STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION PLAN

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STRATEGIC

COMMUNICATION

PLAN

HO

W

TO

GA

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Quantum Workplace’s

engagement survey and action

planning software and services

Survey your staff and take action in three easy steps:

1. Measure engagement

Leverage America’s most widely-used

survey, flexible to fit any organization

2. Analyze your results

Deliver insights your whole organization

can use, from benchmarks and reporting

to simple reports and planning tools for

managers

3. Take action

Improve productivity, retention, and your

bottom line, while tracking your team’s

improvement

(3)

Make work awesome.

quantumworkplace.com | [email protected] | 1.888.415.8302

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

“I’m the lead project coordinator at

Quantum Workplace. Averaging more

than100 survey projects a year, I make

sure our clients’ employee engagement

surveys run smoothly from start to finish.”

Jarah Gleim

Project Coordinator

Natalie Hackbarth

Engagement Content Coordinator

“With a background in journalism and mass

communications, I partner with engagement

experts in our office to publish informative

and entertaining resources. On the side,

I manage our social media accounts and

contribute to the QW blog.”

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WHAT’S COMMUNICATION GOT TO DO WITH IT?

...

6 SEVEN PURPOSES

OF EFFECTIVE SURVEY COMMUNICATION ...7

SEVEN DANGERS OF INEFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION ...9

BUILD YOUR COMMUNICATION PLAN ... 11

EIGHT CRUCIAL TIPS FOR COMMUNICATING WITH EMPLOYEES ... 12

COMMUNICATION TIMELINE ... 14

BEFORE THE SURVEY ... 15

LEADERSHIP MEETING ...16

FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT EMAIL ...18

LAUNCH REMINDER EMAIL ...22

DURING THE SURVEY ... 26

SURVEY INVITE EMAIL ... 27

SEVEN COOL IDEAS TO DRIVE EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION ... 31

SURVEY REMINDER EMAILS ... 32

LAST CHANCE REMINDER EMAIL ... 36

AFTER THE SURVEY ... 40

THANK YOU EMAIL ... 41

RESULTS OVERVIEW EMAIL ... 45

LEADERSHIP FOLLOW-UP MEETING ... 49

DETAILED RESULTS EMAIL ... 51

ALL-COMPANY FOLLOW-UP ... 56

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Make work awesome.

INTRODUCTION

Survey Communication Is Critical to Gaining Employee Buy-In

Communication is perhaps one of the most overlooked and under-executed elements

of the employee engagement survey process. Your survey communication can increase

participation rates, build employee trust, encourage open and honest feedback, and

lead to positive organizational change.

Ineffective communication is one of the biggest barriers standing in your way of survey

success.

Poor communication can result in damaging and costly consequences, including:

• Low participation rates

• Employee distrust

• Confusion

• Decreased morale

• Loss on investment

• Disengagement

• And more

This whitepaper will provide you with the necessary knowledge and tools to help

you develop a well-planned communication strategy and ensure that you get the

most out of your employee survey.

Keep reading for:

• 27 communication tips and warnings

• 18 necessary and optional communication ideas

• 11 communication info sheets

• 28 sample communication pieces

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WHAT’S COMMUNICATION

GOT TO DO WITH IT?

Communication is an unavoidable, integrated part of our lives, from texting friends and emailing

coworkers to face-to-face conversations and all-staff meetings. Traditionally, communication was

viewed as a “soft skill,” an added bonus to those who did it effectively. Now, it’s a must-have

attribute that can make or break our personal success.

Ineffective Communication Is Costly

More than

80% of people who fail

at their jobs do so for one reason:

they can’t communicate

effectively.

SIS International Research, 2009

Organizations with roughly 100

employees could lose more than

$525,000 each year

due to ineffective communication.

SIS International Research, 2009

Corporations with 100,000+

employees lose an average of

$26,000 per employee

due to productivity losses resulting

from ineffective communication.

(7)

Make work awesome.

Top-down communication within an organization serves two essential functions:

it provides the information employees need to get things done and builds

relationships of trust and commitment. Communication within an employee

engagement survey process serves the same main purposes with some additional

benefits. Your survey communication strategy should:

1. Inform and Educate

First and foremost, your communication strategy needs to provide employees

with the basic information. Inform employees that they will be asked to take a

survey, including how and when it will launch. You will also want to educate your

employees on what employee engagement is, what the survey will measure, and

how they will benefit from participating.

2. Gain Enthusiasm

Your survey communication can also help you get your employees excited about

the process. Explain that this survey will allow them to freely voice their opinions

about the organization and help to improve their work experience.

3. Ensure Confidentiality

Assure employees that their participation and responses will be kept confidential.

One advantage of consulting an external partner is being able to promise your

employees 100 percent anonymity. Provide a link to your external partner’s

privacy policy to address any unanswered questions.

PURPOSES

_{OF EFFECTIVE SURVEY COMMUNICATION}

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4. Encourage Honesty

Employee participation alone isn’t enough to make the positive changes needed in

your organization. Encourage your employees to answer honestly. Make sure your

employees know that this is their chance to make a difference in their organization

and each survey submission will be taken seriously.

