Organisational Heartbeats – Best Practice Guide

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Any form of employee surveying is a serious undertaking. By carrying out a survey on any issue you send a clear message that the subject of the survey is important to you and that you take your employees' opinions seriously. If you do not follow up the survey by communicating the results and taking action on the issues raised then you will generate cynicism as to the 'real' purpose of the survey and create mistrust which will have a negative impact beyond the survey process itself.

The following methodology is based on best practice and Organisational Heartbeats users are strongly recommended to follow this methodology to ensure a maximum return and benefit from the Organisational Heartbeats process. Smaller organisations or departments within large organisations may well find that they can merge some of the activities. However, the principles remain sound for all users.

Overview of survey approach

A project manager will be needed for the duration of the survey project. There is not a huge amount of work, but there are a number of things that need to be done. Larger organisations may also want to establish an in-house team with representatives of line management and HR, to guide and support the project manager.

The project manager/team must be in a position to make final decisions in respect of the survey and be of sufficient seniority to gain whatever co-operation is required from the business lines as necessary.

This team will meet regularly at all stages throughout the survey project.

There are five distinct phases in delivering a survey:

1. Pre-survey planning
2. Data Collection
3. Analysis and report generation
4. Feedback
5. Action planning and implementation

1. Pre-Survey Planning

The success of any survey process is heavily dependent on the pre-survey planning and communication phase, and sufficient time and commitment must be given to this phase.

Firstly, it is imperative that a clear and concise reason and objective is developed for surveying in the first place. This is normally clarified in the first planning meeting for the project team, or between the project manager and the 'owner' of the survey. This supports the development of survey boundaries and in setting expectations for results and target setting to the next survey project.

Key decisions are determined at this point and the quality of the information gathered has major impact on the overall outcome. The following are key areas:

Development of Management Briefing Process and Documents

The commitment of managers and supervisors to the survey is vital. They will need to be adequately briefed on the survey process, including what to expect, what the instrument looks like, what kind of reporting can they expect, what is being said to employees, when is it all going to happen, etc. Back-up written communication to management is recommended, which can refer to Graphite's website for further information. This should be followed by group, face to face, meetings. Managers need to be briefed in sufficient detail to enable them to handle enquiries from their people and to have the confidence to encourage employees to complete the survey. Our studies show that managers have a huge impact on overall response rate.

Development of Employee Communication

Employees will need to receive at least two pieces of communication. The first will explain the background and timings of the survey process and, if appropriate, refer them to their managers for additional information. The second – usually an email - will contain the URL for access to the survey website and will request them to complete the survey.

It is important to create a positive, enthusiastic environment and the tone of the communication must reflect this. Employees need to know that unlike many surveys Organisational Heartbeats are quick and easy to complete, causing very little disruption to the working day. Your people will also need to reassured that the results are confidential and, above all, that you will share the findings and act on them.

Studies show that the degree to which employees believe that something useful will be done with the survey findings has a profound impact on their willingness to participate.

Confirmation of Feedback Rollout

Logistically, this is the most difficult to plan but should be done pre-survey, because employees need to be told in their pre-survey communication when they can expect feedback and what it will contain. Content and detail of analyses and reports and who receives what and in what order is decided at this stage. Equally, who will provide feedback and when, must be determined.

It is also important at this stage to confirm how the organisation is going to respond to the survey results and the extent to which the project team, management team, local managers and employees will be expected to put forward actions.

It is often argued that nothing can be planned until the results are known. However, there are only three real possibilities – good, bad and indifferent, and these can all be factored into the planning. Everything else is a matter of detail and degree.

2. Data Collection

The data collection phase benefits from monitoring to ensure good completion rates. Organisational Heartbeats provides the user with a daily completion rate report online confirming the total number of responses received at any time. Reminder communications can be issued throughout the data collection phase to maximize return rates.

Unlike some surveys, Organisational Heartbeats are designed to be easy to complete however there may be questions about, for example, the context of the survey or local IT issues. The project team/manager should ensure both email and telephone support will be available for all employees during working hours.

3. Analysis and Report Generation

Organisational Heartbeats generates the reports at the Graphite HRM offices on completion. Reports are sent in .pdf format to the nominated organisational contact. There is a valuable one hour consultation with an Organisational Heartbeats expert on the outcome. This process provides the platform for the feedback to employees.

4. Feedback

All those who participated in the survey should get feedback on the results as quickly as possible. The feedback plans should have been determined in the planning phase (see section above) and the process should now be set in motion.

Typically, the key feedback document is the 'Overall' stacked bar chart from the Organisational Heartbeats report pack. This is easy to understand and conveys the main points of the report in an attractive format. This should be accompanied by a briefing note explaining the next steps. These might include:

• A commitment to very specific 'quick win' improvements with firm time-scales
• A plan to collect more information; focus groups, for example
• Notice of any working parties set up to investigate and address issues raised
• A commitment to re-survey in 6 to 12 months time

Managers will need more detailed feedback – possibly at a meeting with the 'owner' of the survey – so that they can answer questions from their people.

Many organisations choose to launch the feedback cascade at an 'everyone-invited' meeting with senior managers.

5. Action planning & implementation

This phase is obviously crucial. After all, it's the point of surveying in the first place. What matters is that any simple issues are addressed without delay in order to create an environment of action and improvement. Larger, more complex or sensitive issues may take a lot longer but it is wise to indicate the process to be followed and to commit to a further briefing at a specific future date - a commitment that must then be honoured.

Time Frame

The following time frames are typical for Organisational Heartbeats surveys

Pre-Survey Phase - 2 Weeks

Assuming the project team is in place, a minimum of two weeks is required to plan and communicate the survey details.

Data Collection Phase – 2 Weeks

Analysis, Report Generation and Feedback – 2+ weeks

The commitment to survey in 6 – 9 months time to evaluate progress is important in adding credibility to the survey process and the project team.