How can retailers gain something useful from employee surveys?

Nanette Brown, EVP and general manager, ICC Decision Services Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is a summary of a current article from the IMS Results Count blog. Employee satisfaction surveys — conducted on a regular basis, and followed up on in a meaningful way — say to associates, in no uncertain terms: “We’re asking because we care.” The feeling of being heard can be very powerful, particularly among Millennial associates, who want to contribute meaningfully to a greater purpose. Employee engagement helps build a sense of community, strengthen brand pride and inspire acts of excellence that distinguish the customer experience. Employee satisfaction surveys are equally valuable from a business intelligence standpoint. Associates are keenly attuned to what customers want and need as well as how the current sales or service model might be failing them (or worse, alienating them). Aubuchon Hardware, a family-owned retailer with 107 stores, kicked off its employee satisfaction survey program last November. The program includes quarterly wave surveys with different questions asked each quarter. The surveys are concise and easy to complete. Each begins with a question to assess the associate’s mindset (irrespective of corporate priorities) before delving into specifics. In addition to the rotating topic areas, each survey includes three basic open-ended questions:

• What should we keep doing?
• What should we stop doing?
• What should we start doing?

Afterward, senior executives personally visit stores, thank employees for participating in the survey, and reveal the results along with the specific actions the company is taking in response. Management also explains what progress has been made from changes enacted based on feedback from the previous quarter. In addition to quarterly surveys, Aubuchon’s employees are provided with a “listening list” — target areas, action items and status levels based on employee comments offered throughout the year. When done correctly, employee satisfaction surveys give company leadership a clear picture of what’s trending over time, what’s happening in a certain part of the company and the challenges facing individual job roles.

• Employee Engagement: Why You Need It & How To Increase It – IMS Results Count
• Employee Engagement: Why You Need It, and How to Increase It – ICC Decision Services