Just when you think you’ve got a handle on all the new-fangled HR lingo out there, along comes ‘pulse surveys’. If you had to take a moment to consider whether employees are now being asked to fill out surveys to provide feedback on their thoughts and feelings about lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans and black-eyed peas, we won’t be surprised.
Stranger things have happened and on the whole people do tend to have polarising opinions regarding the culinary value of members of the legume family. In fact, it could actually come to blows if you had to bring it up at certain grade school parent-teacher meetings.
Suffice it to say, the type of pulse surveys we’re referring to have very little to do with kidney beans or the humble-yet-nutrient-stuffed pinto. The type we’re referring to is used by forward-thinking companies to collect regular employee feedback in a bid to strengthen their company culture.
Pulse surveys (a definition): A pulse survey is a short-form question form that consists of one or two questions that can be answered quickly, simply and anonymously. It is also called single-click surveys or one-click surveys. These surveys are normally conducted via a mobile platform or email so employees can fill it out on the go without having to go through a cumbersome response process. It allows businesses to measure feedback on specific pain points over time and have proven to yield a far higher response rate than those of conventional long-form surveys.
Here are a few of the benefits an organisation is likely to enjoy when they adopt the use of pulse surveys in 2019:
1. It measures employee satisfaction in real time
An annual engagement survey is all good and well, but if your goal is to tailor immediate action plans and you prefer measuring employee engagement on the go, the instant feedback provided by a pulse survey will be more up your alley. When you use this type of survey style effectively, employee feedback will be provided so quickly and so often that you’ll be able to gauge morale and satisfaction in what pretty much amounts to real time. You also won’t be dealing with clunky survey results that will take weeks to compile, assess and interpret by upper management, only to find that the lay of the land had changed when the correct person swoops in to correct the course. Win-win all around, see?
2. It stimulates a nimble company culture
Measuring employee engagement levels is one of the most effective ways to ensure that your business has a nimble company culture that can adapt to change without pulling the rug out from under the entire enterprise. Annual surveys definitely contribute to this type of leadership effort, but true drivers of engagement understand that lengthy, time-consuming employee engagement surveys are a grudge task if ever there was one. Be honest – is there anything worse than being shackled to your desk answering a bazillion questions on employee sentiment when all you want to do is get back to your to-do list? Ever heard of survey fatigue? This is the root cause. Short and sweet is the way to go, and the higher response rates associated with contemporary pulse surveys support this notion 100%.
3. It encourages open communication and improves focus
The introduction of pulse surveys constitutes a regular reminder that upper management actively seeks out and values employee feedback. When you establish an atmosphere of open communication in this way, you are likely to enjoy added benefits in the form or knowledge sharing, recommendations on procedural improvements, etc. This is exactly the kind of thing that boosts innovation and propels a business to greater heights. Additionally, it also encourages employees to stay focused on topical subjects. For instance, a pulse survey on customer service on a Monday is likely to keep the topic top of mind throughout the week. This is an incredibly effective method of boosting positive habit-forming.
The gist on the awesomeness that is the 2019 pulse survey and a few of the benefits you can expect to enjoy when you implement the use thereof at your place of work.
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