Newmeasures, a Denison Consulting practice: Fast-Track your Organization to Sustainable Success
CATEGORY: Employee Surveys
Is There a Best Time of Year to Survey Employees?
One of the most common questions we hear from employee listening leaders is:
“When should we launch our employee survey to get the highest participation rates?”
It’s a reasonable question. Organizations invest significant time and resources into gathering employee feedback and naturally want to maximize participation so they can hear as many employee voices as possible.
The good news? Our data suggests that there is no single “best” month or season for survey participation.
After analyzing survey participation patterns across the calendar year, we found relatively little variation in response rates from one month to the next. While some fluctuations occur, the differences are generally small and do not indicate a meaningful seasonal advantage. In other words, survey timing alone is unlikely to materially influence participation outcomes.
So if timing isn’t the primary driver of participation, what is?
At Newmeasures, a Denison Consulting practice, we believe participation is fundamentally a reflection of the employee experience and the organization’s listening culture. Employees are more likely to share feedback when they believe their voices matter and that leadership is genuinely interested in understanding their experiences.
Several factors consistently have a greater impact on participation than the month on the calendar:
Visible leadership sponsorship. Employees are more likely to engage when leaders actively communicate the importance of the survey and demonstrate a commitment to listening.
Clear and consistent communication. Participation increases when employees understand why the survey is being conducted, how their feedback will be used, and what to expect after the survey closes.
Trust and confidentiality. Employees must feel confident that they can provide honest feedback without fear of negative consequences. Building and maintaining trust is essential to any successful listening strategy.
Organizational context. Major changes, uncertainty, or competing priorities can influence participation more than the season itself. Employees may be less focused on surveys during mergers, restructurings, peak operational periods, or other significant disruptions.
Demonstrated action on prior feedback. Perhaps most importantly, employees pay attention to what happens after a survey. When organizations visibly act on feedback and communicate progress, employees are more likely to participate in future listening efforts. As we’ve often observed, employees don’t simply want to be heard, they want to know their feedback leads to meaningful change.
This doesn’t mean timing is irrelevant. We generally recommend avoiding known disruption periods such as major holidays, significant organizational transitions, or times when employees are exceptionally busy. However, organizations should spend less time searching for the “perfect” survey month and more time creating the conditions that encourage honest participation.
The most successful employee listening programs are not defined by when they ask for feedback. They are defined by how consistently they listen, how thoughtfully they communicate, and how effectively they act on what employees share.
When organizations build trust, close the feedback loop, and demonstrate that employee voices drive meaningful action, participation tends to follow—regardless of the season.
Crystal Robertson
Senior Advisory Consultant
Crystal spent most of her professional career working in quality and process improvement in the healthcare industry. As a certified Lean/Six Sigma Black Belt, she has been involved in large enterprise-wide rganizational change initiatives as well as local improvement efforts in the hospital and outpatient clinic settings. She has a unique perspective as an ICF-accredited professional coach to have a window into how change impacts individuals at work and at
home. Connect with Crystal on LinkedIn.