5. Disclose Intent

An explanation of leaders’ intentions is often that extra bit of transparency employees

need to drive participation in an organization-wide survey initiative. Explain to your

employees what information will be shared post-survey and what you plan to do with

the results. When employees believe your intentions are good and for their benefit,

they are more likely to participate.

6. Continuously Improve Engagement

An employee engagement survey process isn’t like spring-cleaning, where once a

year you gather feedback to address old issues from last fall. It’s an ongoing process

that needs to be continually communicated throughout the year. To make the most

of your survey process and improve engagement, remain in constant contact with

your employees, frequently discuss how initiatives are working, address any lingering

concerns, and celebrate successes.

7. Gain Buy-In

While your communication pieces primarily serve one of the six purposes listed above,

they also should be leveraged to gain employee buy-in. Use each piece to build trust,

value, and empowerment throughout your employee engagement process.

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Make work awesome.

7

DANGERS

_{OF INEFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION}

Whether it’s your customer service department interacting with a client

or your executive management implementing a new corporate initiative,

communication can make or break the success of your organization. It’s

no surprise that communication plays a crucial role in the success of your

employee survey as well. Failure to communicate with your leaders and

employees throughout this process can be costly.

Don’t underestimate this part of the engagement survey process. When

communication is unclear or nonexistent, you risk:

1. Low Participation Rates

Neglecting to inform your employees of how and when to take the survey can

result in confusion and missed deadlines. But your biggest risk is lack of buy-in.

To gain buy-in and drive participation rates, effectively communicate why each

employee should take the survey.

2. Dishonest and Insincere Responses

Why would your employees answer honestly and sincerely if they don’t believe

their opinions will be heard? Be straightforward about the survey’s benefit

and your post-survey plans. Explain the value of honest feedback to make the

survey worth their time and effort.

3. Decrease in Employee Trust

If you implement an organization-wide initiative without proving its worth to

your employees, you may lose trust. If you don’t inform your employees of the

survey’s purpose, results, and positive outcomes, you’ll risk losing employees’

trust in the survey assessment, future initiatives, and leadership.

4. Organization-Wide Disengagement

If you don’t effectively communicate through every step of the survey process,

you risk further disengaging valuable employees. Don’t let ineffective

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5. Little or No Positive Organizational Change

If you have low participation rates and receive insincere responses, then you

won’t get a realistic view of your organization’s engagement level. An inaccurate

collection of employee feedback provides leadership with little leverage to

implement positive organizational change.

6. Loss on Investment

Employee surveys take time, effort, and yes, money. Without employee

participation and sincere feedback, your organization is unable to implement

positive change, and ultimately, increase engagement. Communicate effectively

throughout the entire process to get the most on your investment.

7. Increase in Turnover

Ineffective communication can lead to distrust, disengagement, and turnover.

According to

21 Employee Turnover Insights

, disengaged employees are

3.6 times more likely to leave an organization. Not only could ineffective

communication cost you your survey investment, but it may also cost you the

investment of valuable employees.

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BUILD YOUR

COMMUNICATION

PLAN

In the next section, you’ll learn about the survey

communication dos and don’ts. Keep reading

for valuable tools that will help you build your

communication plan, including:

• 8 crucial tips for communicating

• A communication timeline

• 16 sample communication pieces

• 8 “what not to do” examples

• 3 meeting agendas

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Tone and voice drastically impact the effectiveness of your communication pieces. Who

are you talking to, and how do you address them? Is your piece easy to read with a clear

call to action? Before you decide what you’re going to say, consider how you’re going

say it.

1. Talk About Them

Talk about your readers, rather than at them. Use “you” at every opportunity, and stick in

“we” and “us” as secondary pronouns. People like to read about themselves. Make your

employees the subject of your communication to spark interest and gain buy-in.

Say this:

Take your survey to share your honest opinions.

Not this:

Take the survey to submit feedback.

2. Make It Personal

Your survey communication should connect with employees on a personal level. Relate

to them, talk about specifics, and relay your personal voice.

Say this:

Your feedback is extremely important to this organization’s future

and greatly impacts our direction. Thank you for your participation and support.

Not this:

We appreciate your participation and support of this important initiative.

3. Relay the Benefits

If your employees aren’t gaining from the survey process, why should they put in the

time and effort? Show them how they will benefit from participating. Make benefits of

the workplace and entire organization secondary.

Say this:

This survey gives you an opportunity to improve your work

experience while helping shape the future of Awesome Corp.

Not this:

This survey will give leadership the opportunity to make

Awesome Corp a better place to work.

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Make work awesome.

4. Choose a Method That Fits Your Employees’ Needs

Choose a communication mode that will reach your employees in the most

effective way. For example, if your employees have access to computers, email

communication might make the most sense. On the other hand, if a majority of

your employees aren’t online, email communication might not be your best option.

