How to increase your response rate

læsetid 4 min

6. July 2022

Are you faced with having to start an engagement survey?

Then it is a completely unavoidable part of the process that you first of all decide when the study is a success.

Without a set goal, you can quickly find yourself groping blindly for what you really want to achieve with the effort.

One of the parameters you can set your mind on is how high a response rate you want to achieve in your measurement – so that the measurement can be characterized as being a success and can be called representative.

How high should the response rate be?

How high the response rate should be depends on several factors.

For a large company with more than 200 employees, it can of course be difficult to reach the high end of the 80-90%.

Here it will be relevant to look at how high a response rate you want per department most of all, so that, for example, you not only have a nice response rate of 79% overall, but then you are left with individual departments where the response rate is completely down and kiss them around only 20%.

If, on the other hand, it is a company with 20 employees, a high response rate would be preferable to ensure that the survey in question is representative of the entire company as a whole. At the same time, there will usually not be as many different departments either.

But how can you improve your response rate?

As I said, there are several different parameters you can look at, but if we take our platform, Woba.io, as a starting point, we have some different tools that make it easy to send out reminders to employees who have not yet answered the survey .
But in addition, you can also always – with good effect – ensure that you are proactive in the answering process.

Prepare your employees

So, transparency and open dialogue are the keywords here.

Before a survey is to be carried out, it is a good idea to inform your employees that they will be invited to answer such a survey, the framework it is based on and how the individual employee must answer the survey. It may seem futile, but better too much explanation than too little.

Prepare them for when and where the survey will come from, what format etc. and make sure to emphasize the importance of them actively participating and letting their voice be heard.

And most importantly – explain why this survey is even relevant and why their answers are so important.

Make it more than clear that the well-being surveys are for the employees, to give them an anonymous voice, so that any problems of any nature can be dealt with.

And yes – the handling itself also plays a major role here. Tell the employees that their responses will be taken very seriously and that all well-being issues will be taken very seriously.

Guide the employees out of the setup

When the employees receive the email with the link to the survey, it will be detailed how to get started.

To ensure that the employees are fully on board, you can advantageously send this guide out internally as well, so that they can see how they log in and answer.

At Woba, we have a Help Center where you can find guides and articles, just to pass on to just such a situation.

Avoid the spam filter!

In some cases there is a need for you to ‘whitelist’ e-mails from Woba so that they are not blocked in spam or security settings.

Below is the information you need to check whether you need to whitelist us before starting a survey in Woba:

Invitations and reminders to users are sent from noreply@woba.io

Support emails are sent from support@woba.io

In rare cases, there is a need for our email service to also be whitelisted: smtp.postmarkapp.com

Help the employee – Allow time for the answer

If the employees are to be motivated even more, it is certainly not an unwise investment to release some of the working time for the survey.

Help the employees set aside time in their working day so that they can see the participation a bit like a ‘little break’.

The examinations/measurements do not take much time, and are the perfect match for a cup of coffee in the meantime.

If you have a lot of employees who work out on sites or are constantly on the move, you can combine it with a workshop or an already planned team meeting where everyone is in the office beforehand.

The disturbed brain needs some help!

Yes, our brain can quickly forget – and in particular if we have a lot of other work on our minds.

The phone rings, an urgent email arrives or a colleague just needs to talk a little about his current, difficult divorce.

Disruptions and skipping actions can quickly strain commitment to answering the survey, and therefore it is important that the individual employee receives reminders.
At Woba, for example, reminders can easily be set up, which are automatically sent out to those employees who have not responded in the first place.

However, it is a good idea to supplement with verbal reminders for meetings and to use internal platforms to remind employees about the ongoing investigation.

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Transform the Employee Engagement Survey into actionable insights

Employee engagement surveys are a critical HR tool, designed to unlock your organization’s potential. They gauge employee well-being, drive talent retention, boost productivity, and support continuous HR improvement.

Much like conducting scientific research, the journey of knowledge and business intelligence within the realm of human resources starts with simple questions. These questions can vary widely. They’re born from curiosity, assumptions, and a desire to understand the intricacies of your organization’s people. The key is to focus on what’s essential, practical, and relevant to your unique organization.

