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Engagement Surveys - for mergers/acquisitions
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Engagement Surveys - for mergers/acquisitions
Discuss workforce management, performance management, retention, communication, motivation, contributing to business results and other topics.
We are planning to launch engagement surveys to our FT employee population. We have purchased a few smaller companies within the last 2 years and would like to ask a different set of questions for tho
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Engagement Surveys - for mergers/acquisitions
posted at 3/11/2011 3:32 AM EST
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Posts: 4
First: 3/11/2011 Last: 3/11/2011 |
We are planning to launch engagement surveys to our FT employee population. We have purchased a few smaller companies within the last 2 years and would like to ask a different set of questions for those employees. We'd like to gauge how the acquisition was handled, as well as the transition to being considered part of the parent company. Do you have best practices? |
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Engagement Surveys - for mergers/acquisitions
posted at 3/11/2011 4:11 AM EST
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Posts: 2442
First: 2/12/2000 Last: 9/14/2011 |
I assume you know that if you ask what they disliked about the transition and ongoing relationship you will set an action expectation.
If you do not then act in some time frame then the unhappiness will increase in intensity based on the perception "See we were right, they really don't care.....) |
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Engagement Surveys - for mergers/acquisitions
posted at 3/11/2011 5:36 AM EST
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Posts: 544
First: 9/27/2004 Last: 9/13/2011 |
Absolutely agree with howard7, surveys do raise expectations and you need to have a plan as to how you would address concerns otehrwise you can do more damage to morale.
But if you can't anticipate what the issues are, I would be inclined to use a focus group or even an individual interview appproach before launching a global survey. |
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Engagement Surveys - for mergers/acquisitions
posted at 3/11/2011 6:05 AM EST
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Posts: 4
First: 3/11/2011 Last: 3/11/2011 |
I appreciate the words of concern, but we have vetted those. The survey will be taking place for the entire company. If we exclude recent acquisitions, that would not send a good message of inclusion.
I'm looking for suggestions for questions that others may have included in past surveys. |
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Engagement Surveys - for mergers/acquisitions
posted at 3/11/2011 6:35 AM EST
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Posts: 2442
First: 2/12/2000 Last: 9/14/2011 |
Here are some questions to consider:
Where I work, there is little wasted time and effort (e.g. redundant work, unnecessary paperwork, poor quality work that has to be redone, etc.) Where I work, decisions get made without undue delay Where I work, people are held accountable for delivering what they have promised Where I work, we regularly discuss how we can improve the way we do things Where I work, the way we are organised allows us to be efficient We do not compromise on quality in o rder to meet other targets (cost targets, delivery schedules, etc.) Our processes, procedures and methodologies allow us to be efficient Management does a good job of explaining the reasons behind major decisions When changes in programs, policies and procedures are made, communications are usually handled well (sufficient notice is given, explanation as to reasons given, etc.) How would rate this company on communicating to employees on matters that affect them Where I work, we are able to respond quickly to the needs of our customers Where I work, we are knowledgeable about our customers' needs I believe that this company delivers high quality products and services to its external customers Considering everything, how would you rate your overall satisfaction with the company at the present time? I am motivated to go beyond what is normally expected to help the company be successful I would recommend this organisation as a place to work I am proud to work for this company Even if I were offered a comparable position with similar pay and benefits at another company, I would stay at Where I work, it's safe to say what you think Where I work, I am treated with respect and dignity This company has an environment where people of diverse backgrounds can succeed Where I work we have a working environment in which different views and perspectives are valued The amount of work expected of me is reasonable Employees in my kind of work are made to feel that they are an important part of the company My immediate manager/supervisor gives me regular feedback (praise or constructive criticism) on my performance My immediate manager/supervisor communicates effectively with our team My immediate manager/supervisor deals effectively with poor performers. Rate the overall job done by your immediate manager/supervisor My immediate supervisor is sensitive to the need for balance between my work life and personal life My work gives me a feeling of personal accomplishment I am encouraged to think of new ways to do my job more effectively I understand how my job contributes to the success of the company My job makes good use of my skills and abilities Day-to-day actions of management are consistent with their words I am confident that if I report an inappropriate business practice or an ethical issue something will be done about it. I believe this company acts responsibly in all its business dealings I believe what the senior leadership team says Our senior leadership team gives employees a clear picture of the direction the company is headed I have confidence in the future of this company I am provided with sufficient opportunities for personal growth and development I feel able to advance in my career within this organisation I am provided with sufficient training to do my job well I have enough information to do my job well (agr-dis) I feel I have the right tools and resources (e.g., equipment, parts, supplies, hardware, software, etc.) to do my job properly I have the decision-making authority I need to do my job effectively I am satisfied with my benefits package How would you rate your pay considering what you could get for similar work in other organisations you know about? The better my performance, the more I will be rewarded Rate extent to which you receive recognition from management when you do a good job (vg-vp) Do you believe the results of this survey will be used constructively within the company? Where I work, we are good at sharing best practices and knowledge with other teams Where I work, I feel part of a team that works together to get the job done The different parts of the company cooperate with each other in the interest of high quality performance of the company as a whole In your opinion, what one thing should this company focus on to make it more successful in the future? |
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Engagement Surveys - for mergers/acquisitions
posted at 3/11/2011 10:08 AM EST
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Posts: 544
First: 9/27/2004 Last: 9/13/2011 |
ok, so if you have already vetted these concerns, you should already know what you need to be asking. My advise would then be to make sure you explore these issues or folks will think that the organization is out of touch. |
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Engagement Surveys - for mergers/acquisitions
posted at 3/16/2011 12:28 AM EDT
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Posts: 71
First: 12/6/2006 Last: 3/16/2011 |
As I see it you have two issues here:
engagement post merger and "steady state". One option is to have 2 different surveys for each condition, the other is to have a core set of questions that is used with both, and some that change based on the situation. When designing any survey be careful that the questions you ask actually measure what you think they do. As Gallup discovered, actually asking one question provides a different answer to what may be expected looking at the content of the question- like with psychometrics it can be challenging. Effective question design is important. A couple of years ago we launched a hybrid product looking at both engagement, satisfaction with the ability of merging custom questions to look at specifics like this situation. We called it the EESS. The ability to benchmark both internally and externally is important to many, and this must also be a factor in design. http://rapidbi.com/staffsurvey/ There are many that have commercial products like this that charge a lot of money - some, like ours are realistically priced Mike |
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Engagement Surveys - for mergers/acquisitions
posted at 4/5/2011 7:16 AM EDT
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Posts: 71
First: 7/19/2002 Last: 4/5/2011 |
If your objective is to identify what you need to do better, differently or not at all in transitioning future employees into the organization in future M&As I'd do as Howard suggests and run the same engagement survey questions for everyone and address these others issues separately.
While I haven't given this a great deal of thought it is one thing to focus on the incoming people but perhaps in such a single purpose survey you should not ignore the existing group as they too might have something to offer as how future M&As and transitioning staff might be done better. You don't want to fatigue your organization with surveys but to me what your second post suggests is that this issue of M&As is different than assessing your overall engagement levels. |
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