How to effectively implement employee engagement survey action plan?

Management Guru Peter Drucker once said, “What gets measured gets managed.” And that's exactly what an employee engagement survey is all about – measuring the level of engagement within your organization so you can manage it effectively.

Still, according to a study by Forbes, only 30%-40% is an average employee survey response. So this directly reflects the organization’s confidence in addressing workplace issues through employee engagement surveys.

But don't despair just yet. With the right action plan in place, you can turn those lackluster results into a thriving, engaged workforce.

In this blog, we'll take a deep dive into the steps you need to take to create an effective employee engagement plan for surveys that will transform your organization from the inside out. So grab a cup of coffee, and let's get started!

Table of contents:-

• What is an employee engagement survey action plan?
• Why create an employee engagement action plan?
• How do you write an action plan for an engagement survey?
• Employee engagement action plan ideas
• Employee engagement action plan examples
• How to engage line managers with action planning
• Action planning methods for your engagement survey results
• How to review your employee engagement survey results?
• How to simplify your employee engagement action planning?

What is an employee engagement survey action plan?

An employee engagement survey action plan is a crucial tool that can help your company achieve its goals and objectives by improving employee engagement. Employee engagement surveys are designed to help companies understand how their employees feel about their work environment, job satisfaction, and overall level of engagement.

The survey results can be used to identify areas of improvement and develop a plan to address those issues.

Creating an employee engagement survey action plan is an essential step in the process of improving employee engagement. It is a comprehensive document that outlines the steps your company will take to address the issues raised in the employee survey results.

The action plan should address the concerns of your employees, prioritize the issues, and provide a roadmap for addressing those concerns.

The process of creating an employee engagement survey action plan involves several steps. The first step is to review the survey results and identify the key areas of concern.

This may include compensation, benefits, work-life balance, mental health, communication, and leadership issues. Once the key issues have been identified, the next step is to develop a plan to address those concerns.

The plan should include specific actions that your company will take to address the issues raised in the survey. For example, if the survey results indicate that employees are dissatisfied with their compensation, the action plan might include reviewing the company's compensation structure, a salary increase for certain positions, or a bonus program for high-performing employees.

It's important to note that creating an employee engagement survey action plan is not a one-time event. The plan should be reviewed and updated regularly to ensure that it remains relevant and effective.

By continually monitoring and improving employee engagement, your company can create a more productive and positive work environment that benefits both employees and the bottom line.

Why create an employee engagement action plan?

Creating an action plan is critical after an employee engagement survey. Without one, you won't know how to address the core issues that are impacting employee engagement in your company.

Instead, you'll just be guessing at what's causing disengagement and employees' lack of motivation. The action plan keeps you focused and holds you accountable for taking specific, measurable actions to improve employee engagement.

Engaged employees are more productive, more creative, and more likely to stay with the company long-term. They also provide better customer service, which can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

However, disengaged employees can have a negative impact on the company's bottom line. They may be less productive, less motivated, and more likely to leave the company.

Creating an employee engagement action plan is the first step in addressing any issues that are impacting engagement in your organization. The action plan should include specific goals and objectives and measurable outcomes that will help you track progress over time.

It should also include a timeline for implementation and a plan for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the strategies you implement.

One key component of employee engagement action plans is communication. It's important to communicate with employees regularly about the progress of the plan, as well as any changes that are being made.

This can help build trust and confidence among employees and can also help to keep them engaged and motivated.

Another important component of an employee engagement action plan is recognition and rewards. Employees who feel valued and appreciated are more likely to be engaged and motivated.

This can include formal and informal employee recognition programs, such as employee of the month awards, bonuses, and public recognition for a well-done job.

How do you write an action plan for an engagement survey?

Writing an action plan for your employee engagement survey results can seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. One of the most effective ways to create an action plan for your engagement survey is using SMART goals.

However, engagement levels can fluctuate, and addressing any issues that arise as quickly and effectively as possible is important.

What are SMART action plans?

SMART stands for "Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound". This acronym means that any employee engagement action plan you write should be:

