How to Create an Action Plan After an Employee Survey
Published by Beatrice Speck
7 November 2023
After an employee survey, it is vital to assure employees that you are committed to listening to this feedback and taking action. This includes any surveys, such as an engagement survey, a wellbeing survey, a productivity survey, or any other trends that you may wish to measure.
Before delving into the "how," let's first understand the "why." Action planning is not just a box to check after conducting an employee survey; it's a strategic move with profound implications for your organisation. It showcases your commitment to improvement, demonstrates you value your employees' feedback, and assures them that their voices are heard. This, in turn, leads to increased morale, retention, and overall business success. It also gives you a better chance of getting good response rates in the future.
Step 1: Gather and Analyse Survey Data
The first step in effective action planning is a deep dive into the survey data. Understand the key findings, identify trends, and prioritise areas that require attention.
Step 2: Set Clear and Achievable Goals
The key to successful action planning is setting clear, achievable goals. These goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). It's essential to create goals that align with the survey findings and the broader objectives of your organisation, these usually are highlighted before running the survey.
Step 3: Create an Action Plan
With your goals in place, it's time to create a detailed action plan. Identify the responsible parties, allocate resources, and establish timelines for each task. A well-structured plan ensures that the necessary steps are taken to address the identified issues.
Step 4: Communicate and Involve Employees
Communication is vital throughout the action planning process. Keep your employees informed about the progress, and involve them in the decision-making process when relevant. Their insights and suggestions can be invaluable in fine-tuning the action plan.
Step 5: Implement the Plan
Execute your action plan diligently. Ensure that each task is carried out according to the established timelines. Monitor progress and make adjustments as necessary to stay on track.
Step 6: Evaluate the Results
Once the action plan is implemented, evaluate the results. Use key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of the changes made. Are you seeing improvements in the areas targeted by the survey? If not, it might be time to revisit and adjust the plan.
Our Anova consultants are experts in employee engagement and workplace wellbeing, and they are committed to supporting organisations at every step of the employee survey and action planning process. Here's how Anova consultants assist at each stage:
1. Pre-Survey Consultation:
Needs Assessment: Anova consultants begin by understanding your organisation's unique goals, challenges, and strategic direction. They conduct a thorough needs assessment to tailor the survey to your unique requirements.
Survey Design: They assist in designing a comprehensive employee survey that captures the relevant data to address your concerns, recommending the relevant surveys from their catalogue of validated measures, as well as designing bespoke questions sets where necessary.
Communication Planning: The Anova consultants will give guidance on an effective communication plan to ensure that employees understand the survey's purpose and feel encouraged to participate, helping to identify the “what’s in it for me?” for different stakeholder groups.
2. Survey Administration:
Deployment: Anova consultants guide you through the survey deployment process, offering advice on timing, distribution methods, and data collection.
Data Collection: They monitor the survey process and ensure a smooth data collection experience, troubleshooting any issues that may arise.
3. Data Analysis:
In-Depth Analysis: Anova consultants use their expertise to analyse the survey data, identifying trends, patterns, and key insights.
Data Interpretation: They help you make sense of the data by providing actionable recommendations based on the survey findings and conduct ‘debrief’ sessions with your different senior stakeholder groups, asking relevant questions to fully understand the business context before providing best practice recommendations.
4. Action Planning:
Formulating a Plan: Anova assists in creating a detailed action plan and advises on when to run pulse surveys to check improvement is being made.
Employee Involvement: Anova consultants emphasise the importance of involving employees in the action planning process and guide you in soliciting their input.
5. Implementation:
Progress Monitoring: Anova consultants will be on hand as you track and monitor progress to ensure that the plan stays on course, providing guidance as needed along the way.
6. Evaluation:
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Anova consultants help you define and track KPIs to measure the impact of the implemented changes.
Adjustments: If necessary, they help you make adjustments to the action plan based on the evaluation results.
Throughout the entire process, Anova consultants provide guidance, expertise, and support to ensure that your organisation gets the most out of the employee survey and action planning process. They are your trusted partners in enhancing workplace wellbeing and employee engagement, making sure that the journey from data collection to implementation is as smooth and effective as possible.
Conclusion:
Action planning post-employee survey is crucial for improving workplace wellbeing and employee engagement. It's about turning insights into actions for a more motivated and productive workforce. Anova is here to support you from surveying to action planning. Prioritising employee wellbeing secures your organisation's future success. Contact us today to unlock your workforce's full potential.