Survey Participation Considerations for Employees Who are Not Desk-Bound
It can be difficult for employees to complete surveys when they are not sitting at a computer throughout the day for work. Below are examples of how our clients have successfully implemented strategies for boosting participation for off-site, frontline, manufacturing, warehouse, and/or field employees.
Create a Mobile-Friendly Survey
If you have a large percentage of workers who will likely take the survey on a phone or tablet instead of a computer, we will work with you to avoid question formats that are not mobile friendly and to keep the survey at a reasonable length.
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If you are relying on mobile devices for survey completion among international employees, we recommend including phones from employees across the globe where you have representation during your link testing process.
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Reach them through a text message/SMS. Some employees could be more likely to complete the survey if the link comes to them as a direct message on their phone rather than their email. This can encourage easy participation when they are not in front of their computer.
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Reach them using a QR code.
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If you cannot use employee ID, you can use other information that is unique to each employee such as their cell phone number or personal email address for example.
Unique Identifiers
When employees are accessing the survey with a generic link to the survey, they will need to enter some type of information that is unique to them to be able to link their responses to their demographic data. Typically, an employee ID would be used but in some cases the employees may not know this information and then another type of information that is unique would need to be used.
Kiosk or Temporary Computer Station
Many people will appreciate the opportunity to take the survey on a larger screen than their phone. We have seen leaders reserve rooms with computers for employees to use. We have also seen leaders rent/create/reserve computer “kiosk” stations in a workspace or common space where employees can rotate throughout a shift to complete the survey.
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This kiosk can be simple - it might be a rental laptop or a tablet/iPad at a desk with some hand sanitizer!
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This can also be integrated into where people clock in or clock out for the day.
Remove Language Barriers
This goes for all employees in all job types. Consider translating your survey if you have a workforce that has different comfort levels across different languages.
Give People The Time
Regardless of how employees take the survey (e.g., phone, computer, tablet, kiosk), we have found it is beneficial to give them a scheduled time while they are on the clock so they are being paid to complete it. Your people will appreciate the opportunity to take a seat and fill out the survey during work hours (that doesn’t take away from their lunch break!). It can be difficult to find the time otherwise, and it shows you value both their time and the survey.
Paper Surveys
We only recommend this as a last resort. This method is time consuming, requires a great deal of logistics, can create issues with confidentiality, and is less cost effective. If this is the only option, we are happy to help.