In this article, the specific type of question you aim to answer with robust evidence is not the primary focus. Instead, the emphasis lies on the approach and methods you employ to design and collect data for your employee engagement survey in the most effective manner possible.

From gut feelings to a data-driven approach in Employee Engagement Surveys

We will show you how to shift from relying on your gut feelings to using a more solid, scientific, and data-driven approach in your employee engagement surveys. This change will help you improve your HR-business intelligence, make decisions and recommendations based on real evidence, and implement effective programs and initiatives where they matter most – for both your people and the organization as a whole.

The success of your organization depends on your role as an HR architect, and we’re here to support you. So, get ready to learn more about creating and conducting a quantitative staff engagement survey.

What is an Employee Engagement Survey?

An employee engagement survey serves as a valuable tool for gauging the sentiments of your workforce concerning their overall work-life experience. These surveys, usually in the form of questionnaires, are tailored to capture employees’ thoughts, feedback, and perceptions related to their work environment and their overall experiences within the organization.

In HR, you’re tasked with answering essential questions, such as:

How engaged are our employees?
Are they more engaged than last year?
Does the level of engagement vary across employee segments?
What’s our turnover rate, and how can we reduce it?
To what extent do they feel included in the workplace, and how can we empower this sense of inclusion?
How do they perceive their current job resources?
Do we know enough about employees’ viewpoints when designing programs and initiatives to enhance their psychological safety?

The insights derived from these surveys are a treasure trove for HR professionals. They provide a deeper understanding of the workforce’s engagement levels and well-being, ultimately leading to a more motivated and productive team. These surveys play a vital role in ensuring that the organization can adapt to change and sustain a people-centric approach, where employee satisfaction and commitment are at the forefront of HR strategies.

To fully comprehend the importance of employee engagement in HR, we suggest you read our article Employee Engagement – Definition, Relevance & Strategy.

Designing your Employee Engagement Survey questions: Close-ended questions, open-ended questions or a mix of the two?

Creating a good employee engagement survey requires thorough preparation, and it’s always crucial to have a clear problem statement. When the survey is based on interviews or questionnaires, a well-defined problem statement serves as the foundation for subsequently formulating clear questions. But how do you formulate effective questions for a survey?

When conducting employee engagement surveys, one of the many decisions you have to make is the inclusion of different types of questions. In quantitative research designs, we typically have the option to design our research around:

Close-ended questions: offer respondents a limited set of predefined answer options, making them a common choice for surveys aiming to gather quantitative data.
Multiple choice questions: provide respondents with answer choices, such as age groups or preferences, where they select the most appropriate option.
Simple binary (e.g yes, no) questions: Can help ascertain binary responses, such as whether an individual received adequate training.
Ordinal scaled (e.g. likert scaled) questions and open-ended questions: gauge satisfaction levels on a scale, usually ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.”

Such structured questions are valuable in obtaining clear, structured data, facilitating analysis and comparison, and are often employed to assess demographics, preferences, attitudes, and behaviors.

Open-Ended Questions vs. Closed-Ended Questions in an Employee Engagement Survey

Open-ended questions in an employee engagement survey differ from their closed-ended counterparts as they invite respondents to provide detailed, free-text responses. These questions encourage respondents to share their thoughts, feelings, and suggestions in their own words.

For instance, an open-ended question might ask employees to describe their biggest challenges at work or provide suggestions for improving the workplace. These responses are valuable for uncovering nuanced insights, identifying unexpected issues, and gaining a deeper understanding of the employee experience. They offer context to the quantitative data gathered from closed-ended questions and help interpret the “why” behind the numbers, making them an essential part of a comprehensive employee engagement survey.