5. Make It Scannable

Your employees are busy. Make your survey communication short, to the point,

and easy to read. For scan-ability, use headlines and subheads, bulleted or

numbered lists, adequate spacing, and bolding of important points. Avoid

bogging your communication pieces down with text-heavy, paragraph formatting.

6. Segment Your Audience

Target specific employee groups in order to connect with them on a personal

level. For example, in your formal announcement, recite location or departmental

initiatives that are currently in place as a result of past surveys to motivate different

employee groups to participate again.

7. Create a Call to Action

Creating a call to action is one of the most important aspects of your initial

survey communication. If you don’t tell your employees what to do, how will they

know? Place your call to action buttons or links in multiple places, including the

beginning of your communication pieces. That way, employees can choose to act

immediately or continue reading for more details.

8. Brand Your Survey

Brand your annual employee survey to help your employees connect with the

process and gain enthusiasm. Refer to your survey as its branded identity rather

than “The Employee Engagement Survey” to make the entire process more

meaningful, personalized, and fun for your employees. Choose a brand that

makes sense for your employees, the organization, and your culture.

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COMMUNICATION TIMELINE

Leadership Meeting

4-6 weeks before launch

Formal Announcemen

t

Email

1 month before launch

Launch Reminder Email

2-3 days before launch

Survey Invite Email

Day of survey launch

Survey Reminder Emails

Tues/Thurs after launch

Last Chance Survey Reminder

2-3 days before survey close

Thank You Email

Day of survey close

Results Overview Email

1 week after close

Detailed Results Email

1-2 months after close

All-Company Follow-Up

1-2 months after close

Leadership Follow-Up Meeting

3 weeks after close

BEFORE

THE

SURVEY

DURING

THE

SURVEY

AFTER

THE

SURVEY

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BEFORE

THE SURVEY

Leadership Meeting

Formal Announcement Email

Launch Reminder Email

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LEADERSHIP MEETING

Gain buy-in and assign leadership roles

When talking to leadership, show how they will benefit from

the survey first and foremost. If you don’t provide data on the

linkage between engagement and financial success, customer

service, and retention, you might risk losing buy-in. Check out

Quantum Workplace’s resource center for some valuable data

points you can use.

Get them on board.

The leaders of your organization

influence your employees. Get your leaders to buy into the

process to drive participation and survey response quality.

HR or top leadership

Four to six weeks

before launch

—

Basic survey info

—

Purpose of survey

—

Rough timeline

—

Leadership’s role

—

Benefit of survey

WHO LEADS

WHEN

WHAT

AVOID

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Make work awesome.

SAMPLE

LEADERSHIP MEETING

Employee Engagement Survey Meeting Agenda

Objective: Discuss upcoming employee engagement survey and assign leadership roles

Date: September 7, 2013

Time: 8:30 a.m.

Location: Conference room

Agenda

• Purpose of employee engagement survey (5 min)

— Leadership benefits — Employee benefits — Organizational benefits

• Review of previous year survey (5-15 min) — Brief overview of results

— Implemented changes

• Details for upcoming survey (5-10 min) — Date and timeline

— Survey partner information — Expected leadership roles — Dos and Don’ts

• Post-survey expectations (5 min)

— Executive presentation to leadership — All-company meeting

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Gain buy-in, generate awareness, and spark enthusiasm

Numerous studies have found that employee

survey response rates improve

when pre-survey communications are effectively delivered.

(Fox, Crask, & Jonghoon; Shannon & Bradshaw, 2002)

FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT EMAIL

Be mindful of your tone and voice. If you only focus on

leadership’s benefit or use words like “mandatory” or “must,”

you might turn off your employees. Don’t make employees

opt-out of the process before they have a chance to opt-in.

Cite examples.

Remind your employees what you did with

last year’s results to gain buy-in for your upcoming survey.

New to the process? Tell your employees how you’re going

to use the results.

Top leadership

One month before launch

—

Basic survey info

—

Purpose of survey

—

Rough timeline

—

Benefit of participating

WHO SENDS

WHEN

WHAT

AVOID

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Make work awesome.

SAMPLE

To: All Employees

From: Top Leadership

Subject: Employee Engagement Survey

This email is to notify you of the launch of Awesome Corp’s 2013 Employee Engagement survey. This survey is a great way for leadership to evaluate the strengths throughout our organization.

Every team member is required to participate. An external vendor will send an email on the survey start date and provide any necessary details.

The survey must be completed by Friday, November 1st. Joe Awesome, CEO

BAD

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SAMPLE

GOOD

FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT EMAIL

Subject: 2013 Employee Engagement Survey is Coming!

The 2013 Employee Engagement Survey will launch on October 15th. The anonymous and confidential survey is your opportunity to help shape the future of Awesome Corp, while improving your own work experience. Your feedback will be compiled and used to guide further positive changes across our organization.

An independent firm, [Survey Partner*], will conduct the survey and analyze the results, which will then be disseminated to Awesome Corp employees via email and an

all-company meeting.

