Turning Survey Insights into Action
Published on January 30, 2023.
Thousands of UMN employees participated in the Employee Engagement Follow Up Survey this past fall that gauged their impressions of any action taken on the results from the 2021 Employee Engagement Survey.
Knowing that these surveys are helpful only if action is taken, the Follow Up Survey helps leaders better understand their progress in addressing topics important to those surveyed.
As expected, several themes revealed themselves through the comments with the most common feedback surrounding:
- Communication
- Pay increases
- Remote work
- Equitable distribution of workload
- Professional development
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives
The feedback shared and insights revealed shape how we as supervisors and an organization can support employees in the workplace.
Next steps to take and resources to support you
Leverage the input you already have. We recommend that you revisit the data you have: the results and comments from 2021 Employee Engagement Survey, the Follow Up Survey results, and other formal and informal feedback you received during the past few years.
If your team doesn’t have a report, look for a higher level report for your entire department/unit, which would include input from your team. We encourage supervisors to welcome the comments as direct feedback full of valuable insights which can be used to inform future plans. Reflect on:
- What were the themes for our college or unit in 2021?
- How do the themes and comments identified by the Follow Up Survey compare to the initial feedback? How should your action plans be adjusted based on this new Follow Up Survey data?
- What are the most critical areas to address and how might you respond to the feedback?
Hold a discussion to revisit the results. As a team /college or unit gather to discuss the 2021 results and discuss their impressions regarding the conversations or action taken (or not taken) in the past year. Choose one area from the list above to focus your action planning efforts through the spring semester. Planning is already underway for bi-annual full Employee Engagement Survey scheduled for the fall of 2023 so you’ll also receive additional feedback following that survey.
If you did not receive results from the Follow Up Survey, you can still take action related to employee engagement. Tools and resources for employee engagement are available with or without a report. Start with having a discussion with your team on your college or unit’s high level results as well as your thoughts at the local level. Use this discussion guide to have conversations in one on ones or in staff meetings.
Our team of Talent Strategy consultants is only an email away ([email protected]) to discuss results and comments from the 2022 Employee Engagement Follow Up Survey and work with you on best practices on how to turn those insights into action.
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