Some issues to consider when planning an attitude survey:
Why do it?
Be clear about your objectives. What do you need to know and how will you use this information? For example, do you have a problem with staff retention and need to understand more about the reasons for the high turnover in order to address it?
Manage Expectations
As a general rule, don't ask questions unless you are prepared to do something about the answers you may get!
Distribution
Paper-based questionnaires can be sent to home addresses or distributed at the workplace. More and more organizations are using online surveys, which have the advantage of providing quick results and feedback. Select the right method for your organisation and the objectives of the survey.
Boosting response rates
Question design, and distribution method can help achieve good response rates, but so can visible commitment to the process from the management team and trust that follow-up action will be taken on the results.
Benchmarking
Using a third party provider such as the IPA not only gives you specialist support with the design of your survey and removes the burden of distribution and analysis, but also provides access to data from other organisations, so that you can see how your organization compares.
Frequency
Consider how often you will run your survey and the timing - try not to coincide with major changes in the workplace or the responses may be skewed.
Management Commitment
Support from the senior management team for the process is critical and line managers need to encourage employees to respond and give them the time and facilities to do so.
Questionnaire design
Whether a paper-based questionnaire or online, it is vital that the survey questionnaire is professionally designed with business objectives in mind, is easy to complete and unambiguous. A professional organisation, such as the IPA, can provide important advice on how to get the questionnaire right.
The first draft of the questionnaire should be piloted with a test group to iron out any problems before being circulated to all staff.
Quality of Information
Using an independent third party organisation to manage and analyse the data, means respondents can be more open and honest in their answers. All replies are treated in the strictest confidence, and when compiling anecdotal responses the identity of the employee is always protected.