Get ready! You’ll receive an email invitation from [Survey Partner*] on October 15th with a link to take the survey.

Please complete the survey by Friday, November 1st at 5 p.m.

Thank you for your participation and support of this important initiative. Joe Awesome, CEO

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Make work awesome.

SAMPLE

BEST

FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT EMAIL

Subject: Amp Up Awesome! 2013 Employee Engagement Survey is Coming!

I am excited to announce our Amp Up Awesome survey will launch on October 15th and will remain open until November 1st. We would love to get 100% participation in order to ensure that each and every employee’s voice is heard.

How You Benefit

Last year, we used your valuable survey feedback to better your work experience with: • GOOD lunches to improve manager-employee communication and make your

goals and accountabilities clearer

• New office furniture to give you more privacy

• Communication workshops to create open and honest communication among your team members

• Refurbished break room to give you a more comfortable and welcoming in-office break area

About the Survey

This annual survey gives you an opportunity to improve your work experience, while helping shape the future of Awesome Corp. An invaluable tool for our team, the employee survey is:

• Quick and convenient • 100% confidential • Optional

• A way for you to share honest feedback • A tool to improve your work experience

In order to maintain 100% confidentiality, we are partnering with [Survey Partner*]. Get ready! You will receive an email invitation to take the survey from [Survey Partner*] on October 15th. Your feedback is extremely important to me and greatly impacts the direction of this organization. Thank you for your participation and support.

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LAUNCH REMINDER EMAIL

Remind employees of upcoming survey launch

Don’t overlook the survey launch reminder. Keeping contact

throughout the entire process is crucial to gaining and

maintaining employee buy-in. This short email lets your

employees know you’re taking the survey process seriously –

and they should too.

Keep it quick.

You’ve already sent a formal announcement,

and your survey partner will be sending the official invite

in a few days, so you don’t need to relay a bunch of

information.

Top leadership

Two to three days

before launch

—

Survey launch date

—

Recap of survey purpose

—

Recap of survey benefit

WHO SENDS

WHEN

WHAT

AVOID

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Make work awesome.

SAMPLE

BAD

LAUNCH REMINDER EMAIL

Reminder: The Employee Engagement Survey will launch next week. Joe Awesome, CEO

(24)

SAMPLE

GOOD

LAUNCH REMINDER EMAIL

Subject: 2013 Employee Engagement Survey is almost here!

Don’t forget! Our 2013 Employee Engagement Survey will launch on Monday. This survey is your opportunity to help shape the future of Awesome Corp, while improving your own work experience.

Your feedback will be compiled and used to guide further positive changes across our organization.

Please take your time and give your honest feedback, so we can make Awesome Corp a great place to work.

(25)

Make work awesome.

SAMPLE

BEST

LAUNCH REMINDER EMAIL

Subject: Amp Up Awesome survey is almost here!

Don’t forget! Our Amp Up Awesome survey launches Monday.

This annual survey gives you an opportunity to help shape the future of Awesome Corp, while improving your work experience. As a result of last year’s survey, we now have:

• GOOD lunches • New office furniture

• Communication workshops • Refurbished break room

I look forward to analyzing the results of this year’s survey and implementing more positive changes throughout our organization. Thank you in advance for your participation.

Let’s make this a great place to work! Joe Awesome, CEO

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DURING

THE SURVEY

Survey Invite Email

Survey Reminder Emails

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Make work awesome.

SURVEY INVITE EMAIL

Notify employees of survey launch and encourage participation

Don’t send the invite internally. To assure confidentiality,

consult a partner that invests time and effort into your survey

process. If you don’t partner with a vendor you trust, you

might jeopardize your previous efforts to gain employee

trust and buy-in.

Make survey link accessible.

Put your call to action or

survey link in multiple places, especially at the top. That

way, your employees can take the survey right away or

continue reading for additional information.

Survey partner

On survey launch date

—

Survey access/link

—

Participation encouragement

—

Recap of timeline and purpose

—

Contact information

WHO SENDS

WHEN

WHAT

AVOID

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SAMPLE

BAD

SURVEY INVITE EMAIL

From: Team Leader

The 2013 Employee Engagement survey is now open.

Below is the universal link each team member uses to enter the survey. This survey is mandatory and will only take about 10-15 minutes of your time.

We’ll close the survey at 5 p.m. on November 1st. www.surveylink.com

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Make work awesome.

SAMPLE

GOOD

SURVEY INVITE EMAIL

From: Survey Partner

Subject: 2013 Employee Engagement Survey

On behalf of Awesome Corp’s leadership team, we are pleased to invite you to take the 2013 Employee Engagement Survey.

To ensure confidentiality, Awesome Corp will partner with [Survey Partner*] to facilitate this survey and summarize the findings. By participating in this survey, you are helping Awesome Corp build upon strengths and identify opportunities for improvement. Your honesty is critical and appreciated.

Before you start the survey, there are a few important items to note:

• It’s confidential. [Survey partner*] does not release individual data to Awesome Corp or anyone else; survey answers are entirely anonymous.

