15% use non-survey measurement.
Surveys are a great way to collect employee data, but collecting data isn’t enough. In fact, many HR teams do not act on employee data if studies of their corporate counterparts are true.Â
If your method for collecting and analyzing employee feedback is inconsistent or, worse, non-existent, you are not making the best decisions based on the best data. How can HR teams make better decisions? And can HR teams make such better decisions as to generate trust amongst their co-workers?
Data Equals Power
HR actions can directly impact the business. HR departments can lower costs and reduce hassle. For instance, self-service HR portals can directly lower costs.
But access to data had been difficult in the past. The pandemic accelerated business changes already in the works that allow HR to collect and act on more data than ever before.
Many leaders consolidated on a single survey platform. Technology has become easier for non-technical users. Even business intelligence visualization has advanced to a degree where HR and other non-technical disciplines are on a level playing field when it comes to uncovering data-driven insights.Â
These advancements have made employee feedback collection and analysis easier. Many HR disciplines “own†their data, meaning they are responsible for generating and tending to data. These motivated HR leaders have no intention of neglecting to act on this data.Â
But now things are changing again. HR leaders have access to data, but now the world around them has changed as remote or hybrid office environments become the norm, post-COVID-19.Â
Develop Trust via Regular Pulse Surveys
How do you best support remote or hybrid workers? Ask them.
How do you decrease employee anxiety about remote work? Ask them.
How do you settle on the best remote working policy for your team? Ask them.
Employees proved their trustworthiness during the pandemic. Work continued despite a lack of “oversight.†HR can repay them by regularly distributing pulse surveys or other feedback opportunities.
Pulse surveys are effective corporate feedback tools — short, quick-to-complete surveys sent by HR regularly targeted on topics important at a given moment. The surveys are intended to track progress and alert HR leaders of emergencies or emerging patterns.
Employee Connection Pulse SurveyOpens a new window
Checking the “pulse†of your company will ensure that challenges are addressed before they become bigger issues. In addition to providing HR teams with valuable data, pulse surveys also foster trust in the organization. Employees tend to trust employers who listen compared to those who do not.
After the Pulse Check
Pulse surveys and other feedback collection methods have a direct impact on the business. Employees who receive a particular type of strength feedback have lower turnover than employees who receive no feedback. And managers who receive feedback are more productive than those who do not.Â
Checking the pulse regularly is a huge first step. But wise businesses use the data too. What you do with HR data matters.
Pulse surveys are one collection point for HR data. Your next responsibility is using that data in pursuit of business goals. After asking your questions, be sure to report back in a way that speaks to overall business objectives and ongoing programs.
Collect Data From Your Remote or Hybrid Team and Act Upon It
Technology allows HR departments to be “always on†— always listening and responding to employees. It is easier than ever to deploy pulse surveys and other periodic touchpoints.
HR teams should leverage this pulse data to provide timely and relevant insights to senior leadership. Bubble up issues in regular meetings to demonstrate HR solving challenges throughout the company. Distribute employee feedback to the people and groups with the power to effect change.
Data is powerful — it tells a story. Your employees deserve to have their stories told. Pulse surveys are one way to show that the company is listening and deserving of trust. Let 2022 be the year your HR team uses pulse surveys and other data to draw insights from remote and hybrid workers and act on them to reduce stress while promoting trust.
How are you using pulse surveys to reduce stress and improve employee trust during the current work scenario? Let us know on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window .