You need to consider whether it’s most appropriate to use closed-ended questions or open-ended questions in employee engagement surveys for several reasons:

Benefits of using close-ended questions:

Provide structured and quantifiable data. They are ideal for measuring specific aspects of employee engagement, such as satisfaction with company policies, benefits, or job tasks. This structured format allows for easy comparison and analysis.
Ensure consistency in the response format, making it easier to analyze the data and identify trends over time. This is important when conducting surveys at regular intervals to track changes in employee engagement.
Are quicker for respondents to answer, making the survey process more efficient. This can lead to higher response rates and more complete data.
They use Likert scales, which are commonly used in employee engagement surveys. This allows for benchmarking against industry standards and other organizations.
Allow for more objective data analysis, as responses are standardized and do not rely on the subjective interpretation of open-ended responses.

Benefits of using open-ended questions:

Allow employees to provide detailed, nuanced feedback. This can uncover issues or suggestions that might not be captured with closed-ended questions.
Employees feel heard and valued when they can express their thoughts in their own words. This can boost their engagement and satisfaction with the survey process.
Can reveal unexpected issues or opportunities that you may not have anticipated. They can provide insight into the “why” behind quantitative data.
Offer better contextual understanding than closed-ended data. They help interpret the quantitative findings and provide a richer understanding of the employee experience.

Employee Engagement - Definition, Relevance & Strategy

We explore the employee engagement framework, including what employee engagement is and how to measure and improve it effectively in your company.

What is Employee Engagement?

An employee engagement definition, in short, refers to the emotional commitment and level of enthusiasm that employees have toward their jobs and their organization. However, this might be an oversimplification. Employee engagement is a multifaceted concept that goes beyond initial impressions.

But, much like the transformation of a simple acorn into a sprawling oak tree, the concept of employee engagement has undergone a remarkable evolution since its early days in the 1990s. It has grown to become not only an academic discipline but a pivotal operational practice in the realm of organizational human resource management.

As it gained widespread recognition, the concept of employee engagement, akin to the branches of an oak, has taken on a multitude of diverse forms and shapes. However, there is a significant departure from the analogy of the oak tree. Unlike the tree’s natural evolution, the concept of employee engagement isn’t meant to outgrow its origins.

With the burgeoning popularity of this field, we witness an unintended consequence—an increase in inconsistency and confusion regarding the application of employee engagement as a means to study well-being within modern organizations.

The very essence of employee engagement becomes obscured in the midst of this transformation, leaving us to grapple with the challenge of aligning its core principles with its expanding interpretations. However, we don’t need a multitude of complex definitions or branches when it comes to employee engagement. What we truly need is clarity. We need to ensure that an evidence-based approach, rooted in decades of well-established research, is easily accessible. Furthermore, we need to bridge the gap between the scientific realm and the practical applications of employee engagement in HR.

This article aims to help you better understand some challenging questions:
What is employee engagement and how can we create a simple way to measure employee engagement effectively?

The Employee Engagement Framework

While simple answers to these intricate questions may remain elusive, our objective is to contribute to the ongoing effort to comprehend employee engagement. We aim to do this by retracing the concept to its origins and provide a systematic overview of how it has been operationalized by different scholars and researchers over the past decades. This, in turn, should pave the way for a more concise framework for proactively, strategically, and operationally addressing employee engagement as a means to nurture happier employees, more effective teams, and enhanced organizational outcomes.

We will delve into some of the most validated constructs and definitions of employee engagement that the academic research field has to offer. This is in pursuit of setting a benchmark by replicating sound, evidence-based approaches and standards from the world of science.

Once we’ve clarified the definitions and constructs, we’ll shift our focus to the practical dimension. Here, we’ll inspire you to implement measurement scales that effectively capture the various facets of employee work engagement while ensuring validity and reliability.

Finally, we’ll wrap it up with insights on how to cultivate and enhance engagement within your organization, enabling you to harness the myriad benefits of high employee engagement.

Why is a clear(er) definition of employee engagement important?

To effectively study and understand any phenomenon, we require clear and unified approaches to grasp that specific subject. In the realm of Human Resources (HR), a precise definition becomes crucial due to variations in understanding among different consultancy branches, HR departments, and top-level executives.

The confusion often arises from whether employee engagement equates to elements like job satisfaction, commitment, or motivation. And when it comes to satisfaction, employee engagement and satisfaction are evidently not the same psychological construct, so merging them in one measure can simply be counterproductive.

