Gather the Data and Boost Engagement

We all know the benefits of an engaged workforce and it’s no surprise that improving engagement has risen up the organisational agenda. There is a huge amount that can be done to boost engagement. The internet is rife with ideas if you want to DIY and practitioners aplenty willing to help grow your engagement figures. All initiatives come with a cost so if you’re going to invest time and money, make sure you know where to plug the gaps and what to celebrate.

And how to do that? Data of course! Understanding your starting point is an essential first step before you commission any intervention. Data has taken central stage in the HR world and rightly so. By tracking and analysing employee related data, organisations are able to gain insight into their employees; understand how they interact with the organisational infrastructure and as a team, providing the data to address various aspects of the employee experience, boosting motivation and productivity.

Data helps build a picture of why people leave – and why they stay! It provides feedback on the recruitment process, professional development provision, management style, reward and recognition and company culture – to name just a few areas. With hot information such as this, HR professionals can identify issues that damage engagement and those opportunities to boost it.

Employee research can also shine a light on and measure the impact of training and professional development. It can be used to measure outcomes of training and whether new skills are being embedded in their jobs, plus whether the new skills positively impact productivity. Data helps you select interventions that deliver a return on investment.

Employee research also provides a series of benefits to your workforce. Of course employees enjoy being engaged so any intervention aimed at improving conditions is going to be well received. However, the sole act of conducting research provides employees with a voice, it ensures that there is 2-way communication in the company and that employee’s feedback is valued and important for organisational change to take place.

So enough of the benefits. Where do you start? There are many different approaches to market research. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques are useful and can be used together or stand alone. For example, you may wish to conduct a companywide survey as well as conduct a series of one-one detailed interviews.  There are a series of steps to consider:

  1. Identify your goal – what do you need to know more about? For example, if you’re looking to improve your recruitment process you will be building knowledge on the recruitment lifecycle, from advert to onboarding
  2. Identify your budget – there are so many different options out there but your budget will dictate the techniques that will be available to you.
  3. Nominate your specialist – you might have a market research expert in-house, but if not, it will be worthwhile procuring the services of a professional
  4. Identify your sample – who are you going to involve in the research,
  5. Communications plan – you’ll need to communicate with your workforce, manage their expectations from start to finish.
  6. Create a timetable – give yourself a deadline and provide feedback on results to employees in good time
  7. Change – tell your employees what you’re going to change and by when.
  8. Thank you – thank them for their contributions!

If you’d like to conduct some research and are looking for the services of professionals, we’d be delighted to hear from you. We combine organisational development expertise with over 20 years of market research experience. We work with organisations to deliver cost effective employee research solutions. Not only do we design and conduct a full range of market research techniques, we are also on hand to help implement the recommendations that arise from the analysis.

If you’d like to discuss how we can help with your employee research, please get in touch penny@pennystrutton.co.uk