Using Employee Opinions Effectively When Designing HR Programs

Employee opinion is one of the most powerful resources available to human resource professionals. But what are the best methods for harnessing those opinions?

Conversation - Welcoming feedback via informal conversation is the first step towards utilizing the viewpoints of employees.

Focus Groups - Focus groups take conversation to the next level by brainstorming on particular issues. A focus group gives HR insight into the thoughts, feelings and motivations behind an opinion. An optimal focus group consists of 10 - 20 employees.

SWOT analysis - While focus groups have more free-flowing discussion, SWOT Analysis focus the group on very specific issues. First, the Strengths of the organization are explored. Second, the Weaknesses of the organization are discussed. Third, Opportunities for improvement are brainstormed. Finally, Threats to improvement are considered.

Opinion Surveys - Surveys are an efficient means of extracting information, and for large or geographically dispersed organizations they may be the only option. Here are some things to consider when planning a survey:

Type - Web-based surveys may work for technologically savvy corporations, but others may prefer telephone, or tried-and-true pen-and-paper surveys.

Length - Somewhere between 30-60 questions is the ideal length of a survey. Any longer and you risk driving response rates down due to respondent fatigue.

Language - Both the reading level and the native tongue of an organization's employee base are key to crafting effective questions.