Employee surveys are an established tool for analyzing corporate culture and employee satisfaction. Every year, Great Place To Work surveys more than 20 million employees worldwide from over 22,000 organizations in more than 180 countries. We have also carried out thousands of survey projects in Switzerland since 2009.
In contact with our customers from a wide range of industries, questions about employee surveys come up time and again. We have collected the most frequently asked questions and answer them here:
Setup of the employee survey
Why should I conduct an employee survey?
An employee survey is an established tool for taking the pulse of employees and analyzing the corporate culture. It enables employees to provide anonymous feedback. This provides an honest picture of employee satisfaction and makes the culture measurable. Specific measures can be derived based on the results. In addition, conducting an employee survey shows genuine interest in employee feedback.
How can I measure employee satisfaction?
The best way to measure employee satisfaction is through an anonymous employee survey. It is important that the questions are not suggestive in order to obtain honest feedback from employees. Ideally, the employee survey should be based on an established methodology such as that of Great Place To Work, so that the results can also be benchmarked against other organizations.
When is a good time for an employee survey?
Based on our experience from thousands of employee surveys, there is no one perfect time. It is advisable to conduct the survey outside of the vacation period so that as many employees as possible can take part. December is also an unfavorable time, as many events and work take place at the end of the year.
An employee survey should be carried out before, during and after restructuring or other phases of change in order to keep your finger on the pulse of your employees.
How does an employee survey with Great Place To Work work?
The complexity of an employee survey should not be underestimated if you carry it out internally. That's why we recommend working with a specialist such as Great Place To Work. Our customers benefit from a established methodology and our Survey platform Emprising. This minimizes the workload for HR: you primarily have to define the reporting structure, provide us with the employee information in this structure and ensure internal communication. Naturally, we support you in all these tasks.
How much effort is an employee survey for HR?
The joint project starts with a kick-off, where we clarify the objectives of the employee survey, define the desired report structure, clarify internal communication and set the milestones. Depending on the size of the organization and the complexity of the survey, the kickoff takes place 4-8 weeks before the start of the survey.
The survey is normally open to employees for 2 weeks. On the start day, employees receive their personal link by e-mail or the access data by letter (for employees without an e-mail address). As soon as the survey is completed, the customer has access to all results in our Survey platform Emprising. In addition, our experts will conduct a presentation of the results with you, where you will also benefit from our know-how.
How long does it take to conduct an employee survey?
The duration of a survey project depends on the size and complexity of the organization. We plan 2-3 months from kickoff to presentation of the results.
What does an employee survey with Great Place To Work cost?
The cost of the employee survey depends on the number of employees and the desired functionalities of our Emprising survey platform. Contact us at any time without obligation, so that we can prepare an individual offer for you.
In which languages is the Great Place To Work questionnaire available?
As an international provider, we offer our questionnaire in more than 60 languages, with more being added all the time.
Is an international survey also possible?
Yes, Great Place To Work is itself an international organization with employees in around 70 countries. Every year, we survey more than 20 million employees from over 22,000 organizations in more than 180 countries. Our questionnaire is available in over 60 languages.
Implementation of the employee survey
How can employees without an e-mail address take part in the employee survey?
Many of our customers survey employees without an e-mail address, e.g. in industry, production, healthcare, hospitality or the hotel industry. There are various established options for this: Ideally, employees receive a letter with their personal login details so that they can complete the survey on their smartphone or on a central computer, for example. This link can also be sent via apps such as Beekeeper etc. Alternatively, we can also provide a general link that can be communicated via QR code on posters and flyers.
Which topics are covered by the Trust IndexTM Employee survey questioned?
Our established methodology analyzes the trust-based workplace culture based on 5 dimensions: Credibility, respect, fairness, pride and team spirit. Employees can rate 60 statements on the workplace culture they experience using a five-point answer scale. There are also 2 open questions on the employer's strengths and possible areas for improvement.
Can you use your own questions?
Yes, of course you can use as many of your own questions as you like, both open and closed. For certification, however, the 60 questions of the Trust IndexTM Employee survey necessary and own questions are not considered for certification.
How long does it take to complete the employee survey?
Based on the survey of over 20 million employees per year, it takes around 15-20 minutes per employee to complete.
Can the employee survey be completed via smartphone?
Yes, of course the employee survey is fully optimized for completion via smartphone
Do employees have to download an app to complete the questionnaire?
No, employees receive a direct link or access data so that they can complete the questionnaire directly.
How long does it take until the results are available?
As soon as the employee survey is completed, you will have access to our Survey platform Emprising Access to all results. In Emprising, you can carry out as many analyses as you like and download them as PowerPoint or Excel files. In addition, our experts prepare the results as part of a results presentation.
How can the results be evaluated?
The results can be analysed and compared within the organization as required. A comparison with previous surveys and various external benchmarks are also available. All results can be broken down to team level, provided that 5 answers are available in this team. Our Survey platform Emprising also includes a heat map, which automatically calculates and graphically displays positive and negative deviations.
Who has access to the results?
In addition to the administrators, you can optionally give your managers access to their respective results. This enables managers and their teams to work independently with the results and take measures at their level.
Can we as customers download reports ourselves?
Yes, all analyses can be downloaded free of charge as PowerPoint or Excel files. So you remain independent and flexible.
Is the Great Place To Work employee survey anonymous?
When conducting employee surveys, confidentiality is an important prerequisite for ensuring that employees give their employer open and honest feedback during a survey. The client only receives aggregated results that do not allow any conclusions to be drawn about individual employees. We only show the results of a team if at least 5 employees from that team respond. Of course, the answers are always included in the next higher level.
How is data protection guaranteed in an employee survey?
Reliable and transparent data protection and the highest possible level of data security are extremely important to us. We are guided by the data protection guidelines of the GDPR, which are stricter than the Swiss requirements in most respects. Our employees receive regular training and compliance with data protection regulations is monitored. We have concluded contracts with all our partners that also guarantee compliance with data protection requirements.
Guide «7 steps to an employee survey»
Would you like to start your own employee survey? Our guide to planning, conducting and evaluating an employee survey provides 19 pages of useful tips:
