It is crucial to establish a healthy social climate and involve all employees in the life of the company to ensure their well-being at work. How can you assess your company’s social climate and better understand your employees’ expectations? In this article, we take a look at the Social Barometer.
What is a Social Barometer?
It is a widespread practice in major groups, but one that is increasingly appealing to SMEs concerned about the quality of their employees’ life at work. It is an internal survey in the form of a questionnaire, focusing on a specific theme (e.g. stress levels or work-life balance) or a set of themes (e.g. quality of life at work). It can be carried out on an annual or half-yearly basis.
How do you set it up?
- Identify your objectives: it is important to identify the objectives of the barometer in relation to your company’s HR challenges and strategies. Your barometer can be set up in response to a specific issue, or proactively to identify areas of risk.
- Select indicators: choose indicators that are consistent with the objectives of your barometer. For example, if you want to survey your employees’ personal/work life balance, the aim is to gather their feelings and understand whether HR policy is meeting their needs in this respect.
- Design and distribute the questionnaire: to be effective, the barometer should include simple, concise questions, as well as open and closed questions. It is also advisable to use measurement scales that enable employees to assess different factors. The questionnaire should be transmitted anonymously and confidentially, to ensure the sincerity of responses. It can be distributed to all or a group of employees.
- Analyze and share the results: start by identifying global trends. For example, you may find that employees are generally dissatisfied with their work-life balance. To go further, analyze your results according to employee profile: age, department, seniority, etc. Finally, share your results with them to lend credibility to your approach.
- Set up an action plan: based on your results, set up an action plan to resolve the identified problems. For example, if you have identified that your employees are having difficulty reconciling their personal lives with their work, you can extend your remote work policy.
- Monitor and re-evaluate: the social barometer is not a single measurement, but an ongoing process. Continue to monitor social indicators, adjust your action plan, and measure progress over time.
The importance of the Social Barometer
The social barometer is becoming increasingly important for companies of all sizes. It offers numerous advantages:
- Improved productivity: happy and committed staff are more productive. By identifying and resolving issues that hinder job satisfaction, companies can increase their operational efficiency.
- Reduced turnover: satisfied employees are less likely to leave their jobs. The Social Barometer can detect early warning signs of disengagement and staff retention, enabling companies to take preventive action.
- Brand Image and Attractiveness: the Social Barometer is a means of improving your employer brand. It enables you to identify the strong points on which you can capitalize, and the weak points that you can address with appropriate HR actions. Companies that care about their employees’ well-being are more likely to retain and attract the best talent.
The Social Barometer is a powerful tool for measuring employee satisfaction and anticipating psychosocial risks. Modern companies are increasingly recognizing its importance in human resources management.
Think about adapting your health and life benefits to meet the new challenges faced by your employees (better reimbursements in the face of medical inflation, coverage of alternative medicines, promoting well-being…). Comprehensive social protection is seen by employees as a real advantage, and helps to improve their satisfaction.
MIA Assurances helps companies build, manage and develop their social protection schemes. We are here to help you take care of your employees.
We can be reached by email at contact@mia-assurances.com or by telephone on 01 70 91 25 65.