• It’s quick. The survey should take less than 10-15 minutes to complete. If possible, try to finish the survey in one session. If you must log out of the survey and finish at a later time, please retain this email, so you can log in again.

• Survey link cannot be shared. Please do not forward this email or the survey link to fellow coworkers or anyone else. The links are unique to each participant, meaning no individual can take the survey more than once.

• Take it before it closes. The deadline for completing the survey is November 1st. However, please take it at your earliest convenience.

• Questions? If you misplace your password or have questions about the survey, please email [email protected] or call 1.888.888.8888.

We thank you for taking the time to participate in this very important initiative and sharing your valuable insights!

Click here to take the survey. Survey Partner*

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SAMPLE

BEST

SURVEY INVITE EMAIL

Subject: Amp Up Awesome is finally here!

Your 2013 Amp Up Awesome survey has launched. Please complete your survey by November 1st at 5 p.m.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Your feedback is extremely important to Awesome Corp and will be used to improve your workplace.

Before you start the survey, there are a few important items to note:

• It’s confidential.[Survey partner*] does not release individual data to Awesome Corp or anyone else; survey answers are entirely anonymous.

• It’s quick.The survey should take less than 10-15 minutes to complete. If possible, try to finish the survey in one session. If you must log out of the survey and finish at a later time, please retain this email, so you can log in again.

• Survey link cannot be shared. Please do not forward this email or the survey link to fellow coworkers or anyone else. The links are unique to each participant, meaning no individual can take the survey more than once.

• Take it before it closes.The deadline for completing the survey is November 1st. However, please take it at your earliest convenience.

Questions? If you have any questions about the survey process, email surveysupport@ surveypartner.com or call 1.888.888.8888.

On behalf of Awesome Corp, we thank you for taking the time to participate in this very important initiative and sharing your valuable insights!

Click here to take the survey. Survey Partner*

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Make work awesome.

1. Posters

Hang up posters to advertise the survey in office hallways, entryways,

and high-traffic areas.

2. Table Tents

Place table tents on tables in common areas, such as a lounge

or conference room.

3. Competitions

Encourage departments or locations to engage in friendly competition for

the highest participation rate. Treat the winners to lunch.

4. Organizational Newsletters

Dedicate a section in your newsletter to promote the employee survey.

5. Office Countdowns

Create an office countdown as a daily reminder to employees of how many

days they have left to take the survey.

6. Intranet Posting

Post survey details, reminders, and updates on participation rates.

7. Email Signature

Ask leadership (and even influential employees) to include a survey

reminder in their email signature.

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SURVEY REMINDER EMAILS

Remind employees of open survey and drive participation

There’s a fine line between encouraging your employees to

complete the survey for the benefit of themselves and the

company and bribing them with external influences. Don’t

cross that line.

Don’t overdo it.

If you choose to implement your own

updates and reminders, be sure not to bombard your

employees. Too much communication might cause

annoyance and result in a disinterest in the survey.

Survey partner

Once or twice a week

until survey close date

—

Survey access/link

—

Reminder of launch and close date

—

Recap of survey information

When you consult an external survey partner, you can forget about the burden of sending reminders. A survey partner can make sure that employees who have already taken the survey do not receive the reminders, while ensuring 100% anonymity. The reminders can be sent to you and your employees at a set frequency.

WHO SENDS

WHEN

WHAT

AVOID

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Make work awesome.

SAMPLE

BAD

SURVEY REMINDER EMAILS

Subject: Employee Engagement Survey Reminder

The 2013 Employee Engagement Survey is now open. If you don’t complete the survey, you will not be eligible for the spring bonus.

If you have not completed it yet, do so by November 1st.

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SAMPLE

GOOD

SURVEY REMINDER EMAILS

Subject: Don’t Delete! 2013 Employee Engagement Survey

Don’t forget the 2013 Employee Engagement Survey is now open! This is a great opportunity for you to share your thoughts and provide meaningful feedback. A link to the survey is below.

Remember:

• It’s confidential: [Survey Partner*] does not release individual data to Awesome Corp or anyone else; survey answers are entirely anonymous.

• It’s quick: The survey should take less than 10-15 minutes to complete. If possible, try to finish the survey in one session. If you must log out of the survey and finish at a later time, please retain this email and the embedded survey link to click back in.

• Survey link cannot be shared: Please do not forward this email or the survey link to fellow coworkers or anyone else. The links are unique to each participant, meaning no individual can take the survey more than once.

• Take it before it closes: The deadline for completing the survey is November 1st. Please take it at your earliest opportunity.

When ready, please click here to take your survey.

Questions? If you have questions about the survey, please email surveysupport@

surveypartner.com or call 1.888.888.8888. We thank you for taking the time to participate in this very important initiative and sharing your valuable insights!

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Make work awesome.

SAMPLE

BEST

SURVEY REMINDER EMAILS

Subject: Participate in Amp Up Awesome and tell Awesome Corp what you think! Don’t forget to submit your Amp Up Awesome survey before November 1st.

