Grace Smith
November 3, 2023

In the world of business, there's no greater treasure than an employee's satisfaction and trust. But let's be real - winning over the employees is no easy feat. It's like trying to crack a tough, unyielding code. That's where employee feedback surveys come in. It holds the key to unlocking the jackpot of employee satisfaction and engagement. When employees provide exceptional service, no matter what the product or service may be, it's like a magic spell that turns customers into loyal, repeat business for years to come.

Think about it - when was the last time you were blown away by the service you received from a company?

Chances are, it was the employees who made all the difference.

So if you want to crack that code and unlock the secret to employee engagement, you have to use feedback surveys in your organization.

Train your employees, support them, and empower them to provide top-notch service. It's a surefire way to earn the loyalty and repeat business of your customers. 

Why is Employee Engagement crucial?

In simple words, employee engagement improves the outcome of your business. The bond of the employees towards the organization and its customers increases. Employees go above and beyond to deliver that extra mile. The turnaround time of operations reduces and it yields more profit. Employee engagement is undeniably a crucial factor that can either make or break a company, making it a pivotal aspect that demands attention in all businesses. It is the heartbeat of an organization therefore, prioritizing employee engagement should be a top priority for any company that wishes to thrive in today's competitive landscape.

Why Feedback?

According to Harvard Business Review, 72% of people feel their performance would improve if their managers provided corrective feedback.

Well-structured feedback is like a precious gift to employees, eagerly awaited to learn about their performance. However, constructive feedback shouldn't just highlight strengths but also include areas for improvement in their roles. This valuable insight can come from various sources, such as peers, managers, and customers, and can provide a roadmap for employees to enhance their skills and grow in their careers.

A study by Officevibe indicates that 2 out of 5 workers are disengaged when they receive no feedback. 2 out of 10 employees are not satisfied with the frequency of the feedback they receive from their direct manager. Companies are clearly doing something wrong here. 

Who can give Feedback?

Providing feedback is a skill. Usually, peers, managers, and customers give feedback to employees. When all three provide feedback together, it is known as 360-degree feedback. Peer-to-Peer feedback can happen anytime, and it doesn't require a formal forum. Manager feedback can happen in both formal and informal ways. Formal feedback usually involves the performance and appraisal discussion, whereas informal feedback can have any point of discussion. Customer feedback focuses on two things. They are the service offered by the employees and the quality of the product provided to them.

Types of Feedback

Feedback is momentous in work environments. There are seven types of feedback. They are:

1. Appreciation feedback

This feedback is also known as Acknowledgment feedback and is the simple feedback one can give an employee who achieves the goals or deadlines in time. It can be both in verbal and written form, whichever is comfortable.

2. Guidance feedback

Guidance feedback is also sometimes known as a suggestion feedback. Along with the positive acknowledgment and appreciation, some suggestions to improve employee performance will be part of the feedback. It is often a written form of feedback.

3. Encouragement feedback

This feedback is also known as Motivational feedback. This type of feedback motivates the employees to achieve more and work efficiently. It can be both in verbal and written form, whichever is comfortable.

4. Forward feedback

Also known as the Futuristic feedback, this feedback is usually used when a mistake happens. Instead of concentrating on the error that occurred in the past, this feedback discusses the plans for the future and ways to overcome the mistake. It can be both in verbal and written form, whichever is comfortable. But the initial discussion happens verbally.

5. Coaching feedback

This feedback is also known as Mentor feedback. A leader or mentor usually provides this type of feedback. This is where the mentor and the employee discuss the winning strategies. It is a new combination of suggestive and futuristic feedback and is a more verbal form of feedback.

6. Informal feedback

This feedback is also known as Instantaneous feedback and it takes place in any form. But mostly, it is done in an informal way. Informal feedback is the combination of the expression of joy and achievement. Sometimes, it can be part of informal text chats as well. 

7. Formal feedback

This feedback is also known as Review feedback. It often happens during the yearly performance appraisal discussion or any evaluation discussion. Leaders perform an in-depth analysis of an employee's work before providing such feedback. It mainly focuses on how they are doing a task. It is a written form of feedback.

The Feedback Survey

A feedback survey is a process used to find the amount of satisfaction the employees and customers have with the organization. They are neatly designed questionnaires created to accept both positive and negative feedback. The survey aims to gather information about all the bottlenecks. An inaccurate feedback survey can mislead us in many ways. Creating a proper and powerful survey can help the organization to understand its current position and rectify its mistakes when it comes to employees. A feedback survey is one of the simple and most convenient methods to gather employee feedback.

In the quest to create a stunning employee feedback survey, elevate your efforts with ThriveSparrow, the ultimate employee success platform. Step up your feedback game with ThriveSparrow's Engage , offering powerful survey tools designed to gather insightful feedback and boost employee engagement.

