Employee communication surveys: An event or a culture?: Employee communication surveys: An event or a culture? Adrian Cropley CEO Cropley Communications Pty Ltd


Why did I do this?: Why did I do this? Because it’s worthwhile


To be discussed: To be discussed Focus of employee surveys Getting buy-in to your survey Building culture, not running an event


The focus of employee surveys: The focus of employee surveys Step back: What sort of survey are we really running? There are a lot of ways to gather feedback – surveys are just one way


The focus of employee surveys: The focus of employee surveys What is our focus? What do we measure? What feedback do we want? employee satisfaction understanding engagement


Many companies don’t measure at all!: Many companies don’t measure at all! 34% of companies have an employee communications measurement strategy 46% of large companies (>10,000 employees) have a measurement strategy 47% of top UK companies listed on FTSE500 don’t do regular research on employee motivation, morale or engagement Findings internal communication measurement report - Melcrum Publishing 2004


We have a measurement plan:Regional breakdown: We have a measurement plan: Regional breakdown Asia Pacific: just over 25% North America: 38% United Kingdom: 39% Findings internal communication measurement report - Melcrum Publishing 2004


We have a measurement plan: Industry breakdown: We have a measurement plan: Industry breakdown Financial services 48% Utilities 48% Telecommunications 43% Healthcare 20% Findings internal communication measurement report - Melcrum Publishing 2004


Percentage of large companies that run: : Percentage of large companies that run: Employee opinion surveys 94 Employee engagement surveys 80 Comms channel audit 84 Comms content audit 77 External benchmarking 63 Cost benefit analysis on comms 48 Findings internal communication measurement report - Melcrum Publishing 2004


Shift from measuring opinion to engagement: Shift from measuring opinion to engagement Opinion surveys: Channel preferences, usefulness, content etc. Engagement surveys: Commitment to organisation, buy-in to messages, taking action as a result of the communication. Employee engagement surveys are not how employees feel about comms but what they do with it. Findings internal communication measurement report - Melcrum Publishing 2004


Getting buy-in to your survey: Getting buy-in to your survey Satisfaction Understanding Engagement Communications is rarely connected to: Increased productivity Reduced costs Increased profitability Increased sales Decreased accidents Increased recruitment figures Decreased waste Findings internal communication measurement report Melcrum Publishing 2004


Linking comms to your business is critical!: Linking comms to your business is critical! “All the hoopla about communication measurement boils down to measuring the effects and correlation of communications improvement to the performance of business” Linda Dulye, L.M. Dulye & Co. Focus communications on business outcomes: measure employees understanding & correlate with business measures ie increased sales, reduced costs etc. Findings internal communication measurement report - Melcrum Publishing 2004


Measurement drives employee commitment: Measurement drives employee commitment Demonstrated in Mercer Communications Consulting’s ‘What’s working’ report from 2002/03 Findings internal communication measurement report - Melcrum Publishing 2004 What’s missing?


Sustaining buy-in to your survey: Sustaining buy-in to your survey The more an organisation does, the more they are able to drive employee commitment and engagement. But remember: Keep an ongoing commitment to give feedback Take meaningful action from results Most importantly Communicate the actions and effects as well!


The cost of poor communication: The cost of poor communication Summer Olympic Games – Sydney, 2000 Telecommunications supplier 25% of all mobile/cell calls from Olympic venues Outage occurs at the main venue Technician followed outdated procedures 2 hour delay Lost revenue of $ AUD ½ million Damage to company reputation and brand


Show employees that their opinion counts!: Show employees that their opinion counts! Ericsson (Australia): First employee survey Free movie tickets (85% response rate) All provided name with feedback Changes made as a result of survey feedback Employees involved in changes Changes made were communicated and acknowledged 80% response to next survey, minus the bribe!


Getting buy-in to your survey: Key points: Getting buy-in to your survey: Key points Gradually build trust Surveys and their results are acted upon Employees are involved in those actions Feed back the results and outcomes Increase employees’ understanding Marry communications to business And you will be on target for engagement!


Build culture: key characteristics of culture: Build culture: key characteristics of culture Member identity (job to organisation) Group emphasis (individual to group) People focus (task to people) Unit Integration (independence to interdependent) Control (loose to tight) Risk tolerance (low to high) Rewards criteria (performance and other) Conflict tolerance (low to high) Open systems focus (internal to external)


Culture = Core Values: Culture = Core Values The function of an organisation’s culture is to: Define boundaries Convey a sense of identity Help generate commitment to something larger Enhance stability, social system Act as a mechanism to guide and shape attitude and behavior of employees


Communicators ARE culture builders: Communicators ARE culture builders We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle Link to business direction, outcomes & measures Help employees understand their part Acknowledge their part Feed back the good, the bad and the ugly Take them on the complete journey, not just a part of it


Building the culture:: Building the culture: If they see the path clearly and understand the goal, they will travel it!


A strong culture weathers even the biggest storm: A strong culture weathers even the biggest storm Ericsson globally 2001-2004 Downturn in market Employee survey response rate 85% Employees high stake in company Redundancies high, morale high Business direction communicated clearly Increased engagement – initiatives supported


Focus on the basics: Focus on the basics Company – values, direction, outcomes Team Individual Good communication & feedback Engagement & builds the culture


Adrian’s top tips from bad experiences : Adrian’s top tips from bad experiences Keep it simple – not an event Focus on the core company values, direction, outcomes Help employees see their role clearly Satisfaction Understanding Engagement Get them involved Feedback the results & outcomes You would have built a survey culture – not just an event!


And they will be coming back for more…: And they will be coming back for more…


Questions?: Questions?