The Employee Survey

One expression of Bertelsmann’s corporate culture of partnership is the Employee Survey. 

At regular intervals – for the first time in the 1970s, and worldwide since 2002 – employees are asked to anonymously fill out a formal questionnaire to give their assessment of important aspects of working life, e.g. working conditions, their immediate supervisor’s management conduct, opportunities for continued training and career development, teamwork within their department, and the company’s business strategy. The questionnaire is available in 15 languages and can be completed online or on paper. The aim of the survey is to cultivate a dialog between partners and to design processes of change during the follow-up processes. It is, for instance, mandatory for all managers to discuss the results with their team and to jointly draw up an action plan. 

In 2010, employees from 47 countries took part in the survey. The high participation rate of 85.1 percent shows that Bertelsmann’s employees appreciate this instrument and take an active role in the development of their company.

Employee Survey: Follow-up Processes

A few weeks after the end of the survey, the results are distributed in the form of “Direct Reports” (results for employees in the supervisor’s direct reporting line) and “Overall Reports” (employees in the supervisor’s entire area of responsibility). After a supervisor has spent several days reviewing his results, he invites his immediate employees for an open and constructive dialog on the results and possible action areas. Together, they draw up a specific action plan, about which the manager’s own boss is also informed. The manager ensures a systematic implementation of the measures and keeps his team and his own supervisor up to date about the progress made.

Employee Survey: Success Factors

• Anonymity: Employees can rest assured that their answers remain absolutely anonymous. Data is always aggregated, and results are only shown for groups of at least five people.
• Transparency of results: Every employee has the right to view the survey results for his team and his company. Managers meet with their staff to openly discuss the results and jointly develop ideas for how to achieve tangible improvements in their unit.
• Follow-up processes: Planning and implementing such measures is mandatory across all levels (department, company, division, Group). Employees are to be kept informed about the progress being made on the measures taken.