An employee survey only works when employees understand why it is being conducted, how their responses will be handled and what will happen afterwards. Good communication increases willingness to take part, builds trust and provides the basis for honest responses.
What employees should know before the survey
Announce the survey in good time and explain its purpose. Be transparent about the topics covered, the start and end dates, and approximately how long it will take to complete.
Clear information on data protection and anonymity is especially important: Who can see responses? Are results evaluated only in aggregated form? From what group size are results displayed? Answer these questions early and in plain language.
Encouraging participation during the survey
Send friendly reminders while the survey is open. Use the channels that genuinely reach your employees, such as email, the intranet, team meetings or direct managers.
- Communicate the remaining time to take part.
- Reinforce the purpose and confidential evaluation of the survey.
- Enable participation during working hours.
- Ask managers to support the survey without influencing responses.
After the survey: communicate results and measures
The decisive part begins when the survey closes. Inform employees about the key results, put them into context and show which measures will follow. Even if not every request can be implemented, it should be clear what has been considered and why decisions were made.
The greatest risk for future surveys is not a low response rate, but the impression that results have no consequences. Visible feedback and concrete next steps maintain employees’ trust.
Plan communication as part of the survey process
Before the survey begins, create a simple communication plan: who informs whom, through which channel and at what point? This keeps information consistent and ensures that the survey is not seen as an isolated HR measure, but as a basis for shared improvement.
What is LamaPoll?
LamaPoll is a survey tool for creating employee surveys and measuring employee satisfaction. You can use it to create, conduct and analyse all types of employee survey. Create your employee survey in just a few steps, apply your organisation’s corporate design and invite employees conveniently by email or via your intranet. You can quickly gain insights that help improve employee satisfaction. You can register for our survey tool free of charge and immediately conduct surveys for up to 50 employees with no obligation. If you need more responses to your online employee survey questionnaire, simply choose one of our monthly plans. You can also use our employee survey questionnaire templates and examples.
