Management Information |
Using Employee Opinions Effectively When Designing HR Programs
Using Employee Opinions Effectively When Designing HR Programs Employee opinion is one of the most powerful resources available to human resource professionals. But what are the best methods for harnessing those opinions? Conversation - Welcoming feedback via informal conversation is the first step towards utilizing the viewpoints of employees. Focus Groups - Focus groups take conversation to the next level by brainstorming on particular issues. A focus group gives HR insight into the thoughts, feelings and motivations behind an opinion. An optimal focus group consists of 10 - 20 employees. SWOT analysis - While focus groups have more free-flowing discussion, SWOT Analysis focus the group on very specific issues. First, the Strengths of the organization are explored. Second, the Weaknesses of the organization are discussed. Third, Opportunities for improvement are brainstormed. Finally, Threats to improvement are considered. Opinion Surveys - Surveys are an efficient means of extracting information, and for large or geographically dispersed organizations they may be the only option. Here are some things to consider when planning a survey: Type - Web-based surveys may work for technologically savvy corporations, but others may prefer telephone, or tried-and-true pen-and-paper surveys. Length - Somewhere between 30-60 questions is the ideal length of a survey. Any longer and you risk driving response rates down due to respondent fatigue. Language - Both the reading level and the native tongue of an organization's employee base are key to crafting effective questions. "While a survey can be used as preventive medicine when asking questions about a wide variety of issues, it can also draw out responses on subjects known to generate dissatisfaction. If HR gets wind of rumors about a particular supervisor, or notices a high turnover rate in his or her area, a survey may be able to pinpoint what's amiss," explained Jennifer C. Loftus, SPHR, CCP, CBP, GRP, National Director, Astron Solutions. After an organization's first survey, it will be difficult to draw definitive conclusions beyond extreme positives and areas for enhancement. In further years, trend analysis will be possible as opinions change or persist on key issues. After the first survey, focus on extremes. Where did the organization receive its lowest marks? Seek out those areas to follow up on promptly and visibly. This will build faith in the survey process for future years. Whatever form a survey takes, it is destined to fail unless employees have faith in its confidentiality. It is strongly recommended that a third party conduct the survey, as employees are often suspicious that opinion surveys are tools of an organization's "Thought Police." Honest feedback can't be elicited if employees feel their opinions can be traced to them. "Follow-through is vital. A complaint we often see in the comments section of opinion surveys is, 'I don't think this makes any difference. We do this survey every year and nothing ever happens.' If you don't want to know about a certain issue, or aren't in a position to effect change once you do, don't ask. Focus on what matters and can be acted upon," added Loftus. After a survey, a broad overview of findings and the next steps management will take should be shared with employees. This assures employees that their voices have been heard, and that their supervisors are serious about making the necessary changes. Jennifer C. Loftus, SPHR, CCP, CBP, GRP is a National Director for Astron Solutions. Her primary areas of expertise are customized market surveys, employee opinion surveys, exit interview systems, base pay compensation programs and computer-based solutions to HR issues. She has nine years of experience garnered at the Hay Group, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Eagle Electric Manufacturing Company, Pace University, and Harcourt General. Jennifer is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), SHRM's Consultants Forum, WorldatWork, and the American Society of Healthcare Human Resource Administration (ASHHRA). She is also a member New York HR associations HR/NY and the New York Compensation Association. Jennifer holds the position of Public Relations Chair for HR/NY and is a member of the Career Planning and Professional Development Committee. Jennifer is a sought-after speaker on topics regarding employee retention strategies, labor market trends, and human resource automation. She has appeared on Cold Pizza, ESPN2's morning show, and WNET, New York City's PBS affiliate, on The Employment Channel. She has presented to national conferences of SHRM's Employment Management Association (EMA) and ASHHRA, as well as numerous local HR conferences. Jennifer has been published in The American Economist and Workspan, and quoted in the New York Daily News and Time Out New York. She is also a volunteer article reviewer for WorldatWork. Jennifer has an MBA in Human Resource Management from Pace University and a BS in Accounting from Rutgers University. She is an Adjunct Professor in Human Resources at Pace University. Reach Jennifer directly at 800-520-3889 or jcloftus@astronsolutions.com. Have a question about employee opinion surveys? Astron Solutions www.astronsolutions.com is a consulting firm dedicated to the delivery of HR consulting services and supportive technology.
