What goals should you set for your staff surveys?

Staff surveys should be an integral part of any successful business, as they offer incredibly valuable insights into the mindset, happiness and productivity of employees. Staff surveys, or employee engagement surveys, are designed to provide the tools to increase employees’ overall work experience, as well as improve ongoing business performance.

Where some companies fail in terms of getting the best out of their staff surveys, is that they only send out their staff a survey annually, basically to tick a box. Instead, these companies should be seeing these staff surveys or employee engagement surveys for what they are; an ideal opportunity to really get their finger on the pulse of their business. After all, a company is only as good as its employees, and as the old adage goes, a happy employee is a productive employee!

But how to get the most out of staff surveys? The answer to this question will depend on the goals that have been set. Get these right from the offset and achieving the results required to make informed decisions on how to move the business forward, and maximise employees’ potential, is more likely. So what should be considered when setting goals for staff surveys? The answer is SMART. A SMART objective is a Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound goal. By setting SMART goals the most relevant questions to ask employees can be determined, which in turn should offer the ultimate outcome in terms of responses from staff surveys or employee engagement surveys.

SMART goals for staff surveys

So let’s take a deeper look at what constitutes SMART goals and see why they are so essential in any employee survey.

S – Specific

Be specific about what it is the staff survey should accomplish. A good rule of thumb is to ask the following questions:

* Who? Which employee or group of employees will be involved in achieving the goal?
* What? Detail exactly what it is that needs to be accomplished.
* Where? Are the goals location specific? Do they apply across the board or only one branch/area of the business?
* Which? Think about any obstacles that could hinder the ultimate goal.
* Why? Perhaps the biggest question is, “what is the reason for this goal?”

An example of a specific goal for a staff survey could be “Increase employee engagement”.

M – Measurable

Decide which metrics can be used to measure goal success, and ultimately determine whether the goal has been met. Without accurately measuring the results of employee surveys how can the success of the overall goal be measured?

A – Achievable

Think of the ‘Goldilocks’ rule here. Goals should be achievable, not too difficult, not too easy. Ultimately staff surveys are a tool for determining where improvements in the business need to be made, so an achievable goal will help towards overall objectives. A good example of an achievable goal could be “Increase employee engagement from 60% to 75%”.

R – Relevant

When deciding on goals for staff surveys, think about the overall company goals and how these could align. Are the survey’s goals relevant to the organisational goals and growth?

T – Time-Bound

Most goals will have some sort of time frame. If this is the case then factor these timelines into the goal strategy.

Contact the employee survey specialists

It is important to note that SMART is not without its flaws. Every facet may not be applicable to staff/employee survey goals, but SMART goals are thought of as a general checklist then it will create powerful goals for staff surveys. For more information on SMART goals, staff surveys, employee engagement surveys, 360 feedback surveys, pulse surveys, or any other employee-based survey, get in touch with our team at The Survey Initiative. We have the experience and expertise to work closely with you to help determine your survey goals, and then design and create the survey itself. We look forward to hearing from you!