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Action plan tips: After an HR survey

We are here to give useful tips so you can fully benefit from the results! This article gives you tips on how to act after you've made an HR survey.

You have successfully built, published and gathered data with a ZEF survey tool, congratulations!

You may also have analyzed the data, but aren't quite sure what to do next. No worries, we are here to give useful tips so you can fully benefit from the results! This article gives you tips on how to act after you've made an HR survey.

After an HR survey

Many organizations measure a lot of things, sometimes by conducting an HR survey. Too often the results of these surveys are left unattended. 

Why is this? More often than not, the participation of employees in decision-making is not considered "business-critical", although employees are in fact the most critical piece in making a profitable business. In addition, the development of personnel is often not the strongest suit of the organization and its leaders. To fully utilize the results of an HR survey, it takes clear and systematic processes, development-oriented managers and in some cases, a third-party consultant.

When employees are asked about issues critical for functioning efficiently, they often automatically assume these things are bound to be enhanced by the hands of managers. However, too often this is not the case. Too often, the manager goes through the results but takes no action. Sometimes, you even hear about organizations where the results are never public for employees. In these cases, nothing happens with the results or they are reviewed only by higher-ups, who make independent decisions based on them without further input from employees. That can lead to some hasty and misplaced decisions. 

The organizational importance of an HR survey

An HR survey is one of many good ways to improve a workplace. The questions of the survey send a clear message to the employees about the things the organization is interested in improving. The survey's impact on well-being and improving performance must be tangible and proven. These things are often recognized but seldom utilized.

How to utilize the results?

It is crucial for the organization to create a continuous, systematic model of development. It's advised to plan ahead, plan how to proceed after the survey, how to utilize the data, who will participate in the process and how to communicate the results and proceedings with the employees.

After the survey, the results are processed by the management. They decide which areas are most strategically sensitive and schedule development sessions for each team in the organization. This might require involvement from a third-party consultant, who can coach each team to see the goals and strive towards them while monitoring the progress. Studies show that this is best done within a month from the conclusion of the actual survey, as the issues at hand can start to expire after that time. It's important that the management is involved with the teams all the way and that it shows full support for their development. In addition, it's important for the management to realize that each team develops at their separate paces and phases, which that means the same procedures might not apply to every team. Choosing the optimal plan for each team is key.

During the process of development, coaching and facilitation sessions conducted by managers can boost the results. This is the way to have the survey pay itself off. It's also worth mentioning that by working together to tackle the most critical issues that the survey has brought into the limelight, you will create a sustainable model for systematic development. 

Also, don't forget to conduct surveys on a regular basis in order to see the results in action by comparing to previous results!