Natick,
MA—To combat the tight A/E/C and environmental consulting labor market, many firms are deploying employee satisfaction surveys as a tool to retain staff. "Firm leaders are typically one step removed from the day-to-day happenings in the office. Employee satisfaction surveys can provide a real sense of what's happening in the trenches and can be used to identify problems before they become serious enough for top talent to jump ship," says Sarita Peng, a principal with ZweigWhite who specializes in human resources advisory services.
Peng shares a few tips for firm leaders when launching an employee satisfaction survey:Keep it anonymous. Employees will naturally feel hesitant about sharing any negative feedback. Be sure to communicate how much the firm values honest feedback and reassure staff that all measures have been taken to ensure anonymity of responses.Question all areas of the firm. The ability to understand how employees feel about everything from firm culture, work environment, benefits, projects, compensation, and management style can help the company constantly evolve into a better firm to work for and stand above competitors.Communicate results. Boost morale by reporting to staff where the firm is doing a good job. It's also critical to address issues that arise through the survey. Communicate the progress on improving these areas of weakness while keeping in mind that change takes time. ZweigWhite provides business information and expertise exclusively to professionals in the architecture, engineering, planning, and environmental consulting industry, through its proprietary consulting services (merger & acquisition consulting, ownership transition, corporate valuation, business appraisal, strategic business planning, marketing and business development), newsletters, magazines, research, tradeshows, conferences, seminars, books, training tapes, and other business education materials. The company serves it clients from offices in
Natick,
MA;
Chicago,
IL;
San Francisco,
CA; and
Washington,
DC.
For further information, contact Anne O'Malley at [email protected] 