But this conceptual ambiguity not only introduces imprecision, but also leads to a view of criticism, with some dismissing employee engagement as a mere rebranding or a superficial trend in HR.

However, employee engagement is not merely another superficial HR concept. The view has led some to argue that ‘the concept of employee engagement needs to be more clearly defined … or it needs to be abandoned’. Skeptics have long argued that the term ‘engagement’ is likely to fall out of usage at some point because it lacks substance or distinctiveness. As well as being challenged for a lack of clear definition, it is also seen to be a relabelling of existing constructs, and thus redundant.

Unfortunately, this criticism sometimes overshadows the importance of employee engagement in thriving organizations, where the neglect of it is more evident than proactive efforts to improve it.

Challenges with composite engagement measures

We stand with CIPD in the discussion on and well-argumented criticsm about how consultancy and management practices often creates more “old wine in new bottles”, “fads and fashions” or “been there, bottled that” – see their discussion report from January 2021.

Because a number of consultancy firms have developed (their “own one-point-of-questionable-truth”) composite measures of engagement along these lines. Gallup’s Q12 is just one example of a tool widely used by consultants and practitioners, but it doesn’t always meet the standards of academic research. Some scholars have raised concerns about its validity and consider it a composite measure lacking in scientific rigor.

When developing a reliable measure, it’s not enough to group survey items together and give them a name. Validation is key. The measure should be tested against similar and different constructs to show it behaves as expected in theory. To put it simply, merging various measures into a single score doesn’t work like magic. It results in a confusing mix of metrics, making it hard to interpret the data.

For instance, when an organization wants to gauge employee engagement, it might involve many aspects such as alignment with company goals, using one’s strengths, satisfaction with pay, and relationships with managers. Combining all of these into one score makes it difficult to understand what’s driving differences or improvements. This could very well be the reason why Bailey et al. (2015), in a systematic study review, chose to exclude studies relying on the Q12 due to concerns that it serves as a broad, all-encompassing measure lacking in validity.

Advocates of composite measures might argue that you can break them down, but this can lead to a loose collection of measures that may not provide clear insights. While it’s understandable that employers are interested in various aspects of employee experiences, it’s crucial for measures to be precise and focused. Often, it’s more effective to consider these aspects individually – especially if you wish to investigate the relationship between engagement and relevant independent variables in a regression analysis (which, essentially, requires the dependent variable to be measured!).

The need for clarity

So. Why was a clear definition and understandable conceptualization important again? Because creating a work environment where employee engagement thrives is crucial for organizations, as it leads to positive outcomes like lower turnover, reduced absenteeism, higher job satisfaction, increased efficiency, and productivity.

To become more data-driven and implement progressive HR initiatives, research consistently emphasizes the significance of employee engagement. It all starts with defining the core concept and how it has evolved over the years in various evidence-based interpretations explored in applied research.

And hence, we move forward to where we position ourselves, when we assist, consult, advocate and what-not our clients about employee engagement. A definition. A clear one that’s scientifically grounded.

Employee Survey Fatigue - How to ensure better response rates

In recent years, our exposure to quantitative employee surveys have increased – which also applies to the organizational field of research. The rise in digital survey platforms and easier distribution methods has led to more frequent workplace survey invitations, but it’s also caused a drop in the response rate.

This leads to Survey Fatigue:

“When respondents lose interest in your surveys because of the overwhelming frequency of survey requests or the extensive effort and questions involved in completing them.”

This, in turn, can create unfortunate barriers to the validity and representativeness of your engagement surveys in general. As employee engagement surveys gain increasing popularity, the quest for high response rates and valuable insights presents growing challenges. Organizations seek to assess their employees’ work life, but these hurdles cannot be ignored.

In this article, we’ll unveil the concept of survey fatigue and provide strategies to combat this silent adversary of quantitative research designs.

What are the main risks about Survey Fatigue?

When it comes to employee engagement surveys, there are a couple of key issues related to survey fatigue that you should be aware of.

