If any topic was referenced, analyzed and scrutinized during the pandemic more than remote work, it would certainly have to be employee engagement, which has become one of remote work’s most constant companions.
Employee engagement has been an ongoing HR challenge that long preceded the pandemic, but it suddenly became much more of a concern as employees abandoned centralized workspaces in favor of home offices, and new staffers tried to acclimate to an unfamiliar firm’s culture without ever having stepped inside a shared physical space or met many of their coworkers in person.
And just as engagement was an issue long before COVID, one of the key methods firms are using to maintain or improve employees’ connection and commitment to their work – staff engagement/satisfaction surveys – likewise predates the oddity of the COVID years.
But there’s more to measuring engagement – and, crucially, doing something about it based on that information – than simply sending out a questionnaire and hoping for the best. INSIDE Public Accounting checked in with Megan Geissinger, HR director at Bland & Associates of Omaha, Neb., and Jessica VanRossem, director of HR at New York-based Grassi, to better understand how surveying has unfolded at their firms over time and what they think employee engagement will look like going forward.
How have staff surveys changed over the past couple of years?
Geissinger: Historically, we have always been diligent about surveying staff to ask for feedback, opinions, etc. At the height of COVID, we were surveying our staff regularly to gain insight on a variety of topics related to the pandemic – something we continued to do when evaluating and implementing our change to a 100% flex work environment.
In October of 2020, we implemented an Employee Net Promoter Score (ENPS) survey as well to gain insight into whether our staff would recommend us as a great place to work. We look at this data on a semi-annual basis. We will also continue to do our annual employee engagement survey this fall. As an ESOP, it is imperative for us to gain insight/feedback/opinions from staff.
VanRossem: We have continued to use staff surveys to gather feedback from employees on what they like or dislike about the organization, areas the firm can improve and which perks they like. Over the past few years, surveys have evolved into primarily anonymous inquiries to strongly encourage honest feedback without the fear of an employee’s identity being known. This can provide many people with the courage to be more open, and honest feedback is very valuable to the firm. Especially in light of the current job market, feedback can be used to increase retention and strengthen recruiting efforts.
What adjustments, if any, have been made to these surveys in the wake of hybrid/remote work?
Geissinger: We made sure to survey our staff when adjusting our work environment, and we continue to do so as we now evaluate our space “footprint” and make decisions there. When staff is remote, it’s even more vital to make sure we’re keeping a pulse on how they’re feeling. A lot of our surveying is done electronically these days, whereas before we may have done more in-person surveys. That said, we do still try to get focus groups together on occasion to problem-solve specific situations.
VanRossem: Surveys are conducted through email links and websites and have changed from being very long and arduous to requiring shorter timeframes of maybe 10 to 15 minutes to encourage employees to participate. In connection with hybrid/remote work, our frequency of sending surveys to employees has changed. If you send too often, employees can experience survey fatigue and will likely pass on completing or just give short answers that do not provide much value. If you conduct a strong employee survey on an annual basis and actually show that you’re taking feedback into account, it will gain buy-in from employees and I believe they will take the time to provide insightful comments and feedback.
Which types of questions tend to elicit the best feedback in employee surveys?
Geissinger: I believe that asking specific questions tends to elicit the best feedback. If employees understand exactly what is being asked, they tend to provide valuable information. If you ask questions they feel are irrelevant, it will make them feel as though they’re wasting their time.
VanRossem: I think one of the most critical questions to ask is, “What can we do to make the firm a better place?” This will identify areas/benefits/perks that we may not be offering and can help us identify trends/themes to see if we can implement anything new that will continue to positively impact retention and future hiring.
Other key questions are, “Why do you stay at the firm?” and “What would you tell your friend/family is your favorite aspect of working here?” These can be good items to highlight in the recruiting and interviewing process
What are some of the pitfalls to avoid when surveying employees?
Geissinger: Make sure you’re asking questions that the staff see as relevant and make sure they understand why the survey is being done. If they don’t understand the why or what it will be used for, they won’t take the time to complete it. Also, make sure you share action items or the plan after the survey is completed. What are you doing with the information they provided to you?
VanRossem: One of the biggest pitfalls to avoid is not following up after a survey. If you ask questions and seek feedback, you have to explain your findings in some way. If you don’t, it feels like nothing happened and the survey was conducted for little or no reason. The best approach is to explain what changes you made or plan to make to the organization in connection with the survey results and perhaps explain a few items you didn’t do and explain the why there as well.
How can employee surveys help with engagement?
Geissinger: If employees see that action items are occurring based on the feedback they provided, they will be more engaged with the process. If they feel heard, they’ll be more likely to share in the future. If they feel as though they are part of the process and can see positive changes occurring, that will lead to engagement and buy-in.
VanRossem: An employee survey shows that you care about employee experience and their retention. It gives employees an opportunity to provide feedback when prompted rather than having to make the decision to speak up on their own, which is sometimes a daunting task. A survey can also highlight areas in the firm that need to be reviewed or changed, or to celebrate areas in the company that are highly valued and successful. It will give a good roadmap for areas to keep an eye on for the future.
Geissinger and VanRossem’s positive experiences with employee surveys at their firms are what Emily Myrum is hoping to replicate at Grand Forks, N.D.- based IPA 100 firm Brady Martz. Myrum, the firm’s HR manager, says the plan to use engagement surveys was inspired by a combination of factors, including the disruption of the pandemic and the firm’s move to a continuous feedback model. The plan going forward is to drip out a series of engagement surveys, pulse surveys and performance/feedback surveys, in addition to instituting self-assessments.
“I hope that as we become a more survey-orientated organization employees will be empowered to share what they need and will feel like they were heard and had input as the firm moves forward with new initiatives,” she says.
This article originally appeared in the October 2022 edition of INSIDE Public Accounting. To subscribe to INSIDE Public Accounting Monthly click here.
