It is no secret to organisations that satisfied, motivated employees will lead to higher customer satisfaction, and in turn, positively influence organisational performance. So, with employee delight springs the delectable fruits of impressive profits. Noticing this trend, many organisations are investing in measuring and quantifying employee opinions and attitudes by incorporating employee satisfaction surveys into their existing HR and organisational processes to measure the 'delight' quotient of their employees.
Employee satisfaction surveys are reality check exercises that more organisations are embracing. At one level, these surveys are used to gauge managerial support in the organisaton, at another, they are used to explore the undercurrents that might threaten to break the banks.
"Organisations really benefit from the employee surveys. Conducting surveys on regular intervals establishes a consistent employee feedback process. If the feedback is acted upon then it enables the organisation to retain and develop their most vital asset - its employees," says Ratnesh Sharma, head of compensation strategy for Satyam Computer Services Limited (Global).
The diagnostic kit
Organisations achieve a more accurate view of their existing policies and a more clear perspective of issues that are of higher priority to employees when they conduct all inclusive employee surveys. Organisations with a global footprint are taking exceptional care and effort to include employees spread across countries and functions.
At Marriott, an employee satisfaction survey takes a massive form. "Our Associate Opinion Survey (AOS) is completed by nearly 150,000 associates across the globe, and is offered to associates of all levels. Associates complete the survey across the business, including those on property, in corporate units, and all other support locations," explains David Van Rooy, senior manager, Talent Management Analytics and Solutions, Marriott International, Inc.
He believes that the AOS program is a cornerstone of Marriott culture. "It allows us to identify what we're doing right with our associates, and just as importantly, what we can do even better. Organisations that don't actively seek and act on the input of their associates will be at a competitive disadvantage," says Van Rooy.
While Marriott surveys its employees on an annual basis, some companies, like Satyam, carry out this exercise twice a year. "The employee satisfaction survey in Satyam is called 'Associate Delight Index' (ADI) and it's conducted on a half-yearly basis. The ADI survey is one of the critical performance indicators at Satyam and is included as one '100 Critical Measures' at the organisational level. It's one of the most important feedback mechanisms in Satyam," explains Sharma.
Singapore-based Olam International conducts an employee survey across all geographies. The unique element of this survey is that in order to keep it completely objective and fair, the organisation outsources the entire process to an independent market research company. "We believe that in order to be an effective and useful exercise, employee surveys have to be completely anonymous, otherwise, it would be a futile exercise. It's the only way to ascertain that employees remain completely candid in their responses," says Joydeep Bose, vice president-HR, Olam International.
Experts believe that all employee satisfaction surveys have to perform a diagnostic function that identifies factors like training needs and job satisfaction. "Our ADI survey focuses on seven parameters - communication, career development, competency development, commitment, performance and recognition, work relationships and, lastly, work environment," Sharma explains. Each question in the survey is to be rated on a five-point scale as experienced by the employee, with 'one point' being the lowest and 'five points' the highest. While organisations use different mechanisms to measure the level of employee satisfaction, the goals are not achieved until the results are analysed and used to bring about substantial changes and improvements.
The action plan
One of the biggest mistakes organisations can make in the survey process is to fail to communicate to everyone the findings of the survey and the plans created to improve weak areas.
"The typical survey pitfalls can be largely avoided through careful planning and communication. For example, employees at many organisations are unable to complete the survey for a variety of reasons like the survey not being translated in their area; or only offered to managers; or only offered online," warns Van Rooy. He adds that more and more organisations are recognising the importance of conducting surveys to gather the input of their associates.
"More recently, leading organisations have begun to offer 'pulse' surveys. These surveys provide a checkpoint between annual surveys, and allow business units and managers to gauge the interim progress since the last survey. Pulse surveys make it easier to monitor and update plans," Van Rooy says. At Marriott, getting a good score from the associates impacts the general manager and other executives' annual bonuses. Follow up is conducted to get to the root of any problem and to fix it.
At Satyam, the employee survey has not only provided insights into the organisational cracks, but has also succeeded in achieving an important business objective - of plugging talent drain.
"The feedback and findings from the survey are used to measure the level of associate delight and to identify opportunities for improvement on the teambuilding dimension. We've also used the survey results to draw up firm action plans to enhance employee delight further," explains Sharma.
"While the other Indian tier 1 IT companies have been reporting a quarter on quarter increase in attrition, we've not only managed to hold the tide but also reverse it, using the emphasis on operational excellence and enhancing associate delight based on the ADI survey," Sharma adds.
Satyam has registered a 40% decrease in its annualised attrition in last quarter of financial year 2005-06, which is by far the best amongst the tier 1 players in the industry. Moreover, attrition rates have been coming down steadily and are now down to 13.21 in the last reported quarter.
For Marriott as well, the survey addresses key elements that effect business environment and needs. Marriott operates its business by addressing associate satisfaction, guest satisfaction and franchisee satisfaction.
An employee survey should often be accompanied by specific initiatives based on the feedback received in the survey. By quantifying and analysing employee attitudes and opinions, enterprises can identify problem areas and solutions to create a supportive and effective work environment. HRM
CASE IN POINT: MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL
Marriott has properties in countries across the globe and at many of these locations there is a language that is specific to the area. "As properties are opened, we've continually needed to expand our survey offerings to meet the local needs, as we want all associates to be able to participate," says David Van Rooy, senior manager, Talent Management Analytics and Solutions, Marriott International, Inc. As a result, Marriott now conducts its annual employee survey of all 150,000 employees in 37 languages. To ensure that the survey reaches out even to those employees who aren't computer literate, Marriott has designed a program called 'Meet the Mouse' for associates that would like to learn to use computers. "It's nice to hear how excited some people are when they use the computer on their own for the first time," says Van Rooy. The extensive survey that covers 150,000 employees worldwide at Marriott is a mammoth effort to include employees at every level.
At Marriott, the feedback from the survey is used to bring about sure and systematic changes. "A key measurement component of our survey program is 'associate engagement'. This indicates to us how committed our associates are to the organisation. Management and hourly engagement programs have been designed to maintain and increase engagement levels," explains Van Rooy. The results of the survey are used to better design these programs. "In addition, we've created an action planning tool for managers. Based upon their specific survey results, they use this tool and its resources to create customised action plans for their specific area," he adds.
Marriott has taken steps to ensure all associates have an opportunity to complete the survey. Another concern with surveys is confidentiality of responses. "It's critical that associates know that their responses are confidential. We've taken an active role to ensure that all associates are comfortable with responding to the survey," says Van Rooy. HRM