Will AI replace employee surveys?

The pandemic has seen the need for surveys rise as people leave jobs unsatisfied with their work-life balance. As a result, many have seen the act of surveying as a way to get the pulse of the workforce.

However, surveys may miss a beat.

In fact, Untapped AI found that two-thirds of the workforce underestimate their anxiety levels when completing organizational surveys.

This statistic was found after the responses of 10,000 Untapped AI users were analyzed.

Why are people underreporting their feelings?

Given that the research found there is a 35% disparity between what employees self-report on organizational pulse surveys and their true feelings, many will wonder what is stopping an honest response.

Despite a natural concern for the honesty of employees, the issue may have deeper roots.

People-pleasing behavior was noted as an inhibitor of honest pulse-taking by Untapped AI. The company noted a 2010 study by Robert F Kushner and Seung W Choi that found that 54% of women and 40% of men engage in people-pleasing behavior.

On the back of a desire to please, Untapped AI notes that 75% of change initiatives that are driven by the results of employee surveys don’t work.

Kendal Parmar, co-founder and CEO of Untapped AI, commented: “Most companies are aware that self-reported employee surveys don’t work, and that employees are more likely to withhold information or their true feelings. However, they simply can’t think of anything better.

"Surveys are boxing in employees to answer multiple-choice questions, and employees aren’t trusting that the process is anonymous and any negative answers won’t be held against them.

"It’s time to put an end to surveys to give employers real-time, anonymous insights into how their employees are feeling, rather than outdated models that simply don’t work.”"It’s time to put an end to surveys to give employers real-time, anonymous insights into how their employees are feeling, rather than outdated models that simply don’t work.”

How to improve surveys

As an AI tool that provides personalized coaching programs that give long-term insights and trends for businesses and employees, Untapped AI can help employers get a clearer picture of the workforce.

For those companies that do not want to invest in AI, they can focus on re-evaluating their company culture as companies need to ask why people do not feel free to express themselves and recognize the strains that employees are under.

The need to do this has become more pertinent during the pandemic and over the course of the 'Great Resignation' that has seen people leave their jobs.

There is no single answer to resolving work issues, but open discussion, and tools, that offer insights will undoubtedly help.