“It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data,” says world-renowned (albeit imaginary) detective, Sherlock Holmes. And we quite agree.

Measuring (and regularly re-measuring) employee wellbeing takes the guesswork out of building a genuinely impactful wellbeing strategy.

It means that challenges specific to your organisation can be identified, addressed, and solutions designed to fit the specific needs and ambitions of your people.

Not only this but gathering data as the programme progresses can help you understand whether your initiatives are hitting the mark - whether it’s time to pivot or plough ahead.

And though there will be some investment up-front, taking the time to gather empirical data and shape your programme around it will save you time and resources overtaking the less informed approach.

In fact, saving on resources is a key reason for investing in an employee wellbeing programme in the first place! It has been proven many times over that a dedicated programme increases worker productivity, morale, motivation, and engagement, as well as reducing absence and decreasing staff turnover.

So, how do you measure employee wellbeing?

We suggest gathering both quantitively (number-centric) and qualitatively (feelings-centric) data to paint the fullest picture of your organisation’s wellbeing. And when it comes to collecting this data, there are plenty of methods to record both kinds, as below.

QUALITATIVELY

•  Employee wellbeing survey
•  Feedback collected in 121s
•  Nominate ‘wellbeing champions’ to regularly report back to leadership
•  Create focus groups
•  Exit interviews

QUANTITIVELY

•  Employee wellbeing survey/polls
•  Resignation rates log
•  Sickness and absence rates log
•  Hours of overtime log
•  Use of annual leave log

Take a moment to consider which of the above methods would be most feasible for your organisation / helpful for your purposes.

Building an employee wellbeing survey: what you need to know

In this blog post, we want to focus on collecting wellbeing data through surveys. This is because, through surveying, we can gather both qualitative and quantitative information.

Qualitative information makes trends easy to observe, especially over time.

For this to be possible, consistency is important. The same questions must be asked and the same parameters for answering these questions must be given (i.e. on a scale of 1-10… ) every time a survey is conducted. Surveys should also be conducted at regular intervals. We would recommend conducting surveys at a frequency of no more than every 6 months to avoid ‘survey fatigue.’

Using surveys (when compared to focus groups or manager 121s, for example) allows respondents to remain anonymous – if you so choose. This gives employees the freedom to be more open and honest with their responses without fear of repercussions.

There are lots of digital platforms - including Google Forms and Survey Monkey – that allow information to be collected anonymously, for free, and will aggregate the data so it displays in an easily digestible format.

What are wellbeing KPIs?

When it comes to what you’re recording through your surveys, there are plenty of key performance indicators (KPIs) that can help you build a comprehensive view of company wellbeing. These include self-reported rates of job satisfaction, stress, motivation, work-life balance, sickness, attitudes towards different initiatives, and more.

Other wellbeing related KPIs worth keeping track of (though not through surveys) are resignation rates, sickness and absence rates, hours of overtime, and annual leave usage. This data is ‘low hanging fruit’ as it’s likely already being logged by the business and can help you build a fuller picture of employee health, work-life balance, rates of burnout and stress.

Take a look at our employee wellbeing survey template to get an understanding of how you might pull together your own wellbeing survey.

Download Survey Template

Collecting company wellbeing data (and using this insight to drive your wellbeing agenda forward) is an investment in the long-term health of your people and your business.

Though, it is worth noting that success should not be defined by the absence of stress or experiences of mental ill-health in your workplace, but by having effective policies and support in place (as recognised in your surveys) to prevent escalation and support recovery where needed.

Here at Luminate, we offer employee surveying and deliver regular impact reports on the progress of our programmes. If you would like to learn more get in touch here.