Click here to take your survey.

Take this opportunity to shape the future of your workplace. Please take your time and answer sincerely, so your feedback can be used to make your organization a great place to work.

Questions? For survey assistance, email [email protected] or call 1.888.888.8888.

Click here to take your survey. Survey Partner*

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LAST CHANCE REMINDER EMAIL

Create urgency for survey completion

Create a sense of urgency in this communication piece, but

don’t get too pushy. If employees feel like they’re forced

to take the survey, they might refrain from doing so, even if

they had originally planned on completing it.

Create a sense of urgency.

Make sure your employees

know that the time to submit a survey is running out.

Incorporate “last chance” in the subject line and throughout

the copy as well.

Survey partner

Two to three days before

survey close date

—

Survey access/link

—

Survey close date

—

Urgency to complete

WHO SENDS

WHEN

WHAT

AVOID

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Make work awesome.

SAMPLE

BAD

LAST CHANCE REMINDER EMAIL

Subject: Employee Engagement Survey Reminder The 2013 Employee Engagement Survey is now open. If you have not completed it yet, do so by November 1st.

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SAMPLE

GOOD

LAST CHANCE REMINDER EMAIL

Subject: Last Chance: 2013 Employee Engagement Survey

The 2013 Employee Engagement Survey will close on November 1st! Don’t miss the opportunity to share your thoughts and provide meaningful feedback. A link to the survey is below.

Take the survey.

Questions? If you have questions about the survey, please email surveysupport@

surveypartner.com or call 1.888.888.8888. We thank you for taking the time to participate in this very important initiative and sharing your valuable insights!

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Make work awesome.

SAMPLE

BEST

LAST CHANCE REMINDER EMAIL

Subject: Last chance! Participate in Amp Up Awesome!

Don’t miss your chance to participate in Amp Up Awesome! Let Awesome Corp know how you can make the organization a better place to work! In the past, your honest feedback has helped Awesome Corp implement positive changes like:

• GOOD lunches • New office Furniture • Communication workshops • Refurbished break room

Click here to take your survey before it closes in two days!

Questions? For survey assistance, email [email protected] or call

1.888.888.8888.

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AFTER

THE SURVEY

Thank You Email

Results Overview Email

Detailed Results Email

All-Company Follow-Up

(41)

Make work awesome.

THANK YOU EMAIL

Thank employees for participation

This communication piece might seem simple, but do not

undervalue it. Confirming the close of the survey, sincerely

thanking your employees, and foreshadowing follow-up

plans, is your first opportunity to assure employees that you

plan to act on the results.

Be brief.

Make this communication piece short and to the

point. However, be as specific as possible about when they

can expect your next follow-up to maintain buy-in.

Top leadership

On survey close date

—

Confirm survey close

—

Personal thank you

—

Foreshadow follow-up plans

WHO SENDS

WHEN

WHAT

AVOID

(42)

SAMPLE

BAD

THANK YOU EMAIL

Subject: Employee Engagement Survey Closed

The 2013 Employee Engagement Survey is now closed. No additional surveys will be accepted.

(43)

Make work awesome.

SAMPLE

GOOD

THANK YOU EMAIL

Subject: Thanks for your participation!

The 2013 Employee Engagement survey is now closed. Thank you for your participation and sincerity.

In the upcoming months, team leaders will share results and discuss future actions with employee groups via email.

Once results have been distributed, team leaders will conduct focus groups to address specific challenges and opportunities.

Thanks again for your participation. Joe Awesome, CEO

(44)

SAMPLE

BEST

THANK YOU EMAIL

Subject: Thanks for participating in Amp Up Awesome!

Thanks for participating in Amp Up Awesome!

The 2013 Amp Up Awesome survey is now closed. Thank you for your participation and sincerity. Your feedback is an invaluable tool for this organization’s success.

What’s Next?

[Survey Partner*] has collected the completed surveys and will begin compiling the results. Below are the next two updates you will receive:

• Results Overview: Next week, leadership will send a short memo to every employee disclosing our organization’s top three and bottom three survey items as well as our participation numbers.

• Detailed Results: Within one to two months, leadership will share detailed results via email and an all-company meeting. Brief, brainstormed action plans will also be discussed.

Thanks again for your sincere participation! Your feedback will help make Awesome Corp a great place to work.

(45)

Make work awesome.

RESULTS OVERVIEW EMAIL

Provide brief overview of survey results

Sharing only survey positives and omitting obvious

organizational weaknesses in your basic memo may result in

a loss of credibility and respect.

Stay broad.

Your results overview email should only relay

common organizational trends. Save results specific to

certain groups for team meetings.

Top leadership

One week after close date

—

Participation stats

—

Top three/bottom three survey items

—

Intent to analyze results and take action

WHO SENDS

WHEN

WHAT

AVOID

(46)

SAMPLE

BAD

RESULTS OVERVIEW EMAIL

Subject: Survey Results

Our 2013 survey results are in. We measured a 93% response rate, meaning 7% of the organization chose not to participate.

