5 Ways Companies Can Make the Most of Customized Assessments
By Jennifer Taylor In Original Thoughts
While there is undoubtedly something to be said for the brand name, everlasting, tried-and-true leadership, personality, and employee engagement assessments continually infiltrating the markets, it is also important to note that these assessments are never “One Size Fits All” for simply any company. Every corporation – from the international conglomerate plastering its brand around the world to the family-owned coffee shop on the corner – has its own culture, its own idiosyncrasies, and its own priorities. For this reason, when investing in leadership development or employee engagement initiatives, most companies utilize custom assessments. Here are a few of the ways to make the most of customized surveys:
- Custom Items: Most obviously, the primary way in which a company can make an assessment their own is through choosing exactly which items will be measured and which specific areas pertain to their mission, their leaders, and their employees company-wide. Customized assessment questions that are most relevant to the healthcare field may not translate as well to the retail industry, and those working in B2B may not share to drill down on the same priorities as those in B2C. Therefore, it is vital for each company to measure what matters and assess their own personal goals when deciding which specific questions and overall competencies go into building their customized assessment.
- Branching Items: Even if a company chooses to utilize rather generic questions, a great way to prioritize specified items over others is to drill down on those certain items for which negative responses really For example, if a company with high turnover asks its employees, “On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend us as a great place to work?,” they can simultaneously include a follow-up comment box for anyone who gives an unfavorable rating. And speaking of comment boxes…
- Open-Ended Questions: Qualitative data is often the most valuable data clients can receive through an employee engagement survey. While seeing the distribution of quantitative responses is undeniably beneficial to see an overarching view of employees’ opinions, the open-ended items within a survey sometimes provide the only way workers feel like their voices are truly heard. By customizing these items, companies can ensure they are getting the widest range of feedback and most personalized suggestions for improvement.
- Custom Scales: Some companies can choose to take the level of customization even further by not only customizing the quantitative and qualitative items, but also customizing the scale used for said items. By using scale anchors that perhaps mirror their own internal scoring system, or utilizing a range that fits into their work “language,” employees can more accurately provide their feedback as it fits within the larger company framework.
- Ensure Credibility: One final way that customization can enhance the employee engagement feedback process is through the ability to customize all communications and aesthetic components of a survey. Whether including a “Memo from the CEO” or changing the survey color and graphics to reflect the company branding, employees may be more likely to respond when the assessment comes from a trusted source with a familiar look.