When employee surveys show low engagement, managers often panic and launch problem-focused fixes. Instead, reframe the feedback as a chance to co-design solutions with your team, celebrate what's working, and create quick wins through collaborative action.
Chapters
A new letter says to me, "Dear Lou, our employee surveys give people something to rally around. However, when we bring it to people and try to do something about it, people run the other way." Hmm, what do I do? First thing is focus on the positive aspects of the survey. Change the things that are going wrong in your survey to future-focused statements. For example, if people's ideas are they're not being heard or they feel they'd like to leave the company, give some ways that they can feel more included and reasons to stay. Here's an example, this is what you may say: Hi everybody, I heard you want to leave the company. What's wrong with you? No, probably not the best way, right? Let's change this now. I hear you want to leave. I'd like to offer some options. First, let me learn more. Tell me about how we can make this a place you love to work. I bet it's not about putting another foosball table in the break room. If you feel like your ideas are not being heard, let's go through some scenarios. Let's practice them and try it out so it goes the way you want and need the next time. Let's put it on the board. There's no time like the present. Let's give it a shot. So what shouldn't I do when I get this really difficult employee survey information? Panic and make all the things that are wrong the focus of a new strategic initiative. Here's the thing: all change projects that work focus on success factors. This is different—success factors, not failure factors. Things that work and the positive aspects of the company. Think of one thing that your CEO has done really well. Make that the focal point. Everybody wants to be part of of a winning team. Create meetings and co-create them, co-design them with people that transform, that create engagement surveys that are considered positive rather than bad about your company, and create a more functional environment where everybody loves to work. There's no better way to improve all those engagement surveys than to have immediate wins in conversations and meetings that mirror the exact workplace that people are actually seeking. Once they do, it catches on like wildfire. And once you make them a part of this discussion and part of the solution, everything will change.
