Rater fatigue can pose a significant challenge when it comes to employee surveys.
For business and HR leaders, it’s a delicate balancing act. For workplaces to get a real pulse of their employee engagement and sentiments, surveys are a critical step. But all too often, workplaces have surveyed employees, and then left those same employees feeling like nothing changed.
If HR leaders are going to survey employees, it’s critical that they use the data and report back out to all stakeholders. Here are 5 strategies to get better results, and reduce rater fatigue.
1. Set Clear and Realistic Expectations
Rater fatigue often arises when employees give feedback and then nothing changes in a timely manner. To address this, it’s crucial to establish clear, achievable expectations. Let employees know when they can expect to hear the results of the survey and when they can expect to see any action plans.
Commit to a specific timeframe, and make that timeframe within 30 days if possible. Beyond that, employees will feel ignored.
2. Use a Proven Survey Questionnaire
Use survey questions that are proven to give you the insights you are looking for that are proven to give you the real insights. Too often survey questions aren’t well designed and leave the team doing the analysis scratching their heads about what the data is really telling them.
The Most Loved Workplace® survey is designed by an Organizational Psychologist who has been working with companies for 25 years to help improve their workplace cultures.
3. Keep the Process in a Tight Timeframe
A good survey, like the Most Loved Workplace® survey, should only take employees 5-10 minutes to complete. Keep your survey brief, and ask employees to complete it within a week or so. Don’t let it drag out for weeks and months. Employees should be able to find 5 minutes within a week to complete it.
4. Offer Incentives and Recognition
To combat rater fatigue effectively, consider offering incentives and recognition to raters for completing evaluations thoroughly and accurately. This can include bonuses, gift cards, or participation in recognition programs. Even simple acts of acknowledgment can have a significant impact.’
5. Commit to Reporting the Results Back Out to All Employees
When you send your internal communications to let employees know that the survey is coming, tell them then, when they can expect to hear the results of the survey. Let them know that for example the survey process might take 2 weeks, and then the data will be synthesized, and then they’ll get to see the results and any plans within 2 weeks after that. Be up front and commit to sharing the results.
6. Be Transparent About the Results
And speaking of sharing the results – be transparent. Any company culture has strengths and weaknesses. Don’t try to hide the realities, or just paint a ‘happy picture’. Employees will see right through that. Be transparent and open about where the company culture is strong, and where there is opportunity to get better. Employees will appreciate the transparency and commitment to the workplace culture.
Are you ready to get honest feedback from your employees and learn what your top strengths and weaknesses are? Check out the Workplacely platform today!
