8 Considerations When Determining Questionnaire Length
One of the most common questions we hear at WorkTango is “how long should we make our employee survey?”
Well, it depends.
It depends on your intention or purpose. How often you deploy surveys. How quickly feedback is shared. (You do share findings with your entire employee population, right?) It depends on a lot of variables. Here are EIGHT key considerations to take into account when determining the length of your survey:
1. There is no such thing as employee survey fatigue -- only lack of action fatigue
An online search for “survey fatigue” nets page upon page defining and recommending how to avoid or minimize exhausting employees with requests for feedback. But survey fatigue is a misnomer. There’s no such thing when your strategy is well planned, your surveys are intentional and properly designed, and you can ACT on feedback (the sooner the better). Download our guide on how to act on employee survey insights to help your employee survey initiatives. Without any concrete evidence to demonstrate that concerns are being heard, that credible suggestions are being taken into account, and that the time and effort put into answering a survey is making a difference, wouldn’t you ask yourself “what’s the point?” Doesn’t it follow that you’d be less inclined to respond next time? Why would anyone else think any differently? Hence why inaction is the chief reason behind declining or low response rates. Poor respondent engagement is a symptom of poor survey methodology, not an indication that people are tired of expressing their opinions.Tips
- Be careful not to include survey items with factors where action may be difficult to roll out, especially in unionized environments.
- Be wary of automated survey tools where you do not select the survey items. It’s hard to act when you can’t anticipate what you may need to act on. Similarly, be cautious of vendors that don’t allow you to customize your survey items, or make it difficult to customize with excessive survey design costs.
- Perform short, targeted diagnostic follow-up surveys to determine if your actions are moving the needle. We call it Active Listening. Actions that are not moving the needle are just as bad as no action at all. Be agile. Iterate. And communicate your efforts.