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Engaged Performance® Diagnostic Survey

The Cabinet Office/Hay Group Engaged Performance® Diagnostic Questionnaire is an employee survey that can be conducted either in-house (using the attached Questionnaire and Excel Analysis spreadsheet) or online, via an external survey provider. The survey could be conducted at the same time as or after the Policy research, and before and/or after the Focus Groups.

The Questionnaire can be used alone or in conjunction with Focus Groups. The main advantages of the Diagnostic approach are the ability to survey large numbers of employees in a consistent manner, and the availability of normative data (enabling the organisation to compare the levels of engagement within the organisation with external organisations).

No survey or diagnostic should be considered without the full support of the Senior Management Team, as they are invaluable in encouraging employees to participate (which ensures results that are robust and representative), and in ensuring managers develop and implement action plans based on the results.

The survey contains 66 core closed questions on the six dimensions and sub-factors of the Public Service Total Reward Model©, seven demographic questions and a priority question. The survey takes each employee approximately ½ hour to complete (either on paper or via a website), and can be used by employees at all levels within the organisation.

The Diagnostic shows the relative level of satisfaction with each of the Engaged Performance® factors, while the priority question shows the most important factors overall. Results can be analysed by team or department, and by the demographics (age, gender etc.), enabling managers to produce specific action plans for their team.

As part of the development of this Toolkit, the Cabinet Office/Hay Group Engaged Performance® Diagnostic Questionnaire [PDF, 225KB] was piloted in four organisations. Case Studies and Sample Diagnostic Feedback [PDF, 340KB] were produced, and an Engaged Performance® Diagnostic Excel Analysis Spreadsheet [Excel file, 207KB] developed.

This survey can be conducted in several ways:

• as an in-house paper-based survey, using the attached Questionnaire and Excel Analysis spreadsheet. This is most suitable for a very small team or organisation (e.g. the Senior Management Team, or all employees in a single school), as the spreadsheet can analyse a maximum of 100 responses. While there is no financial cost associated with this option, there is a cost in terms of time (in conducting the survey and analysing the results), and there may be a cost in terms of reliability (externally-conducted surveys are perceived as independent, so individual respondents are more likely to tell the truth);
• as a paper-based or on-line survey conducted by Hay Group, using the attached Questionnaire, a generic reward diagnostic, or by commissioning a bespoke survey. This option would be most appropriate where the survey would cover more than 1000 employees, and could incorporate elements of Total Reward and Organisational Climate. For further information, contact Hay Group using this web-based form [External website].
• by a third-party supplier, either using the attached Questionnaire or by commissioning a bespoke survey. This would be most appropriate for an organisation that regularly conducts employee surveys (such as Organisational Climate surveys) through a third-party supplier, as a joint survey could then be designed and conducted. Please note that this option is likely to be more expensive than the previous alternatives, and users will be unable to benchmark themselves against any normative data held by Hay Group.

All three options will require an internal Project Manager, to communicate the survey and its purpose to colleagues, to facilitate completion and to manage the action planning process. If the paper Questionnaire and the Excel Analysis spreadsheet are to be used, there will need to be trusted individuals responsible for distributing and collecting the questionnaires, data entry, analysis and the final report. More information about the survey process is available in the Guidance section.