Skip to content

Achievers Achievers

  • Platform
    • Achievers Employee
      Experience Platform™
      For culture builders, Achievers is an employee voice and recognition solution that builds engagement and sustainable performance in organizations.
    • Recognize™
      Activate real-time employee engagement with Achievers Recognize, the platform that delivers sustainable performance and Culture Continuity™.
    • Listen™
      Use data science to help you build a better company by unlocking insights into improving the performance and engagement of your people.
  • Why us
  • Company
    • About us
      Achievers’ mission is to change the way the world works. Our Employee Success Platform is specifically designed to drive higher levels of employee engagement.
    • Careers
      We’re a Great Place to Work-Certified™ organization. Explore opportunities at Achievers and join our team of A-Players.
    • Awards
      We are an industry leader in all things engagement. Discover why organizations love Achievers.
    • Contact Us
      We’re here to help! Get in touch with us.
  • Customers
  • Resources
  • Demo
  • Platform
    • Achievers Employee Experience Platform™
    • Recognize™
    • Listen™
  • Why us
  • Company
    • About Us
    • Careers
    • Awards
    • Contact Us
  • Customers
  • Resources
  • Request a demo
  • US
    • UK
    • AU
    • NL
    • DE
    • SG
  • Featured Content
  • Achievers Workforce Institute
  • Engage Blog
  • Browse By Blog Category
    • Achievers Exclusives
    • Achievers Tech
    • Culture
    • Employee Engagement
    • Employee Feedback
    • Employee Retention
    • Engage Blog
    • HR Technology
    • Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Onboarding and Hiring
    • Recognition and Rewards
Go to homepage The Top 3 Benefits of Pulse Surveys

The Top 3 Benefits of Pulse Surveys

Profile image of author: Caitlin Nobes

by Caitlin Nobes

September 29, 2020

Benefits of Pulse Surveys

Gathering and acting on employee feedback is crucial if you want to improve engagement, which drives greater business outcomes related to the employee experience, such as productivity and retention. Our recent survey shows that most employers are only measuring engagement once a year, if that, and many employees want more frequent surveys. This is where pulse surveys come into the picture. Before diving into the benefits of pulse surveys, let’s first define what they are.

What are pulse surveys?

Pulse surveys are a small number of questions conducted on a frequent basis, measuring a specific area over a period of time. For example, you might conduct a 15-question engagement survey once a quarter.

Making surveys quick and easy for employees to complete leads to greater participation and stronger, more reliable results. Pulse surveys also allow for streamlined data collection and timely analysis of results, so organizations can respond to feedback quickly.

According to the recent Achievers Workforce Institute Culture Report, there is a clear connection between frequency of surveys and engagement, showing that the pulse survey approach works to impact engagement. Some organizations are using pulse surveys in addition to their annual engagement survey as a complementary way to collect and respond to employee feedback.

Almost half (46 percent) of organizations are conducting an engagement survey just once a year, plus another third (33 percent) are conducting them every two years or less. Just 21 percent of companies are conducting engagement surveys three or more times per year. This frequent surveying with a focus on taking action from results are commonly called pulse surveys. This type of survey is recommended by Achievers Workforce Institute because research shows that engagement is fluid, meaning that it changes frequently. By surveying just once a year or less, and then taking months to take action based on results, companies are missing out on the opportunity to engage staff with quick action based on recent feedback.

There is not a one-size-fits-all solution to employee engagement surveys. Each organization must determine the best survey cadence for their employees, and a customized approach based on the needs and capabilities of the organization is the most effective method.

Why you should add pulse surveys to your engagement measurement practice

Why are pulse surveys important and why should your organization get on board with frequent surveying? Below are the top three benefits of pulse surveys.

1. Employees want more frequent surveys

More than half of respondents (58 percent), both leaders and individual contributors, say they wish their company conducted surveys more frequently.

This was even higher for retail where two-thirds (67 percent) agreed they should be surveyed more frequently.

