Did you know that the work environment is one of the factors that most influences the development of a business? According to several studies, a good organizational climate enables companies to maximize the performance of their employees.
When the environment is positive, employees feel that they are an active part of the company, and this influences their behavior.
Also, a pleasant work atmosphere encourages employees to be more motivated and more efficient.
For this reason, as a leader, it’s essential that you use work environment surveys as part of your people management strategy. This will make you know how your team members feel being part of your business and you can make the right decisions to guide your company to where you want to be.
How can you achieve that goal?
Applying the tools correctly.
This article is a complete guide in which we answer all the frequently asked questions about work environment surveys with examples. In addition, you will learn step by step how to create an employee survey, and we will give you the necessary resources so that you can launch a work environment survey with a 100% proven and effective template.
What is a work environment survey?
A work environment survey, or work climate survey, is a powerful measurement tool that serves to know the quality of the environment of collaborators’ workplace.
Its usefulness and its powerful effectiveness are due to that all the information extracted comes directly from the opinion of the employees themselves. And why is this important? Because that way you make sure that the results reflect the reality of the organization.
Accuracy when making decisions is essential. Otherwise, without the right information, you run the risk of wasting your time and your money.
So, knowing what employees think will enable you to activate the necessary levers to transform your company into a more competitive one with agility and security.
Benefits of using work environment surveys
In the management of teams and companies, the use of climate surveys has many benefits:
- Detects strengths and areas for improvement. Nobody is better than the employees to know the state of the company. By spending most of their time within, they know what is working and what is not. Also, you can identify what aspects of your business are what differentiate you from other companies to enhance them and gain an advantage over your competitors; and what important needs are those that you must cover with priority.
- Data-driven decisions. The best decisions are not the ones made by intuition. And, of course, you can’t change something if you don’t know what you have to change. In the information era, having measurable data at your fingertips is essential, and that is precisely what you get with work environment surveys. With them, you visualize the performance of the work climate, its fluctuations and its evolution in real time.
- You can manage and analyze the work environment professionally. Employee surveys allow you to know the details of the work environment and manage change in your organization like professionals. Through its use, you can be in control of its status, act proactively and minimize risks to your business.
- Maximized employee performance. By applying all of the above you improve your team management strategies. Thus, you will be able to turn your employees into people who are more committed and motivated with their work. The result: increased productivity and increased outcomes.
Types of work environment survey
When designing a work environment survey, the first thing we have to take into account is what type of survey we want to carry out.
We highlight:
- General work climate surveys. As its name suggests, this type of survey does not focus on any specific parameter. Its objective is to evaluate the work environment in a general way, taking into account all the dimensions that influence its performance:
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- Development and training.
- Recognition and reward.
- Resources and Facilities.
- Culture and Values.
- Internal communication.
- Mission and vision.
- Motivation.
- Leadership.
- Specific employee surveys. These are surveys that measure a single aspect of the work environment. They are useful when you want to know in detail one of the dimensions of the work environment, and make comparisons between them.
- Pulse surveys. Pulse surveys are short questionnaires that are frequently sent to employees. They can be specific or general, but what differentiates them from the other two is that they are:
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- Quick to respond. No more than 10 questions.
- Regular. They are sent every 15 days or monthly.
- Flexible. They can explore only one dimension or all at once.
- Comparable. By sending frequently, the data is updated more quickly, being able to track the evolution of the results.
How to create a work environment survey
Next, we explain the steps to follow to design an effective work environment survey:
1. Define your goal
Think about what you want to achieve with the employee survey and what information you want to collect. Do you want to know the work climate in general? To know the satisfaction of the employees about the salary? Find out if the trainings are useful for the team? Knowing what you want to measure is the first step in designing a useful climate survey.
2. Ask the right questions
The questions should always be related to the objective of the survey. They must be concrete, concise, and not give rise to confusion. The more precision, the better the quality of the information.
In addition, you must also choose the type of response. If you want qualitative information , open responses are the best alternative. If you want measurable and comparable data, numerical scale responses are your best option.
3. Select the employees who will receive the survey
Depending on the objective, you may prefer that the entire workforce respond to the survey or only the members of a department, people of a certain age range, gender, or seniority in the company.
Of course, the higher the number of responses, the more significant the quality of the data will be.
