Pulse surveys as an ongoing wellbeing survey

The purpose of pulse surveys is to transform employee engagement and wellbeing from an annual effort to an ongoing, proactive practice. This allows managers and organizations to continuously track changes in employee wellbeing and respond quickly to emerging challenges. 

Quickly addressing employee concerns promotes a healthy, safe and productive working environment. That said, the traditional annual wellbeing or engagement survey also has its advantages. 

Especially when an annual survey is combined with more frequent pulse surveys, it creates a good balance between deeper insight across the organization and local and specific follow-up with pulse surveys. 

Pulse surveys not only measure the work culture; they are also part of the work culture. By integrating pulse surveys as a central part of the company’s culture, you build a stronger commitment to continuing development – at both an organizational and an individual level. 

Regular pulse surveys also encourage managers to be committed to wellbeing initiatives and action plans throughout the year. Managers are similarly able to measure the progress of their efforts and correct their strategies if necessary. 

Through regular pulse surveys, organizations can identify challenges quickly and act pro-actively rather than reactively. This at least facilitates the implementation of changes and improvements before problems escalate or your key employees leave the organization.

Pulse surveys signal the active interest of the organization in the attitudes and needs of its employees. When management shows a genuine interest in the conditions and situation of the employees, it also gives a clear signal to the employees that they have a role in the organization and are being taken care of. But remember also to act on the results. Surveys that are not carried out or followed-up can quickly have the opposite effect on employee motivation. 

Pulse surveys not only measure the work culture; they are also part of the work culture. By integrating pulse surveys as a central part of the company’s culture, you build a stronger commitment to continuing development – at both an organizational and an individual level. Regular pulse surveys also encourage managers to be committed to wellbeing initiatives and action plans throughout the year. Managers are similarly able to measure the progress of their efforts and correct their strategies if necessary. 
 

Pulse monitoring can also be an effective tool if your organization or departments are undergoing major changes. Changes affect the working environment, and employees can experience changes in different ways. In periods of change, it can therefore be important to survey and discuss wellbeing more often – also in the period after the change has been implemented. 

Pulse surveys are more focused on specific topics. It is therefore possible to examine specific challenges or initiatives, which provide more relevant and action-oriented insights in promoting engagement. 

If the pulse survey is used only for a single area or department, it typically requires less planning, as the survey concerns fewer employees and does not involve initiatives for the entire organization. Therefore, the survey can also be used more spontaneously and as needed. 

To avoid confusion and resistance among employees and managers, the purpose of the pulse surveys must be clearly defined and communicated at an early stage. For example, what the results will be used for and how they are followed up. Without a clear purpose, employee’s motivation to participate in the surveys may wane. 

When it comes to how often you perform pulse surveys, it is important to find the right balance. Too frequent surveys can cause information overload and lead to results not being treated properly. Therefore, the organization must adapt the frequency to its culture and ability to handle feedback. Also keep an eye on the response rate. If the response rate is too low, it may have consequences for the validity of the results.  

Pulse surveys should not just act as a measuring tool; they should be followed up by specific actions and decisions based on the results of the survey. Failure to follow up results can lead to dissatisfaction and survey fatigue among employees. Help managers understand how they follow up on pulse surveys. Often it can be unclear who has ownership to follow up on the results. 

Pulse surveys should strike a balance between performance targets (e.g. engagement, wellbeing or willingness to recommend) and action-oriented issues (the themes driving engagement). If you only measure performance targets, you do not acquire knowledge of why employees are engaged or disengaged, and it is difficult to act on. 

Be careful not to make the questionnaire too short. When you ask too few questions, it is difficult to measure both wellbeing and what drives wellbeing in a reliable way in the same survey. Surveys should provide sufficient information to enable action to be taken on the results. 

To achieve the maximum benefit from pulse surveys, it is essential to take these pitfalls into account and implement a careful and strategic approach to pulse surveys in the organization. 

Organization Pulse: A frequent survey of employee wellbeing, engagement and other strategic areas across the entire organization. The insights are therefore relevant to HR, senior management and the individual department manager. Organization Pulse is typically used as part of a larger survey strategy, where survey frequency is determined in advance for the entire organization. 

Team Pulse: A survey at a specific unit, department or area of the organization. Focus on topics that the unit itself has the opportunity to influence or follow up on previous results and action plans. Team Pulse typically requires less planning, as the survey concerns fewer employees and does not involve initiatives for the entire organization. Therefore, the survey can also be used more spontaneously and as needed. 

But even more important is to have time to react and act on the data gathered. After all, we work with people, and if we are to create positive change, it requires reflection, involvement and behavioral changes, for which time and resources must also be allocated when using pulse surveys. You cannot expect to measure change. That’s why it’s crucial to have a clear plan of how you want to use pulse survey data to make informed decisions and implement improvements. 

Therefore, we find it more appropriate to conduct surveys at slightly longer intervals so that there is time to react and act on the results before you survey again. This allows for a more thorough follow-up and helps ensure that feedback is not only collected, but also used to create change in the working environment and employee engagement. 

Ultimately, it is about finding the right balance between frequency and action. Pulse surveys can be a valuable resource for organizations, but it’s important to remember that it’s not just the number of surveys that counts, but how to use the insights they provide to make the organization better for all its employees.  

At Rambøll, we strive to achieve this balance to ensure that pulse surveys are not just a routine task, but an opportunity to create positive change and drive the organization forward toward our common goals. 

To succeed with pulse surveys, it is essential that both managers and employees are engaged in the process.  

This involves two key aspects:  

First, managers need to have a user-friendly system that is easy to understand and use. It is crucial that they can draw meaningful insights from the collected data and respond pro-actively to it. This requires an intuitive platform and clear guidelines on how data should be interpreted and translated into action. 

Secondly, it is important that the purpose of pulse surveys is clearly worded and communicated to both managers and employees. Everyone needs to understand why these surveys should be carried out and how they contribute to the overall goals of the organization and the wellbeing of employees. This creates a sense of purpose and engagement for the entire organization. 

When it comes to the questionnaire itself, it is important to find the right balance regarding the length. The questionnaires must be sufficiently comprehensive to gather reliable and meaningful data, but not too long, as this can lead to survey fatigue and lower response rates.  
 
It is therefore crucial to select questions carefully and ensure that they focus on the most relevant areas that will benefit both employees and the organization. In this way, you can gain the necessary insight and drive without overloading the participants in the survey. 

We offer both standardized and tailored solutions with question frameworks developed by leading HR experts and simple reporting that can be implemented quickly and easily. The solutions are adapted to the individual organization and can be combined with, for example, larger annual employee surveys. 

Prior to the surveys, we define the purpose of the surveys to choose the most suitable solution for your organization. The experienced experts at Xact by Rambøll ensure smooth implementation and offer continuous support as well as additional analyzes, training and tools. 

Business Psychologist (cand.psych)

Consultant

Xact By Rambøll

M +45 51 61 20 41

anbh@ramboll.com

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