First, you might run into a problem of nonresponse. This means that some employees may not participate, which can affect the accuracy of your insights and your ability to make general conclusions.
Second, you could end up with data that’s not entirely reliable because tired participants might hurry through the survey, giving quick answers without really paying attention to the questions.

The factors contributing to declining response rates

There are several factors contributing to declining response rates.

Firstly, there’s a proliferation of surveys, as more and more companies and organizations use them to gather opinions. This, along with the growing number of survey service providers and an increasing interest in data-driven decision-making, is causing what we call survey fatigue.

Another important point is that people who don’t respond to surveys are often more likely to contemplate leaving their jobs and generally report lower job satisfaction and less contentment with their supervisors compared to those who do respond.

What this means is that if a company’s HR department doesn’t receive feedback from these dissatisfied individuals, the data they collect may not accurately represent the reality. It could provide a more positive but inaccurate picture of the situation.

Lack of communication and followed actions from surveys triggers fatigue!

A research review performed by McKinsey showed that the number one driver of survey fatigue among participants is when they believe the organization won’t take any action based on the survey results.

On the flip side, when organizations not only run employee engagement surveys but also actively share relevant information and take appropriate actions based on the feedback, it encourages more employees to take part in current and future surveys.

Clearly, the crucial takeaway here is that employee surveys should be seen as a tool for making meaningful improvements, not just a metric by itself.

Kira Lund-Probst

Customer Success Manager

Del artikel

Employee engagement, People Analytics

D. 27. November 2023

Transform the Employee Engagement Survey into actionable insights

From gut feelings to a data-driven approach in Employee Engagement Surveys

What is an Employee Engagement Survey?

In HR, you’re tasked with answering essential questions, such as:

How engaged are our employees?
Are they more engaged than last year?
Does the level of engagement vary across employee segments?
What’s our turnover rate, and how can we reduce it?
To what extent do they feel included in the workplace, and how can we empower this sense of inclusion?
How do they perceive their current job resources?
Do we know enough about employees’ viewpoints when designing programs and initiatives to enhance their psychological safety?

To fully comprehend the importance of employee engagement in HR, we suggest you read our article Employee Engagement – Definition, Relevance & Strategy.

Designing your Employee Engagement Survey questions: Close-ended questions, open-ended questions or a mix of the two?

Close-ended questions: offer respondents a limited set of predefined answer options, making them a common choice for surveys aiming to gather quantitative data.
Multiple choice questions: provide respondents with answer choices, such as age groups or preferences, where they select the most appropriate option.
Simple binary (e.g yes, no) questions: Can help ascertain binary responses, such as whether an individual received adequate training.
Ordinal scaled (e.g. likert scaled) questions and open-ended questions: gauge satisfaction levels on a scale, usually ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.”

Such structured questions are valuable in obtaining clear, structured data, facilitating analysis and comparison, and are often employed to assess demographics, preferences, attitudes, and behaviors.

Open-Ended Questions vs. Closed-Ended Questions in an Employee Engagement Survey

You need to consider whether it’s most appropriate to use closed-ended questions or open-ended questions in employee engagement surveys for several reasons:

Benefits of using close-ended questions:

Provide structured and quantifiable data. They are ideal for measuring specific aspects of employee engagement, such as satisfaction with company policies, benefits, or job tasks. This structured format allows for easy comparison and analysis.
Ensure consistency in the response format, making it easier to analyze the data and identify trends over time. This is important when conducting surveys at regular intervals to track changes in employee engagement.
Are quicker for respondents to answer, making the survey process more efficient. This can lead to higher response rates and more complete data.
They use Likert scales, which are commonly used in employee engagement surveys. This allows for benchmarking against industry standards and other organizations.
Allow for more objective data analysis, as responses are standardized and do not rely on the subjective interpretation of open-ended responses.

Benefits of using open-ended questions:

Allow employees to provide detailed, nuanced feedback. This can uncover issues or suggestions that might not be captured with closed-ended questions.
Employees feel heard and valued when they can express their thoughts in their own words. This can boost their engagement and satisfaction with the survey process.
Can reveal unexpected issues or opportunities that you may not have anticipated. They can provide insight into the “why” behind quantitative data.
Offer better contextual understanding than closed-ended data. They help interpret the quantitative findings and provide a richer understanding of the employee experience.

