Newmeasures: Insights for an exceptional workforce
CATEGORIES: EMPLOYEE LISTENING
Leading through Change Starts with Listening: How Employee Surveys Can Help
- Crystal Robertson, Senior Consultant
Change Happens - Great Leaders Use Surveys to Manage It Well
In times of change, it’s valuable to get ahead of problems before larger issues emerge. Regular employee surveys (especially engagement, pulse, and onboarding surveys) can serve as early warning systems, helping leaders spot pain points so they can intervene where and when it matters most.
When a company is growing or experiencing change, employee listening data is more important than ever. This data will serve as your “check engine light”, letting you know where attention is needed before it’s too late.
When designing employee surveys, it’s important to keep five objectives in mind. Here are examples of how survey data can support each of the five objectives and deliver the expected impact.
Building a Culture of Trust and Openness
How Surveys Help: Surveys offer a way for employees to share their voice and feedback. However, it’s critical not to stop there. Leaders must place a high value on using that feedback in decision-making and ensure that the process is transparent and consistent. This open feedback loop can foster a culture where employees are more open to change, knowing their concerns will be heard and addressed. A shared sense of accountability also strengthens trust between employees and leadership.
Impact: Reduces resistance to change, improved morale, and lower stress levels as employees feel like active participants rather than passive receivers of change.
Monitoring Well-Being and Engagement
How Surveys Help: Engagement surveys that include questions on well-being, workload, and how to support employees to adapt through change allow leaders to gauge employee sentiment and adjust in real-time.
Impact: Proactively prevents burnout and maintaining employee engagement by demonstrating leadership investment in their well-being.
Identifying Pain Points
How Surveys Help: Regular surveying allows leaders to pinpoint areas where employees struggle, such as communication gaps, excessive workload, or unclear expectations. In understanding these pain points early, leaders can take steps to allocate the right resources and reduce confusion.
Impact: Employees feel heard and supported, which reduces the likelihood of disengagement or overwhelming stress.
Addressing Employee Needs
How Surveys Help: Employee feedback can highlight what employees need most during times of change whether it's more training, clearer instructions, or better tools. With this insight, leaders can tailor change initiatives to meet those needs, making transitions smoother and reducing impact to productivity.
Impact: Employees are less likely to feel left behind and their confidence in the organization’s ability to lead them through change increases.
Creating Focused Solutions for Resilience
How Surveys Help: Employee surveys provide insights into the factors that contribute to change fatigue such as unclear goals or a lack of resources. Leaders can use this data to streamline processes, clarify objectives, and provide the necessary support systems (like coaching or peer mentoring) to help employees cope with ongoing change.
Impact: Employees feel empowered and resilient, helping them manage their workload effectively while staying motivated during periods of transformation.
By consistently gathering feedback from employees through surveys, leaders can convert insights into actionable strategies, creating a more agile and supportive work environment. This helps minimize the negative impacts of change and increases the likelihood of sustaining long-term change.
Crystal Robertson
Senior 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 organizational 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.