How to Design, Implement, and Interpret an Employee Survey

How to Design, Implement, and Interpret an Employee Survey

by John H. McConnell
Released May 2003
Publisher(s): AMACOM
ISBN: 0814407099

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Book description

Employee opinion is the most important barometer of employment conditions at any company. But marshalling hundreds (or thousands) of individual perceptions into a cohesive workplace inititative demands an organized approach. McConnell presents a practical start-to-finish methodology for getting the most out of an employee opinion survey, from determining what conditions to survey to completion of follow-up procedures. Adaptable to any purpose and organization, McConnell's proven strategies cover:

  • Do's and don'ts of question design

  • Selecting response type (multi-choice, rating scales, etc.)

  • Practical methods for ensuring validity and reliability

  • Survey administration

    • Additional chapters cover the nuts and bolts of implementation, communicating with employees about the survey, and how to score, group, and report survey results. Not least, this crucial book shows how to use survey results as a springboard to improved management/employee communication, working conditions, and productivity. CD-ROM included.

    Table of contents

    1. Copyright
    2. LIST OF FIGURES
    3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    4. INTRODUCTION
    5. ASSESSING YOUR EMPLOYEE OPINION SURVEY NEEDS
      1. AN OVERVIEW OF EMPLOYEE OPINION SURVEYS
        1. Employee Opinion Survey Formats
        2. Written Employee Opinion Surveys
        3. Online Employee Opinion Surveys
        4. Focus Group Employee Opinion Surveys
        5. Employee Opinion Survey Interviews
        6. Which Format Should You Use?
        7. Conclusion
      2. START-UP CONSIDERATIONS AND GUIDELINES
        1. A Recommended Format
        2. Development Steps
        3. Pitfalls
        4. Employee Opinion Survey Guidelines
        5. Overall Survey Guidelines
        6. Conclusion
      3. IDENTIFYING SURVEY OBJECTIVES
        1. The Overall Survey Objective
        2. A Good Objective
        3. Information Purposes
        4. Describing Your Purposes
        5. Conclusion
      4. DEFINING SURVEY PLANNING ELEMENTS
        1. What to Survey
        2. Identifying Dimensions to Survey
        3. Who to Survey
        4. Sampling
        5. Sampling Error
        6. Random Selection
        7. When to Survey
        8. Conclusion
      5. SELECTING CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT TO SURVEY
        1. Initial Management Communication
        2. Initial Employee Communication
        3. A Starting Point
        4. A Word of Caution
        5. Starting List
        6. From Whom to Seek Information
        7. Other Approaches
        8. Combining Results
        9. Conclusion
      6. DEVELOPING EMPLOYEE SURVEY DEMOGRAPHICS
        1. Individual Identification
        2. Employee Groupings
        3. Typical Demographic Groupings
        4. Past Survey Demographics
        5. Considerations
        6. Identifying Your Employee Demographics
        7. Typical Questions
        8. Location in the Survey
        9. Participation Control
        10. Conclusion
    6. DEVELOPING YOUR EMPLOYEE OPINION SURVEY
      1. DESIGNING SURVEY QUESTIONS
        1. Number of Survey Questions
        2. Response Alternatives
        3. Types of Questions to Use
        4. Question Guidelines
        5. Questions by Subareas
        6. Fill-In and Essay Question Development
        7. Conclusion
      2. CREATING THE SURVEY INSTRUMENT
        1. Introduction
        2. Instructions
        3. Survey Questions
        4. Submission
        5. Answer Sheets
        6. A Complete Survey
      3. A SAMPLE EMPLOYEE OPINION SURVEY
        1. Conclusion
    7. CONDUCTING YOUR EMPLOYEE OPINION SURVEY
      1. ADMINISTERING THE SURVEY
        1. Administrator Training
        2. Administration Guide
        3. Notification
        4. Make-Ups
        5. A Caution
        6. Conclusion
      2. TABULATING AND COMPILING SURVEY RESULTS
        1. Response Formats
        2. Past Survey Results
        3. Other Comparisons
        4. Response Intensity
        5. Importance and Satisfaction
        6. Correlations
        7. Additional Information
        8. Analyzing
        9. The Interview
        10. Focus Groups
        11. Conclusion
      3. CONSIDERING EXTERNAL SERVICES AND PRODUCTS
        1. Internal Personnel
        2. Credibility
        3. Timeliness
        4. Valid Instrument
        5. Comparison Data
        6. Should You Use an External Service?
        7. Your Responsibility
        8. Publishers
        9. Tabulators
        10. Locating External Assistance
        11. How to Select a Firm
        12. Contracting
        13. Products
        14. How to Select
        15. Conclusion
    8. REPORTING YOUR EMPLOYEE OPINION SURVEY RESULTS
      1. WRITING AND DELIVERING REPORTS
        1. Comparisons
        2. No Comparison
        3. Using Comparisons
        4. The Management Report Structure
        5. The Employee Report Structure
        6. Legal Review
        7. Conclusion
      2. SAMPLE MANAGEMENT SUMMARY REPORTS
        1. First Report
      3. SAMPLE REPORTS FOR EMPLOYEES
        1. Manufacturing Company Report
      4. USING SUPERVISORS TO DELIVER RESULTS FOR TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION
        1. The Supervisor as the Key Communicator
        2. Notifying Employees
        3. The Communications Program
        4. Supervisor Preparation
        5. Follow-Up
        6. Meeting Guide
        7. Conclusion
      5. SURVEY CHECKLISTS
        1. Development Steps for Implementing an Employee Opinion Survey
      6. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    Product information

    • Title: How to Design, Implement, and Interpret an Employee Survey
    • Author(s): John H. McConnell
    • Release date: May 2003
    • Publisher(s): AMACOM
    • ISBN: 0814407099