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6 steps for a post-employee survey action plan
Employee survey data is typically analyzed and then assigned to the proper executives, who then develop action plans. Learn how to create a post-employee survey action plan.
Gathering employee feedback through an engagement survey is a great first step, but the real work comes once the survey closes. CHROs and other C-suite level HR leaders must ensure that their teams and departments that were the focus of the employee survey are taking the proper steps after the survey is over.
HR sends messages to employees about the survey, among other tasks, and is also involved with post-employee survey work, including sharing the results with leaders. Employee survey data is typically analyzed and then assigned to the executive associated with that department. The executive leader then develops and executes the action plans.
The overall success of the survey will depend on the action that the company takes to address the feedback. If it takes action, employee engagement often improves, and the next survey will reflect that. However, if the organization fails to act, fewer employees will likely participate in the next survey, and employee engagement will decrease.
Here are some steps that HR and the departments discussed in an employee survey should take once the survey has been completed.
Step 1: Determine priority items
The executive leader whose department is the subject of the survey should determine what should be tackled first. For example, if the finance department was surveyed and all the finance employees said they want more vacation time, the head of the finance department should prioritize that request.
The biggest challenges should be fully addressed. Only picking items that are easy to fix will discourage employees from participating in future surveys, and fixing the biggest challenges often leads to the best ROI.
Step 2: Share the survey results and first steps
In the initial communication about the survey, employees do not need to hear all the specific steps for moving forward; however, they want to know if their feedback was heard and how their leader intends to address it. Acknowledging issues helps reinforce that leaders genuinely care about the company, its employees and its customers.
Most employees understand that a leader can't address everything, but expects them to at least focus on the top two or three priority topics. The executive leader should explain, using data, why they selected the items and provide insight into which round of concerns they will address next.
Providing a preview of the next concerns to be addressed is especially important when surveys are conducted annually, as executive leaders will have sufficient time to address more than two or three concerns before the next survey.
Step 3: Establish goals
Next, the executive leader should assign the top projects and clearly indicate who is responsible for completing these projects. Project leaders and their associated teams should be informed of the required deadlines and timing for project updates.
The executive leader must prioritize staying informed about the progress of these projects. If they stop asking about them, the team might decide to focus on other areas.
Step 4: Develop action plans
The teams addressing employees' concerns must then come up with action plans. Each plan should be presented to the departmental leader for approval.
Depending on the project's scope, the executive leader might want to get buy-in from the company's executive team and CEO.
Step 5: Share the plans
The executive leader should be responsible for sharing updates once projects reach major milestones. For example, the leader might share an update about each project at quarterly all-staff meetings.
Sharing this information will demonstrate leadership ownership and ensure consistency, as one person will be the voice for all projects.
Failure to provide updates often leads employees to assume that the project is not moving forward, which can create employee disengagement and less survey feedback in the future.
Step 6: Track progress and announce project end
Tracking progress helps ensure that projects are completed as planned and implemented as intended. Sharing the project data with employees can be helpful, as it lets them know that action is being taken. Giving employees read-only access to a high-level dashboard in a project management application can be a way to share evidence that progress is being made.
Communicating about and celebrating the completion of projects based on employee feedback provides the executive leader with an opportunity to publicly thank employees for providing the survey feedback and reinforce that employee input is taken seriously.
Eric St-Jean is an independent consultant with a particular focus on HR technology, project management and Microsoft Excel training and automation. He writes about numerous business and technology areas.
