How to use surveys to effectively transform your union branch

Surveys are not just a tool for gathering data; they’re a powerful tool to empower members, identifying the real issues on the ground and building powerful, data-driven local campaigns.

In this blog, we’ll explore the steps you can take to define your survey objectives, craft your questions, distribute and promote to your members, analyse the results and feed back to your members.

Follow our step-by-step process to set up your union survey

Step 1) Define your survey objective (“the why”)

Before even thinking about writing a single survey question, you first need to consider why you want to run a survey. A survey without a clear objective is just a collection of data, not a strategic tool. Objectives you may want to consider include:

• To increase engagement: Are you wanting members to get more involved in the union? Do you want members to become Reps? Want to check if they’re satisfied in the branch?
• To identify key issues: Are you aware of issues affecting your members and want to know more? Do you have a feeling that something is wrong and want to know more?
• To shape a local campaign: Do you have an upcoming negotiation or dispute and need to build evidence or hear from members to support your campaign?

A well-defined objective will help to guide every other decision, from the questions you ask in your survey, how you plan on analysing the results and ultimately, how you will act on the results. P.S. Don’t forget to work with your regional office to align objectives.

Step 2) Choose your questions (“the what”)

The quality of your survey questions has a direct impact on the quality of your members’ responses. You should follow these principles:

• Keep it simple: Don’t overload your survey will too many questions. A short, five to ten minute survey is much more likely to be completed, than a longer one.
• Use a mix of question types:
  • Multiple choice and checkboxes: These are great for gathering quantitative data and make analysis much easier. For example, “What are your main health and safety concerns at work? Please tick all that apply“, which you would then list various health and safety concerns you’re aware of at work, such as slips, trips and falls, mental health or personal protective equipment (PPE).
  • Rating scales: You can use these to gauge how strongly members feel about a particular issue or concern. For example, “On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with your current working conditions?“.
  • Comment boxes and single text fields: These allow for members to provide qualitative feedback and can help you uncover issues you weren’t aware of. For example, “What is the biggest issue at work for you?“.
• Be neutral: You should avoid putting questions in your survey that lead members to answer in a particular way. For example “Don’t you agree that management’s new policy is unfair?“. Instead, you should phrase it as “How do you feel about management’s new policy?“.
• Ask about demographics: To help you identify where particular issues or concerns are, where applicable, you should ask questions about your members’ departments, job roles, shift patterns or years of service. This will help you identify if particular issues are only affecting specific groups of members.

Step 3) Distribute and promote (“the how”)

You could create the best survey in the world, however if no one fills it out, it will be useless. That’s why when thinking about setting up a survey, you also need to consider how you will send it out and get members to fill it in. You should consider using one, or multiple of the below methods:

• • Online tools: Share the link to the survey via email, social media groups or WhatsApp.
  • Physical forms: Don’t forget about members who are not digitally connected. You could distribute them in the break room, or hand to staff when you see them. Don’t forget to provide a way for them to anonymously hand their responses back in (like a box with a slot).
  • SMS: If you have your members’ phone numbers, why not send it over via SMS?
  • Face-to-face: Use the survey as a conversation starter. This can be one of the most effective methods to engage members as it allows for real dialogue, and if you’re speaking to non-members, can potentially lead to recruitment.

No matter how you choose to distribute your survey, you should clearly communicate it’s purpose and how the responses will be used.

You should emphasise that your survey is for members’ voices to be heard. Further to this, where applicable, surveys should be anonymous to get honest feedback, especially when surveying members on sensitive or tough subjects.

And don’t forget to include a deadline to respond to the survey by! By giving a clear date for the survey to close, you will encourage members to respond in time for you to analyse

Step 4) Analyse the results and develop a plan (“the action”)

Once your survey has been distributed, and the member responses have come in, this is where the magic happens. It is vital that you act on any member responses or feedback to a survey. A branch that gathers data, but fails to act on it can damage member trust.

When analysing your survey responses, thinks to look out for include:

• Identifying patterns: Identify the top issues and concerns highlighted by members. If asked, you should also look for any correlations between demographic data to see whether these issues are only affecting specific groups of members.
• Identify “winnable” issues: Not every issue can be a campaign, however you should look for problems that are widely and deeply felt by members and that are potentially achievable. A simple win can build momentum for bigger campaigns.
• Develop a campaign strategy: Use the survey data as your evidence base to work alongside your regional office to develop a local campaign with clear, concise demands. Don’t forget to promote this campaign to your branch to build momentum with members, put pressure on management and raise awareness of the issue.

Step 5) Feedback to your members (“the listen”)

The final, and most crucial step to running a branch survey is to show your members that you listened to, and valued their feedback. This should include:

• Communicating the results: Share key findings of the survey with the entire branch. We would suggest using charts, statistics and diagrams to make the data more digestible and easy to understand. You can promote this in your union newsletter, over email or in social media groups.
• Explain the plan: Don’t just show the results to your members; explain what you are going to do about them. You should break down the issues and your action plan, and how you are going to achieve change.
• Celebrate the wins: As the campaign progresses and you achieve success, no matter how big or  small your progress it, celebrate it with your members. This shows members that their voice and input in the survey is helping to make positive change at work.