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Employee assessments and surveys provide valuable insights into organizations – from cultural benchmarks to stress trends, they are required for developing and unleashing your company’s talent. But as with every new process, it can be difficult to get everyone on board. Here are six ways to increase employee participation in surveys and assessments.

 

Over-communicate.

This may be simple, but even if you think you communicate enough, you can always communicate more. Many individuals want to know why they’re doing something before they do it. Let them know the details in advance: what’s happening, when it’s happening, and what they can expect. Share the reason behind the program to minimize potential rumors. Let them know how valuable their contribution is! Continuously communicate how important the program is to you, the organization, and each of the employees – the more emphasis you put on it, the more likely everyone will be to complete it.

 

Clarify how the results of this survey will impact them.

Don’t be afraid to be very clear about the purpose of the survey – if you’re measuring the current culture to improve it, let them know! If you are making changes to a process or benefits and want feedback to make an informed decision, say so. The clearer you are about the purpose of the survey, the more likely your employees will be to trust the program.

 

Make it a competition.

A friendly competition can go a long way towards increasing participation. Competitions can be individual or team-based. For example, the first team with 90% of its team members completed wins. Or, the first 100 individuals to complete are acknowledged in some way.

What would they win? See the next point.

 

Offer incentives.

Incentives may be physical, such as small gifts or a cash reward, but there are other creative incentives you can provide. If a group or team achieves a majority of completion (perhaps 75% or higher), a pizza party could be thrown for that group. Or, buy lunch for everyone if the company achieves a certain percentage of participation.

If your organization has an employee recognition program already implemented, participation can count as points toward that program. Incentives are limited only by your imagination.

 

Make it required.

Sometimes the best way to encourage participation is to make it a requirement of the job. While this doesn’t suit all cultures, it has shown great success in those that use it.

 

Share the results after the assessment is completed.

For ongoing assessments, this step is crucial. To improve future participation, share the results with everyone. Show how their contribution affects the outcome; when action is taken based on the results, make sure everyone knows that it was because of what was found in the assessment. If it is clear how their participation impacts the organization, they will be more likely to continue to provide consistent and honest feedback.

 

How do you encourage survey participation? We’d love to hear from you!