Spotlight on staff surveys

REWARD AUDITS

Employee surveys are a staple means through which employers can gauge the attitudes of their workforce. But research by IRS suggests that few use the data to help shape key business or even HR policies.

Two-thirds of participants in the IRS research said they currently conduct employee surveys, the most common reasons being to demonstrate commitment to employee views and to "take the pulse" of the organisation. Less than half of the organisations that conduct surveys wanted to benchmark against others.

The IRS research found that most organisations conduct surveys of their whole workforce, either once a year or every two years. But participants were split over the merits of conducting surveys in-house and calling in an external provider. Results are invariably fed back to employees.

What you will find in this report

This eight-page report published by IRS presents the results of a survey of 54 organisations. To help readers who conduct employee surveys or who may do so in the future, the survey looked at a number of key issues, including:

who conducts surveys and how often
what the surveys cover
who is involved in drawing up the survey
how the survey is distributed
what methods are used to improve response rates
what actions are taken as a result of surveys.

A table sets out how surveys are run in 34 named organisations.

Want to know more?

Title: "More questions than answers? Employee surveys revealed", IRS Employment Review 820/Employment Trends, 25 March 2005.

Sample size: The survey drew responses from 54 organisations, of which 16 classed themselves as being in the public sector.

Availability: To purchase this report contact the subscriptions department at IRS in London, tel: 020 8686 9141 or visit www.irsemploymentreview.com

Posted 3 May 2005