March 19, 2007

Employee communication surveys: census or sample?

You've finalized your survey objectives and now it's time to decide whether you send the survey to all employees (census) or to a select group (sample). While it's often easier to hit the send button and deliver the survey to everyone, there are times when using a sample is more appropriate. Here are five questions you can ask yourself to determine your target population.

1. How many employees work here?
   When the company population is small—fewer than 1,000 employees—it's better to survey everyone to ensure you get good representation. But with larger organizations, a sample is easier to manage. For example, with a population of 10,000, you only need 964 responses for a statistically valid sample. Here's a cool tool to help you calculate your sample size: http://www.surveysystem.com/sscalc.htm
   
   
2. How long is my survey?
   When doing short surveys—three to five questions—a census is fine, since these quick surveys don't place a big demand on the organization.
   
   
3. How will the survey be distributed?
   If all employees have network access, consider a census. Online survey software makes it easy for everyone to participate. However, if many employees are not “plugged in” because they are on the shop floor or out on the road, then you may need to supplement with a paper survey. Remember, paper surveys are more time-consuming to administer and analyze, so a sample is more cost- and time-efficient.
   
   
4. How many surveys are employees asked to complete each year?
   Assess the survey landscape at your organization. Is this the first survey employees have been asked to complete or the fifth? HR may be sending out its annual engagement survey and IT may be surveying employees about their technology use. If multiple surveys are scheduled throughout the year, consider using a sample of the population. Watch for signs of survey fatigue in your organization, including low response rates and incomplete surveys. Ask other groups about their survey plans.
   
   
5. What else is going on in the company?
   Is there a new product launch in Marketing? Is Finance implementing a new accounting program? It's critical to understand how busy or distracted employees are. If everyone is working at a feverish pace, sending a long survey to all employees may not give you the response level you need. Instead, select a sample and work hard to encourage those employees to participate.