Question 1

What is the difference between an employee engagement survey and employee satisfaction survey?

Accepted Answer

Employee satisfaction surveys report on the satisfaction of employees - and nothing else, regardless on if it impacts the business. Employee engagement and alignment surveys have employee satisfaction as a metric in the analysis, but don't rely solely on satisfaction. Employee engagement surveys should measure employee culture, management culture, employee satisfaction, company performance, employer satisfaction and psychosocial risk.

Question 2

What is the difference between an employee engagement survey and a culture survey?

Accepted Answer

Culture surveys only look at pre-determined culture markers for your business. Sometimes these are unique to your business, but usually they are a mixture of the 10 key culture drivers of Australian businesses.   Engagement and alignment surveys look at the entire business performance and give you a rating on employee satisfaction, employee and management culture, employer satisfaction and psychosocial risk.

Question 3

How often should you survey your team?

Accepted Answer

Once a year. Any more than that and your business doesn't have time to make changes and for the changes to set in.   Surveying your team also takes them away from doing their job, and can create survey overload - where employees become less engaged because nothing has changed since they last provided feedback.

Question 4

What is psychosocial risk?

Accepted Answer

Psychosocial risk refers to the potential harm to employees' mental health and wellbeing caused by workplace factors such as excessive job demands, poor workplace relationships, or lack of support. For Australian business owners, understanding and managing psychosocial risks is now a legal requirement under WHS laws and directly impacts your bottom line through productivity, retention, and compliance costs.  Key workplace factors that create psychosocial risks include: High workload or job demands Low job control Poor support from supervisors Workplace conflict or poor relationships Lack of role clarity Poor organizational change management Job insecurity Work-related violence and aggression  The Business Impact: Increased absenteeism and sick leave Higher staff turnover Reduced productivity Legal and compliance risks Workers' compensation claims Damage to company reputation

Question 5

Why is benchmarking important?

Accepted Answer

Benchmarking in employee engagement surveys is crucial for Australian businesses because it transforms raw survey data into actionable business intelligence. Without benchmarking, you're essentially operating in the dark – you might know your engagement score is 70%, but you won't know if that's cause for celebration or concern.  Key Benefits of Benchmarking: 1. Performance Context Compare your engagement levels against similar Australian businesses Understand if your employee experience is helping or hurting your competitive advantage Identify whether your HR investments are paying off relative to industry standards 2. ROI Validation Justify your investment in employee engagement initiatives Identify which areas need immediate attention to prevent costly turnover Prioritize improvements based on where you fall significantly below benchmarks 3. Strategic Planning Set realistic improvement targets based on industry standards Focus resources on areas where you lag behind competitors Track year-over-year progress against both internal and external benchmarks 4.Risk Management Identify engagement scores that could signal compliance risks Spot potential turnover risks before they impact your bottom line Compare your results against Australian workplace standards  What Good Benchmarking Looks Like: Industry-specific comparisons Size-appropriate business comparisons Local market context Regular updates to reflect current market conditions

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