Log in or become a subscriber

Changing the wording of survey questions can make the difference between feedback managers take accountability for, and feedback that makes them feel attacked, a conference has heard.

BHP's head of organisational development and analytics, Vaughn Sheahan, has been conducting employee surveys for 20 years, but he told the recent Qualtrics Experience Live event in Sydney that in every survey cycle, he continues to learn something different.

"And at every moment, we're always thinking about, how do we make this better?"

Sharing changes to what he calls "the jewel of our crown" – BHP's twice-yearly "engagement and perception survey" – Sheahan notes the process underwent a big shift in 2020 after a new CEO gave his team permission to "shake it up"...