AF Julian Raymond Blok

Employee engagement

D. 14. November 2023

Employee Engagement - Definition, Relevance & Strategy

We explore the employee engagement framework, including what employee engagement is and how to measure and improve it effectively in your company.

What is Employee Engagement?

This article aims to help you better understand some challenging questions:
What is employee engagement and how can we create a simple way to measure employee engagement effectively?

The Employee Engagement Framework

Finally, we’ll wrap it up with insights on how to cultivate and enhance engagement within your organization, enabling you to harness the myriad benefits of high employee engagement.

Why is a clear(er) definition of employee engagement important?

But this conceptual ambiguity not only introduces imprecision, but also leads to a view of criticism, with some dismissing employee engagement as a mere rebranding or a superficial trend in HR.

Unfortunately, this criticism sometimes overshadows the importance of employee engagement in thriving organizations, where the neglect of it is more evident than proactive efforts to improve it.

Challenges with composite engagement measures

The need for clarity

AF Julian Raymond Blok

Employee engagement, People Analytics

D. 26. October 2023

Employee Survey Fatigue - How to ensure better response rates

This leads to Survey Fatigue:

“When respondents lose interest in your surveys because of the overwhelming frequency of survey requests or the extensive effort and questions involved in completing them.”

In this article, we’ll unveil the concept of survey fatigue and provide strategies to combat this silent adversary of quantitative research designs.

What are the main risks about Survey Fatigue?

When it comes to employee engagement surveys, there are a couple of key issues related to survey fatigue that you should be aware of.

First, you might run into a problem of nonresponse. This means that some employees may not participate, which can affect the accuracy of your insights and your ability to make general conclusions.
Second, you could end up with data that’s not entirely reliable because tired participants might hurry through the survey, giving quick answers without really paying attention to the questions.

The factors contributing to declining response rates

There are several factors contributing to declining response rates.

Lack of communication and followed actions from surveys triggers fatigue!

Clearly, the crucial takeaway here is that employee surveys should be seen as a tool for making meaningful improvements, not just a metric by itself.

AF Julian Raymond Blok

Try Woba today - book demo here

From gut feelings to a data-driven approach in Employee Engagement Surveys

What is an Employee Engagement Survey?

Designing your Employee Engagement Survey questions: Close-ended questions, open-ended questions or a mix of the two?

Open-Ended Questions vs. Closed-Ended Questions in an Employee Engagement Survey

Try Woba today - book demo here

Data-driven HR: Navigating change and maximizing impact

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How to increase your response rate

In this blog

How high should the response rate be?

But how can you improve your response rate?

Prepare your employees

Guide the employees out of the setup

Avoid the spam filter!

Help the employee – Allow time for the answer

The disturbed brain needs some help!

Related Articles

From gut feelings to a data-driven approach in Employee Engagement Surveys

What is an Employee Engagement Survey?

Designing your Employee Engagement Survey questions: Close-ended questions, open-ended questions or a mix of the two?

Open-Ended Questions vs. Closed-Ended Questions in an Employee Engagement Survey

What is Employee Engagement?

The Employee Engagement Framework

Why is a clear(er) definition of employee engagement important?

Challenges with composite engagement measures

The need for clarity

What are the main risks about Survey Fatigue?

The factors contributing to declining response rates

Lack of communication and followed actions from surveys triggers fatigue!

Del artikel

Related Articles

From gut feelings to a data-driven approach in Employee Engagement Surveys

What is an Employee Engagement Survey?

Designing your Employee Engagement Survey questions: Close-ended questions, open-ended questions or a mix of the two?

Open-Ended Questions vs. Closed-Ended Questions in an Employee Engagement Survey

What is Employee Engagement?

The Employee Engagement Framework

Why is a clear(er) definition of employee engagement important?

Challenges with composite engagement measures

The need for clarity

What are the main risks about Survey Fatigue?

The factors contributing to declining response rates

Lack of communication and followed actions from surveys triggers fatigue!