Of those who participated, the three top items were: • I feel loyal to my immediate team or work group.

• I trust the leaders of this organization to set the right course. • I believe this organization will be successful in the future.

Employees rated goal alignment, recognition, and opportunity for career advancement fairly low. I have analyzed these three items and can assure you that they reflect those of competitors in our industry.

(47)

Make work awesome.

SAMPLE

GOOD

RESULTS OVERVIEW EMAIL

Subject: 2013 Employee Engagement Survey Results

In our 2013 Employee Engagement Survey, 93% of employees participated.

Our top 3 items include:

• I feel loyal to my immediate team or work group.

Our bottom 3 items include:

• I know how I fit into the organization’s future plans.

• I see professional growth and career development opportunities for myself. • If I contribute to the organization’s success, I know I will be recognized. In the upcoming months, you will receive detailed information on our survey results. Joe Awesome, CEO

(48)

SAMPLE

BEST

RESULTS OVERVIEW EMAIL

Subject: Amp Up Awesome survey results are in!

Thanks again to those who participated in our 2013 Amp Up Awesome survey!

Participation

Awesome Corp measured a whopping 93% participation rate, which is outstanding. Great job, team! This gives us the confidence that the overall results are an accurate representation of our organization.

Results

As a leadership team we’ve met and been given a full briefing on the results. Here’s a quick summary of what we’ve learned.

Top 3 Items:

• I feel loyal to my immediate team or work group.

Bottom 3 Items:

• I know how I fit into the organization’s future plans.

• I see professional growth and career development opportunities for myself. • If I contribute to the organization’s success, I know I will be recognized.

We are in the process of reviewing the results and will be discussing steps to increase engagement. In the upcoming months, I will send out detailed information on our survey results and brainstormed action plans for improvement.

(49)

Make work awesome.

LEADERSHIP FOLLOW-UP MEETING

Begin action planning based on survey results

Top leadership

Three weeks after

close date

—

Detailed discussion of results

—

Brainstormed action plans

—

Future employee engagement goals

WHO LEADS

WHEN

WHAT

AVOID

QW TIP

Don’t get wrapped up in specific employee comments.

Instead, place your primary focus on the quantitative data,

and let the comments fill in the gaps.

Stay solution-oriented.

Focus on why you held the

meeting; develop action plans based on the organization’s

survey results. Instead of placing blame for negative results,

collaborate as a leadership team to make your organization

a great place to work.

(50)

SAMPLE

LEADERSHIP FOLLOW-UP MEETING

Leadership Follow-Up Meeting Agenda

Objective: Discuss detailed survey results and potential action plans

Date: November 22, 2013

Time: 8:30 a.m.

Agenda

• Review of survey’s purpose (5 min)

• Presentation of survey results (15-25 min) — Overall engagement score

— Organizational trends — Departmental trends — Strengths — Weaknesses — Opportunities — Threats

• Discussion of action plans (30 min) — Determine targeted challenges — Immediate initiatives

— Focus group assignments — Next steps

(51)

Make work awesome.

DETAILED RESULTS EMAIL

Announce survey results and intent for future plans

The detailed results email is arguably the most important

form of communication throughout your entire survey

process. Do not take this lightly. If you fail to follow-up with

detailed results, you may risk participation and candor in

future initiatives.

Focus on what’s important.

Your survey initiative will

provide you with ample amount of data. Don’t share

everything. Focus on common trends and general

consensus to target overall engagement.

Top leadership

One to two months after

close date

—

Intended areas of focus

—

Initiatives already in place

—

Future follow-up plans

WHO SENDS

WHEN

WHAT

AVOID

(52)

SAMPLE

BAD

DETAILED RESULTS EMAIL

Subject: Survey Results

Our 2013 survey results are in. After further analyzing our results, leadership has decided to work on:

• Development opportunities • Goal alignment

• Recognition

Leadership plans to move forward with action planning in the upcoming months. Joe Awesome, CEO

(53)

Make work awesome.

SAMPLE

GOOD

DETAILED RESULTS EMAIL

Subject: 2013 Survey: Detailed Results

Thanks to all of our employees who participated in the 2013 survey.

Our composite engagement score of 85.5 reflects a 2.25 increase from 2012. Overall, our survey responses were very positive and are in line with our survey results from past years. Positive or neutral responses outweighed negative responses to every question. After analyzing our detailed results, leadership has decided to work on the following three areas:

• Professional development

• Goal alignment and communication of goals • Recognition

In order to continue implementing improvement throughout our organization, the following steps will be taken:

• An online reporting and action planning tool will be rolled out to managers. Your manager will communicate your individual team’s responses to you.

• We will create focus groups comprised of employees representing all levels and functional areas of the company.

• I’m writing a memo that seeks to address goal alignment. An email will be distributed by the end of the month.

Thank you for your participation, and I look forward to working with you to build an even better place to work.

