The past year has been a rough ride for CRE. First, the near-total shutdown of retail spaces coupled with work-from-home restrictions during the recent global health crisis. Demand for commercial real estate has fluctuated wildly. And now, we face hiring shortages and uncertainty in the job market.
During times like these, keeping in touch with staff and team members both in office or working remotely – is vital. During changing times, having your finger on the pulse of your team isn’t an option – it could mean the difference between growth or stagnation. This is why employee engagement surveys are such a useful tool. They help us take the temperature of our work culture and attitudes. And they help us keep in touch with our team.
So, what are the top employment engagement questions to include in your survey? Which questions should you ask to get at the answers and intel you need to propel your organization forward?
4 Benefits of Using Employee Engagement Surveys
Employee engagement is instrumental in employee retention and effectiveness. But why engagement surveys? What role do they play in the ongoing search for high retention and productivity rates? Below are four key benefits they provide:
1. Starting Point for Growth
The following top employee engagement questions establish a benchmark. When you receive honest and detailed feedback about employee concerns, ambitions, and questions, this builds trust and fosters a growth environment by setting the starting point. Knowing what you are working with and should build on is great!
2. Employee Voice
Giving employees a voice to vent or contribute builds company morale. This opens a channel of communication for collaboration and employee buy-in.
3. Easier to Be Proactive
Problems that go unaddressed and unnoticed grow in complexity and strength. However, when you’re able to identify them early on, this allows more proactive management and fine tuning.
4. Objectivity
Management can easily lose touch or develop subjective perspectives. A regular inflow of honest feedback allows for an objective grasp of office situations in real time. It allows you to process loads of information from different perspectives and get a high-level understanding.
8 Top Employee Engagement Questions
Recently, Culture Amp pulled and analyzed employee data from Glassdoor ratings, Mattermark Growth scores, and other sources. Crunching this data, they put together a highly insightful report on what drives employee engagement and what the top employee engagement questions are for 2021. Below are 10 questions they argue should be in every employee engagement survey – whether in CRE or any other industry:
1. Are you proud to work for this company?
Would your employee be proud to mention your company if asked about work at a neighborhood barbecue? This does not focus directly on engagement, but rather on a desired outcome of engagement. Beware if fewer than 80% of employees answer in the affirmative.
2. Will you likely be working here in two years?
Employees not currently searching for a job elsewhere may not necessarily see themselves at this role in two years. Again, this focuses on an evidence of strong engagement. And 65% or more is strong retention indicator.
3. Do company leaders keep you informed?
It goes without saying that communication is a key strength among successful CRE businesses. A score of 70% is optimal and shows strong engagement with leadership.
4. Is your manager a good role model for company employees?
Asking about management’s effectiveness in the broader context helps set a benchmark for the direct-report relationship. A score less than 70% may indicate a need for additional management training.
5. Do you have what you need to perform your job well?
This question focuses on enablement and gets at the fundamental need for the right tools to drive engagement. You should expect a high percentage of affirmative answers to this one – at least 75%+.
6. Do you have the learning/development tools to perform your job well?
Similar to the last one, this question goes deeper to determine if employees feel they are supported in their ongoing development at this company. Can they grow here? 70% is a normal percentage.
7. Do you receive appropriate recognition for your work?
Acknowledgement and praise are fundamental drivers of employee engagement. This question reveals whether this need is being met. Aim for at least 75%.
8. Do you know how to be successful in your role?
Asking this opens up the employee’s perspective of how he or she directly contributes to the success of the company. Alignment of the individual to the team mission is crucial, so a return of 80% or more should be standard for every survey.
No matter how large or small our CRE organization, taking the time to ask these top employee engagement questions in every survey will open new conversations, thus leading to enhanced performance, retention, and innovation.