Screenshot of the engagement survey builder in ThriveSparrow

From crafting personalized questions to analyzing data-driven insights, ThriveSparrow empowers you to create a survey experience that leaves a lasting impact on your workforce. Sign up now for an early access!

Common mistakes in creating surveys

Here are some of the common mistakes in creating an employee feedback survey

Unclear objective

The creators might set the survey without a clear objective. It can confuse the readers and mislead them from selecting the appropriate response.

Irrelevant questions

When the objective is unclear, creators may inadvertently produce irrelevant questions. Moreover, if the target audience is misidentified, it can lead to numerous off-target questions that miss the mark.

More number of questions

Overwhelming readers with an excessive number of questions can leave them gasping for breath, leading to doubtful and potentially inaccurate answers. Research has shown that bombarding respondents with too many questions can create confusion and increase the likelihood of incorrect responses.

Questions used by other companies

Sometimes creators use the same questions that different organizations use. It may save time taken to create a new survey, but the results may not be as effective.

Questions copied from other sources

Creators often copy the questions from various sources and add them to the survey. It is the most common mistake done by companies while creating a feedback survey. The creator should frame the questions from scratch to match the objective.

Questions without any quantitative measures

The primary goal of any survey is to gather valuable insights from respondents and leverage them to drive improvement. However, a survey that lacks quantitative measures may fall short of delivering the precise results needed to inform decision-making. Without quantifiable data, it can be challenging to accurately measure the impact of changes or interventions based on survey feedback.

Secret mantra to create a stunning employee feedback survey

While there's no magic potion that'll whip up a cool employee feedback survey for you, there's some secret steps that you can follow to create a near perfect one.

Fix the objective

The objective helps in defining the goal and guides the decision-making process. A clear purpose is established and helps the person who attends the survey to be more specific.

Fix the target audience

Identifying the target audience is a critical component of designing a feedback survey that yields meaningful results. Typically, the target audience will be a relatively small group, and surveys tailored to each specific group should be created and distributed accordingly.

Design a short and crisp survey

Any survey should be crisp and short. The timing plays a vital role in the efficiency of the response. Research says, "If the survey is short, people tend to answer it quickly and genuinely."

Use the right technology to create a gadget-friendly survey

There are a lot of new-age technology applications available to create gadget-friendly surveys. The creator cannot assume that responders will attempt the feedback survey using a laptop or mobile. Hence making it gadget-friendly is one of the primary criteria to get a proper feedback from the employees.

Choose the right questions with proper measurement criteria

Questions should connect with employees. The right questions can fetch the right results. The results of the questions should be in a proper measurable quantity. The most popular measuring criterion is a 5 Point Scale. Two points of this measuring scale will be for positive, two points for negative, and one for neutral answers.

E.g. ‘Strongly Agree’, ‘Agree’, ‘Neutral’, ‘Disagree’, ‘Strongly Disagree'

Ask Neutral questions

Questions should be in a clear and consistent format with brief instructions in clear language. The questions should be unbiased. The questionnaire should be neutral and genuine for the employees to respond honestly.

Also read: 19 employee engagement questions every leader should be asking.

Give space for responders to share open feedback

While measurable questions are essential in a survey, it's also crucial to provide space for respondents to share open feedback. Some organizations opt for anonymous survey methods to encourage candid feedback, which can benefit both the creator and the responder. By allowing respondents to provide suggestions for the company's growth or highlight any problems they see, organizations can gain valuable insights into areas that need improvement or identify opportunities for growth. 

Watering two plants with one hose

Do not address two or more subjects in the same query. We can ask for even ten different categories of questions using unique queries. Doing it all in one will puzzle the employees, and they may give unreliable answers. 

Break the ice

Ask open-ended questions like "Is the organization supporting their career growth?", "Do they feel meaningful at their work?" It can help employees ease into the process of answering the survey honestly. 

Company Culture

Ask common questions to know about the company culture. Try to understand if every coworker treats fellow coworkers with respect.

Confidential 

The biggest mantra in creating an effective survey is to maintain confidentiality. Responders may provide any feedback. But it is the duty of the survey creator and the owner to protect the identity with the utmost confidentiality.

Wrapping up..

Are you looking to create a jaw-dropping employee feedback survey? Look no further than ThriveSparrow! Our team of experts understands your needs better than anyone and can provide you with hundreds of pre-designed, proven questionnaires to make the process a piece of cake.

ThriveSparrow's Question Bank

Our surveys are designed to be user-friendly and gadget-ready, meaning you can easily collect feedback from your employees on any device. Plus, with our vast selection of questions, you'll be able to gather valuable insights into every aspect of your organization.

So why waste time trying to come up with your own survey when you can have ThriveSparrow create one for you in minutes? Contact us today to get started on your path to a happier, more engaged workforce!