Why to Pulse Survey?
Online questionnaires began being implemented in the 90s with the sole purpose of streamlining the process and reducing costs. Later, organizations realized that questionnaires were a bit long and applied over long intervals, these pains fostered the development of “pulse surveys” (Welbourne, 2016).
A pulse survey is a quick question system that allows organizations to measure something in a short time and more often. Thus, it provides a quick overview of any dimension relevant to access in any stakeholder perception, which naturally can fluctuate over time.
Pulse surveys are usually performed online and allow a faster response, increased learning and foster a quicker decision making in organizations.
They offer a lot of benefits, such as: they can become a powerful intervention by promoting continuous improvement; they allow a near real-time measurement of the variables to be measured; they improve employee engagement, since their opinion, thoughts, and feelings are considered important by the organization, which then boosts performance; in addition they enable some situations to be detected earlier, both at the individual, team or organizational level.
Through more frequent measurement and quick feedback, more accurate and preventive action is possible. Also, it enables employees and managers to be informed and nudged on how to improve processes, working conditions and optimize their performance. On the other hand, this style of questionnaires generally has a higher response rate compared to traditional surveys, especially if it is clearly aligned with the company culture and easily answered (e.g., on their smartphone).
When building a pulse survey it is necessary to create an analysis plan, in order to understand what is the context for carrying out that questionnaire, what is the need, the content we want to address and the public. These last two points are fundamental to defining the length of the pulse survey since if too many variables are defined, it will become too large and lose impact. Similarly, it should be previously set the frequency of data collection, the collection key stakeholders, and finally, how the results will be shared.
Also, to build them some care is needed, namely: check if the same item is more than once; check if the questions are being answered in the case are short and easily answered; apply frequently and at regular intervals.
The time variable is the innovation of this style of the questionnaire, since it allows measuring, acting and re-measuring in a short time. In addition, it is possible to track trend lines, help to understand what may happen in the medium and long term. Also, it is very important to ensure the anonymity and confidentiality of the questionnaires and to use clear language that is accessible to the entire target population.
Finally, one of the most important aspects that cannot be overlooked is the implementation of change, taking into account the results of the questionnaires. By requesting feedback from employees, for instance, they expect this action to result in improvements to the identified points. Thus, despite having numerous benefits, questioning without feedback, without sharing the results and implementing the necessary changes affect engagement much more than not implementing pulse surveys at all.
References
Welbourne, T. M. (2016). The potential of pulse surveys: Transforming surveys into leadership tools. Employment Relations Today, 43(1), 33–39.
https://www.qualtrics.com/experience-management/employee/what-is-employee-pulse-survey/
https://inside.6q.io/everything-you-need-to-know-about-employee-pulse-surveys/#what
https://www.netigate.net/articles/employee-engagement/simple-guide-using-pulse-surveys/
https://decision-wise.com/employee-pulse-surveys-what-you-need-to-know/