4. Set the sending channel
Where will team members receive the questionnaire? To maximize performance, it’s a good idea to use a program that automatically sends questionnaires directly to employees’ mail inboxes.
5. Schedule the periodicity
The sending cadence determines how often the employees will receive the surveys. Annual climate surveys are ineffective because they do not allow real-time monitoring, something essential in the changing environment in which organizations perform today.
Therefore, it’s better to use surveys on a regular basis. But, how often? A long timelapse could have negative effects on responses, while one too short could overwhelm employees and reduce their participation.
Once a month is the ideal frequency.
6. Analyze the data
This step will allow you to have the big picture of your company. By evaluating the answers, you will understand the situation of your team and learn in depth what dynamics are affecting the development of the company.
7. Share the results
Transparency is a highly appreciated virtue among team members.
When you share the results, you are showing them that the company cares about their well-being and is really interested in improving the quality of the employee experience.
In addition, it is a good idea to acknowledge the involvement of the participants and inform them about the next steps.
This, in addition to demonstrating honesty, will engage employees to participate in future surveys, further improving their effectiveness.
8. Take action
This is the most important step, and the true objective of work climate surveys: to use the data to make decisions and actions that improve the work environment, strengthen team members, and boost company results.
9. Make the necessary adjustments
Sending work environment surveys is a continuous iteration. This means that you have to be constant. Once the entire process has been completed, evaluate its effectiveness and make the pertinent adjustments in what can be improved: frequency of sending, type of responses, etc.
Examples of questions for a work environment survey
Development and Training
- Do you consider that you are growing professionally?
- Do you think you receive the necessary training to update your knowledge and perform your duties?
- Does your job offer you challenges and the opportunity to keep improving?
Recognition and Reward
- Do you consider that your salary corresponds to your level of responsibility?
- Do you think that your organization encourages employees to recognize each other?
- Are you confident that you are paid fairly compared to similar positions in your organization?
Resources and Facilities
- Is your workspace comfortable enough?
- Do you consider that your work environment reflects the culture of your organization?
- Has your organization provided you with the necessary equipment and/or systems to make it easy to carry out your work?
About Culture and Values
- Would you say that the management team accepts and implements the teams’ suggestions on how to improve?
- To what extent do you feel that you have the freedom to decide how to carry out your work?
- Do you feel that working in your organization you can balance your personal and professional life?
Internal communication
- Are you aware of the existence of a specific communication plan in your organization?
- Do you think there is open communication between all teams, levels, areas, departments, etc.?
- Do you receive information on the results of the latest employee satisfaction surveys in which you have participated?
Mission and vision
- Do you think that the management has a clear vision of where the organization is going and how to get there?
- Do you think your organization can achieve its goals?
- Do you know the history of your organization?
Motivation
- Do you think you are important to your team?
- Are you proud to be able to say that you work in your organization?
- Would you say that in your organization everyone feels part of the same team?
Leadership
- Are you happy with the frequency with which you receive feedback from your direct manager?
- Does your direct manager show coherence between what he says and what he does?
- Is your direct manager clear and specific when defining your work objectives?
These are just some of the questions that Team Insights has available in its library, ready to launch to your employees and start collecting information automatically. But there are many more!
When is it advisable to carry out climate surveys?
Climate surveys are a resource that can always be used within an organization. However, some moments are better than others:
- It is not advisable to send a climate survey after an important event that has negatively or positively impacted employees. This could bias responses, as they would be influenced by recent emotions.
- It is also not advisable to carry out the surveys during holiday periods. The absence of the labor force would make the quality of the responses decrease and not be representative of reality.
Extra hacks to increase the effectiveness of work environment surveys
- Use a specific program to measure the work environment . Services like Google Forms or Typeform are useful for sporadic employee surveys, but they don’t have the necessary resources for a professional evaluation.
- Ensures anonymity in responses. For relevant data that drives real changes, responses need to be 100% honest. Anonymous responses encourages participants to answer honestly, without fear of being judged or punished.
- Automate the process. Doing a work climate analysis can cost too much if it’s done manually. A program that automates the process lightens the workload and make you only have to worry about viewing the data and making decisions.
Free Work Climate Surveys for Employees
You can carry out work environment surveys professionally and free with Team Insights. You just have to sign in up and start using it. And without the need for a credit card!