Achievers Workforce Institute recommends pulse surveys because they maintain a flow of feedback in the workplace. However, introducing pulse surveys does require additional communication with employees so they understand why a survey is taking place and how the results will be used.

2. A pulse approach drives engagement

Recognition vs percentage of employees who are very engaged graph

Achievers Workforce Institute Culture Report

A key benefit of pulse surveys is that they are directly tied to engagement. As you can see in the above chart, there is a clear correlation between the frequency of survey and employee engagement levels. The more often companies are surveying their workforce, the higher overall engagement becomes. For those who were surveyed more than four times a year, 41 percent said they were very engaged.

Achievers Workforce Institute does not conclude that surveys cause engagement to increase — surveys alone are not enough to move the dial on engagement. Instead, it’s likely that organizations with pulse or “always on” feedback methods, such as continuous listening and check-in tools, are also responding quickly to feedback. These timely micro-actions demonstrate to employees that they are being listened to and that the company cares for their opinions, which in turn increases advocacy, commitment, and enthusiasm — the three ingredients of employee engagement.

3. Employees are more honest in surveys than with their managers

You don’t need pulse surveys — your managers have regular check-ins and one-to-one meetings to get all the feedback you need from employees, right?

benefits of pulse surveys

Achievers Workforce Institute Culture Report

As this chart shows, that belief could not be further from the truth. Three-quarters (77 percent) of respondents would be more honest in a survey than in conversation with a manager. This key finding highlights one of the most important benefits of pulse surveys: Your employees will be more honest.

The fact is that it’s sometimes difficult to be candid to someone’s face — especially if that person is potentially part of the problem. You’ll get much more honest and open responses from a survey than from your managers’ face-to-face meetings.

Reap the benefits of pulse surveys

In challenging times, it’s important to make decisions based on the best information. As our data shows, that means listening to employees frequently and acting on that feedback to increase engagement and drive business results. Most employers are relying on annual surveys and manager conversations to gather that information, which we know is less effective than a listening tool such as pulse surveys or continuous conversation solutions.

If your organization wants to exceed employee expectations, drive better business results, and increase employee engagement, investigating pulse surveys should be your first stop. Start establishing a continuous listening approach at your organization today and reap the benefits of pulse surveys.

To access more key findings and insights on engagement surveys, download our Culture Report.

2020 Workplace Culture Report

 

Profile image of author: Caitlin Nobes

by Caitlin Nobes

Caitlin Nobes is the Content Marketing Manager for Achievers Workforce Institute. She started her career as a journalist and HR reporter before moving into marketing and communications, continuing to specialize in the HR space. She is passionate about data-driven content to give readers new insights and best practices based in science. Connect with Caitlin on LinkedIn. Achievers’ employee voice and recognition solutions bring your organization’s values and strategy to life. Activate employee participation and fuel a culture of performance to experience data-driven business results. To learn more, visit www.achievers.com.

STAY ENGAGED

Join our email alert list so you never miss a post.

AWARDS


SnackNation : Top 30 HR Blogs

Best of HR Blogs

Feedspot: Top 100 HR Blogs

Feedspot: Top 30 Employee Engagement Blogs and Websites

Proven: Best 75+ HR Blogs

Actimo Top 50 HR Blogs

Coburgbanks: 10 Employee Engagement Blogs That All Managers Should Know About

HR West: Human Resource Award

FOLLOW US

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
RSS Feed

YouTube
Instagram
Slideshare

HUMAN RESOURCES TODAY

Human Resources Today

Stay engaged

Join our mailing list so you never miss a post.

Subscribe
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram YouTube
  • Platform
    • Our Platform
    • Recognize
    • Listen
  • Company
    • About us
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • Resources
    • Featured content
    • Engage Blog
    • Workforce Institute
    • Events
    • Appreciation cards
    • News

© 2023 Achievers Solutions Inc.
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Modern Slavery Statement

For an accessible version of this (page/site), please contact us by phone at 1-888-622-3343