(54)

SAMPLE

BEST

DETAILED RESULTS EMAIL

Subject: Amp Up Awesome detailed results

Thanks to all of our employees who participated in our 2013 Amp Up Awesome survey that closed in early November.

Awesome Corp Survey Results

Our composite engagement score of 85.5 reflects a 2.25 increase from 2012. Overall, our survey responses were very positive and are in line with our survey results from past years. Positive or neutral responses outweighed negative responses to every question.

Seven of the 10 standard categories saw improvement. One of 10 were flat—or within two percentage points from the previous year. Two of 10 saw meaningful declines.

Areas of Focus: 2013

After analyzing our detailed results, leadership has decided to work on the following three areas:

• Professional development: Many employees stated that they weren’t granted adequate career development opportunities.

• Goal alignment and communication of goals: “I know how I fit into future plans” and “I believe this organization will be successful in the future” measured consistently low across our organization. The category of goal alignment dropped nearly 11 percent.

• Recognition: Employees shared that staff does not receive satisfactory recognition, despite the programs already in place. Scores in this area dropped almost 16 percent from last year.

In the next few months, we’ll be reaching out to employees to gain more feedback on these areas and gather ideas on how we can improve.

(55)

Make work awesome.

quantumworkplace.com | [email protected] | 1.888.415.8302 Actions Already Taken

• In the survey, multiple people mentioned the inconsistent frequency of our current recognition program. As a result, leadership has decided to implement a more structured program with quarterly awards given to employees nominated by their peers. A nomination box is located in the break room.

• Detailed data revealed that many employees do not have access to career

development opportunities. As a result, leadership will conduct mini surveys to gain further insight on the type of development wanted.

Next Steps

In order to continue implementing improvement throughout our organization, the following steps will be taken:

• Beginning next week, an online reporting and action planning tool provided by [Survey Partner*] will be rolled out to managers. The reporting tool will allow managers to compare their team’s results to the rest of Awesome Corp. Your manager will communicate your individual team’s responses to you.

• We will create focus groups, beginning in December, comprised of employees representing all levels and functional areas of the company. As our focus group implementation plan becomes available in the next few weeks, we will share this information with you.

• To respond to sentiment around our goal alignment, I’m writing a memo that seeks to answer the question in depth. An email will be distributed by the end of the month.

Thank you for your participation and we look forward to working with you to build an even better place to work.

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION PLAN

STRATEGIC

COMMUNICATION

PLAN

HO

W

TO

GA

Quantum Workplace’s

engagement survey and action

planning software and services

Survey your staff and take action in three easy steps:

1. Measure engagement

Leverage America’s most widely-used

survey, flexible to fit any organization

2. Analyze your results

Deliver insights your whole organization

can use, from benchmarks and reporting

to simple reports and planning tools for

managers

3. Take action

Improve productivity, retention, and your

bottom line, while tracking your team’s

improvement

Make work awesome.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

“I’m the lead project coordinator at

Quantum Workplace. Averaging more

than100 survey projects a year, I make

sure our clients’ employee engagement

surveys run smoothly from start to finish.”

Jarah Gleim

Natalie Hackbarth

“With a background in journalism and mass

communications, I partner with engagement

experts in our office to publish informative

and entertaining resources. On the side,

I manage our social media accounts and

contribute to the QW blog.”

CONTENTS

WHAT’S COMMUNICATION GOT TO DO WITH IT?

...

6

SEVEN PURPOSES

OF EFFECTIVE SURVEY COMMUNICATION ...7

SEVEN DANGERS OF INEFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION ...9

BUILD YOUR COMMUNICATION PLAN ... 11

EIGHT CRUCIAL TIPS FOR COMMUNICATING WITH EMPLOYEES ... 12

COMMUNICATION TIMELINE ... 14

BEFORE THE SURVEY ... 15

LEADERSHIP MEETING ...16

FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT EMAIL ...18

LAUNCH REMINDER EMAIL ...22

DURING THE SURVEY ... 26

SURVEY INVITE EMAIL ... 27

SEVEN COOL IDEAS TO DRIVE EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION ... 31

SURVEY REMINDER EMAILS ... 32

LAST CHANCE REMINDER EMAIL ... 36

AFTER THE SURVEY ... 40

THANK YOU EMAIL ... 41

RESULTS OVERVIEW EMAIL ... 45

LEADERSHIP FOLLOW-UP MEETING ... 49

DETAILED RESULTS EMAIL ... 51

ALL-COMPANY FOLLOW-UP ... 56

Make work awesome.

INTRODUCTION

Survey Communication Is Critical to Gaining Employee Buy-In

Communication is perhaps one of the most overlooked and under-executed elements

of the employee engagement survey process. Your survey communication can increase

participation rates, build employee trust, encourage open and honest feedback, and

lead to positive organizational change.

Ineffective communication is one of the biggest barriers standing in your way of survey

success.

Poor communication can result in damaging and costly consequences, including:

•

Low participation rates

•

Employee distrust

•

Confusion

_{OF EFFECTIVE SURVEY COMMUNICATION}