SKEDSOFT

Total Quality Management (Tqm)

Introduction:

It is essential to avoid the creation of myths in connection with an employee survey. Besides the questionnaire, results from previous surveys may be valuable to present and discuss.

 

Presentation:

 

  •  It is essential to avoid the creation of myths in connection with an employee survey.
  • Openness is therefore a key word.
  • It is the departmental manager’s job (if necessary, assisted by a quality co-coordinator) to ensure that all employees understand the purpose of the survey and to inform them that they are guaranteed full anonymity.
  • The most important material to present to the employees is the questionnaire to be used.
  • The manager should take time to present the questionnaire and discuss it with his employees.
  • Besides the questionnaire, results from previous surveys may be valuable to present and discuss.
  • Such examples may come from other companies, other departments or from the same department where the material is presented.

 

CARRY OUT THE SURVEY

 

  • The questionnaire should be filled out within the same time interval in all departments.
  • To increase the response rate the questionnaire may be analyzed by an external consultant who guarantees anonymity. The collection of the filled out questionnaires and check for ‘everybody’s participation’ should be done by a person who has the trust of the employees.
  • The department’s quality co-coordinator may be the person who has the ownership of that activity.
  • To illustrate the importance of this step a company increased the response rate from approximately 60% to 90% by asking the departments’ secretary to collect the filled in questionnaires.
  • The year before the questionnaires had been collected by the company’s central personal department.

 

REPORT AT BOTH TOTAL AND DEPARTMENTAL LEVEL

 

  • The result of the employee satisfaction survey should be reported in the same way as a customer satisfaction survey.
  • Top management should receive the overall employee satisfaction index.
  • This index shows the progress or the lack of progress in employee satisfaction.
  • Together with the overall index top management should also ask for the employee satisfaction index from each department.
  • Such results will help the top management group to identify the departments that need help.
  • At the departmental level each departmental manager needs the overall index from his own department plus group results and the details about the questions in each group.
  • Such information will help the departmental manager and his employees to identify which elements of customer satisfaction should be improved first.