• Specific: For every problem, there needs to be specific steps to address them. For example, if the survey results show that employees are feeling disconnected from the company's mission, specific steps could include holding town hall meetings to discuss the mission and values, creating a task force to develop a new mission statement, or implementing training programs to help employees understand the company's mission.
• Measurable: The goals you create should be measurable so that you can track progress. This means setting clear targets and milestones and regularly monitoring progress towards those targets. For example, if the goal is to improve employee satisfaction, you could measure progress by tracking changes in employee turnover rates, conducting follow-up surveys to gauge employee sentiment, or reviewing performance metrics to see if engagement levels are improving.
• Achievable: Think beyond just "fixing" an issue to set a goal that can be achieved within reasonable time and resources. This means setting realistic goals that can be accomplished with the resources and budget available. For example, if the survey results show that employees are unhappy with their benefits package, it may not be feasible to completely overhaul the benefits program.
• Relevant: The action plan needs to be relevant to your company's goals, mission, and values. This means any goals, including employee engagement activities, should align with the company's overall strategy and values. For example, if the company's mission is to be a leader in sustainability, an engagement action plan might include engagement initiatives to reduce the company's carbon footprint, such as implementing a telecommuting program or switching to renewable energy sources.
• Time-bound: Deadlines are important for keeping things on track and accountable. This means setting clear timelines for achieving goals and regularly reviewing progress towards those goals. For example, if the goal is to improve employee engagement by 10% within the next year, there should be regular check-ins to ensure progress is being made towards that goal.

By using SMART goals to create an action plan for your employee engagement survey results, you can ensure that your plan is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

This will help you to address any issues that arise and improve employee engagement levels1, ultimately leading to a more productive, committed, and successful organization.

Employee engagement action plan ideas

Let’s dwell deeper into employee engagement action plans and discuss some ideas that will help you if you are looking to boost employee engagement, and there are a number of action plan ideas you can implement.

Create a Recognition Program

One of the most effective ways to increase employee engagement is recognizing and rewarding excellent work. Consider creating a recognition program that highlights employees' achievements and contributions to the company.

This can be as simple as a monthly "employee of the month" award or as complex as a comprehensive rewards and recognition program that includes bonuses, promotions, and other incentives.

Offer Educational Opportunities

Employees who feel that their employer is invested in their personal and professional development are more likely to be engaged and committed to their work. Consider offering educational opportunities for employees to expand their knowledge and develop new skills.

This could include in-house training programs, tuition reimbursement for outside courses, or access to online learning resources.

Improve Communication

Effective communication is essential for building strong relationships between leadership and staff and between departments and teams. Consider ways to increase communication within your organization, such as regular team meetings, open-door policies, and regular check-ins between managers and employees.

You may also want to consider using technology to facilitate communication, such as instant messaging or video conferencing tools.

Establish Mentoring Programs

Mentoring programs can be valuable for helping new hires and existing staff develop better relationships with their colleagues. Consider establishing a formal mentoring program that pairs experienced employees with newer hires or employees who are looking to develop new skills.

This can help build a sense of community and support within your organization, and can also help employees feel more engaged and invested in their work.

Implementing these action plan ideas can help increase employee engagement and create a more positive, productive workplace culture.

But make sure to remember that engagement still is an ongoing process, and it's important to regularly evaluate and adjust your strategies to ensure that they're meeting the needs of your employees and your organization as a whole.

Employee engagement action plan examples

Employee engagement is a critical factor in the success of any organization. It is essential to have a motivated, committed, and productive workforce. An employee engagement survey is an effective tool to measure the engagement level of your staff.

Once you have the survey results, creating an action plan to address the challenges and issues highlighted in the survey is crucial. Here are some additional details on how to create an effective employee engagement action plan:

Identify specific challenges or issues

Before creating an action plan, it is essential to identify the specific challenges or issues that your staff believes most need addressing. The survey results will give you a good idea of the areas where your employees are struggling.

It could be related to workload, communication, recognition, or other factors. It is crucial to identify these issues and prioritize them based on their impact on employee engagement.

Assign accountability

Accountability is crucial for the success of any action plan. Assigning accountability and responsibility for every aspect of the plan is essential. Each team member should know what their role is and what is expected of them. The team leader should be responsible for monitoring progress and ensuring that everyone is meeting their goals.

Set up checkpoints and timelines

Setting up checkpoints and timelines is essential to ensure everyone is on track and meeting their goals. Checkpoints should be set up at regular intervals, and progress should be reviewed at each checkpoint.

Timelines should be realistic but also challenging enough to keep everyone motivated. By setting up checkpoints and timelines, you can ensure that your action plan stays on track and everyone is accountable.

Review progress

Regularly reviewing and assessing progress is essential to the success of your action plan. It is essential to review progress periodically to ensure your goals are met. If you are not meeting your goals, it is essential to identify why and make adjustments to your action plan.

By reviewing progress, you can ensure that your action plan is effective and that you are making progress towards improving employee engagement.

Creating an effective employee engagement action plan takes time and effort, but it is worth it. By addressing the challenges and issues highlighted in your survey results, you can improve employee engagement, which will lead to a more productive and successful organization.

How to engage line managers with action planning

Line managers are responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activities of their teams and ensuring that their employees are motivated, productive, and engaged. Without the support and effectiveness of line managers, even the best-designed engagement plans are likely to fall short.