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Business Fit I have been an entrepreneur for over twenty years and have absolutely embraced information that would help maintain a well managed and profitable business. We have been a part of the information era for sometime now. Bullying and the Not for Profit Organisation Where there is people there is politics! Bullying is now a major workplace issue that has invaded our not for profit organisations. Take the following example. Try It Out On Your Team First Wow! You're brilliant! You have a great idea. You've looked at it every possible way to find holes in your logic, fallacies in your assumptions. Boost Your Leadership Skills By Disciplining Yourself In The Way Of The Question Mark I'm often asked to come in to organizations and give a motivational speech to their employees. I reply that I'm not a motivational speaker. Effective Multi Cultural International Business Meetings Of the many areas in international business where cultural differences manifest is in the corporate meeting room. International meetings are an area where differences in cultural values, etiquette, interpretations of professional conduct and corporate rules are at their most visible and challenging to control. Innovation Management - the power of decision makers Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. To Outsource or Not to Outsource In these days of restricted head count and tight budgets, the question of whether to outsource or hire in-house staff is more critical than ever. The technical publications function, however vital, is undergoing more scrutiny and also facing greater challenges than ever before. Executive ESP: A Pathway to Success! We all have psychic abilities that we use daily, although most of us don't even realize that. The full study of this issue would take many books, and years of experience to grasp all the factors. Develop Your People and Make More Money What is the no. 1 asset in your business beside yourself? It's your people. Middle Managers Behaving Badly - How To Stop This Damaging Your Results More and more I hear and read about a looming crisis of leadership at the middle management level and the inevitable resulting increase in, poor performance, accidents and production mistakes and hence declining profits.I'm afraid to say these observations are not just rumours. Lets Make Training More Interesting! Many HR managers believe that by sending their workers to participate in external training programs, they have fulfilled their responsibilities. This is not the best situation. Overcoming Resistance Virtually any type of organizational change involves role transitions of some type. In light of role transitions, it is almost natural for employees to resist major changes in the workplace environment. The Fairness of Office Politics... Integrity and Political Motivation! I hear many complaints daily about the "unfairness" of politics in corporate America. Employees say that their managers "lie" or issue "personal attacks" against them. The 5 Obsessions of a Passionate Employee A recent report entitled "How Google Grows?and Grows?and Grows" stated that the 650 people that work at Google are the most passionate bunch of geeks in the high tech industry. Google was also recently called the fastest growing company in history. Planning Your Recruiting Efforts Can Help You Find Great Employees Today, companies have an ever-expanding list of options available to them when it comes to sourcing new employees, from advertising in newspapers and trade journals to powerful, cost-effective recruiting options available through the Internet. Unfortunately, the growth in the number of recruiting options available has made the competition for top candidates even more fierce. Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness. Having a poor understanding of the influence of cross cultural differences in areas such as management, PR, advertising and negotiations can eventually lead to blunders that can have damaging consequences. More Problem-Solving Success Tips The ability to solve complicated problems quickly is more important than ever in today's tough economy.From the time we're little kids, we're taught to solve problems by trial and error. Outsourcing Quiz: Cheap Vs. Good Someone can say, 'Why do you oppose this?' So I'd like to prevent such attacks and tell that this article is dedicated mainly to the issue if it's worth to look for the cheapest solution.Software and web development market is overwhelmed nowadays. Motivating Employees - Ten Ways to Start You Off Yet there is a place for those external 'raft-build's', 'away days' and 'paintballing'! Just get them in context; there is work to do up front to leverage those experiences and get the best value from them. Just build great relationships in your business or organisation, one-to-one - then have the fun day out and grow even more!"Motivation is like food for the brain. Tales From the Corporate Frontlines:The Importance of a Competitive Wage and Benefit Package This article relates to the Compensation and Benefits competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. It tells the story of a company that needed to attract new employees and discovered how a competitive wage and benefits package was integral to this process. |
home | site map | contact us |