My communications strategy around an important employee survey. Descriptions left vague to protect company confidentiality.
01 — Project details
As per regulatory requirements at a large public energy utility, we needed to gain employee feedback on changes to asset management systems.
02 — Challenges
1. Employees were busy and there was very little personal motivation for them to take time out of their day to fill out a survey.
2. Many employees had complained about "survey fatigue" from the multiple surveys they had been previously been asked to complete.
3. There had recently been a survey phishing scare so employees were hesitant to engage in a survey.
03 — Communication objectives
1. Gain leadership awareness, understanding, and support of the survey.
2. Prepare and issue clear communications to employees asking them to fill out the survey.
04 — Audiences
- Employees
- Line management
- Executive leadership
- Unions
05 — Strategic approach
We executed a phased communications approach that involved:
- clearly informing executive leadership of the plan,
- earning the buy-in of line management so they could answer their employees' questions,
- informing union leaders, and
- explaining the survey's importance and legitimacy to employees before they received it.
06 — Communication tactics
- Leader speaking notes
- Leader emails
- Internal news story
- Mass employee email
07 — Results
Over 1,400 employees filled out the survey, earning statistically valid numbers to report back to regulators.
We did not receive complaints from employees that it was a waste of time, nor did our cyber-security teams get any reports that employees thought it may be a phishing attempt.