To engage line managers in the ongoing action planning process, it's important to communicate the importance of employee engagement and how action planning can address it. This can be done through training sessions, workshops, and one-on-one meetings with managers.

By explaining how engagement can improve productivity, reduce turnover, and increase employee satisfaction, managers are more likely to get on board with the action plan.

Another effective strategy is collaborating with managers to create SMART goals and strategies for their teams. This involves working together to identify specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals that align with the overall engagement plan. By involving managers in this process, they are more likely to take ownership of the plan and be committed to its success.

It is also essential to provide managers with the necessary tools and resources to execute the action plan. This can include access to training and development programs, coaching and mentoring, and technology platforms that streamline communication and collaboration. By giving managers the support they need, they are more likely to feel confident in their ability to execute the plan effectively.

Finally, keeping managers in the loop with regular reporting and updates is important. This involves providing them with data on engagement levels, progress towards goals, and employee feedback. By keeping managers informed, they can adjust their approach as needed and stay motivated to achieve the desired outcomes.

Action planning methods for your engagement survey results

Employee engagement is a critical factor in the success of any organization. It is the level of commitment and involvement that employees feel towards their job and the organization they work for. Measuring employee engagement through surveys is an effective way to understand how employees feel about their work and the organization.

Once you have the results of the survey, it's important to prioritize the issues and plan actions to improve employee engagement. Here are a few methods for prioritizing issues and developing your action plan:

1. Pareto Analysis

Pareto Analysis is a well-known method for prioritizing issues based on the Pareto principle. The principle states that 20% of the causes are responsible for 80% of the effects. In the context of employee engagement, this means that 20% of the issues are responsible for 80% of the problems.

To use Pareto Analysis, you need to identify the most critical issues that require immediate attention. Once you have identified these issues, you can prioritize them and allocate resources accordingly.

2. Impact vs. Effort

Prioritizing issues based on their impact on employee engagement and the effort involved in addressing them is another effective method. Some issues may greatly impact employee engagement but may be difficult or time-consuming to address. On the other hand, some issues may have a low impact on employee engagement, but they may be easy to address.

By prioritizing issues based on their impact and effort, you can focus on the issues that will impact employee engagement most while minimizing the effort required to address them.

3. Employee Input

Another effective method for prioritizing issues is to survey staff again to give them an opportunity to prioritize the most pressing issues that were highlighted in the first survey. This approach can help you better understand the issues that are most important to employees and can help you develop a more effective action plan.

By involving employees in the prioritization process, you can also increase their engagement and commitment to the improvement process.

How to review your employee engagement survey results?

Reviewing your employee engagement survey results is the first step in creating an actionable plan for improving staff engagement. Follow these steps for reviewing your employee engagement survey results:

1. Determine your desired outcomes: Define your goals and objectives in terms of employee engagement and how they align with your organization's values, culture, and operations.
2. Review your survey data: Analyze the data to identify insights, trends, and opportunities for improvement.
3. Benchmark: Compare your results with industry benchmarks or other organizations similar to yours.
4. Identify key themes: Identify common themes and issues to address in the action plan.
5. Prioritize issues: Prioritize issues based on their significance and strategic impact on your organization, and prioritize addressing those issues first.

How to simplify your employee engagement action planning?

The employee action planning process doesn't have to be complicated. As long as you follow these best practices, you'll be on track to increasing employee engagement and improving your company's operations and bottom line. Remember to:

• Create specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals.
• Collaborate with your line managers to engage employees in the planning and implementation process.
• Use prioritization methods to identify the most pressing issues to address first.
• And regularly review your employee survey results to ensure you're making progress towards your goals.

At the end of the day, it's all about creating a company culture where employees feel engaged, supported, and valued. By following these steps and continuously measuring and adjusting your plan, you'll be well on your way to achieving that goal.

Conclusion

And there you have it, folks! Here, we have seen how crucial it is to conduct employee surveys and take actionable steps based on the insights they provide. Remember, employee engagement isn't just a buzzword; it's the key to unlocking productivity, happiness, and success within your organization.

Now wait, before you go, let me introduce you to a game-changer in the world of employee engagement: CultureMonkey.

CultureMonkey’s innovative platform is designed to help companies improve survey participation rates and gather real-time employee feedback. With its user-friendly interface and customizable surveys, CultureMonkey makes the process a breeze for both administrators and employees.

What sets CultureMonkey apart is its focus on continuous improvement. It doesn't just stop at gathering employee feedback; it provides actionable insights and recommendations to help you drive positive change within your organization.

Plus, with its real-time reporting and analytics, you can track progress and make data-driven decisions that have a tangible impact on your company's culture and bottom line.

So why wait? Embrace the power of employee engagement to soar to new heights. Your workforce deserves it, and your organization will reap the rewards. Start your journey towards a happier, more engaged team today!