Employee Survey Time

[Blindsided]

Hey everyone, this year our survey is computerized. Now we all know that the powers that be can track every single keystroke, do we not? Have you experienced this, and how did you deal with it?

[caliotter3]

Have not participated in surveys. No one ever jumped on me for not doing so.

[Blindsided]

Yeah, I know this is pretty much a boring topic, but thanks Caliotter for your response. Each year this comes up I ask if it's mandatory. I'm told no, but their attitude makes us feel very pressured to take it. They always tell us well, you don't put your name on it, but there are some really specific questions that absolutely will identify many of us. This year I dealt with it by answering all the questions as neutral, then under comments told them in no way do I think this is annonymous. I'm curious as to what others are doing and how they feel about these surveys. I'm willing to bet it shows up somehow in my review for my protesting strongly.

[caliotter3]

We got one once that had a code printed on it. Another employer gave us one that was printed on colored paper. I am certain different people (different disciplines) got different colored ones. Like we're stupid. If you feel pressured, I would do as you said, go straight down the middle. I would not protest, just give them a meaningless response.

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

We have two generic log in computers we use for those kind of surveys. They are always logged in and are in our conference room area we share with the docs.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Our surveys come via email with a link that you have to click on to access it (through your email, don't believe for a second that they don't track it). Some of them have codes that you need to enter that are "individual access codes" and they still will tell you that surveys are "anonymous". Better yet, I am leaving my current job and the "exit interview" form says that "responses are anonymous" and asks for your name and employee ID #.

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

Do you think people really get fired for answering honestly? Color me stupid, but I have never seen it, and my answers are truthful. Are these non union hospitals?

Last year, our surveys took a dive, due to issues I won't post here (identification concerns), but management took note. They held meetings governed by a neutral party with no management present, and they have tried to reconnect with hospital staff. One manager was even let go. We had a crazy high census last week and the bosses brought in pizza for us. I truly see them trying, and they never would have known what to fix had we not answered honestly. I have yet to see any repercussions toward us.

To answer one part of your question...people are still paranoid about filling them out. We were told that if there are less than 5 responses, the surverys are not used because they could identify who it belonged too.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I answer these surveys honestly and I am not worried about losing my job because of my answers but I also don't believe they are truly anonymous. That part doesn't concern me because anything I'll say in those surveys, I'd have no problem saying out loud. Our management doesn't care whether it's something said in a survey or said to their face(s). Several people have told my manager directly recently that a) our floor is unsafe and something bad is going to happen if something isn't done about it and b) that people are miserable and she's going to lose about 20% of her staff if something doesn't change. Still nothing is happening and I don't believe that anything will happen until a patient dies. I said that exact thing on a recent survey about "patient safety in the hospital". I still don't believe anything will happen because it's more important to build an entire new building (when they can't staff for the beds they already have) all the while whining about how we can't hire adequate staff because of the "budget".

[Blindsided]

Thanks peeps (ooo, I wish I had a peep right now :)). I am outspoken in meetings and very little if any changes take place in response to it. Other less outspoken folks thank me, but that is small consolation when I am quite certain that at least one previous manager mentions my "bucking the system." This is evident during interviews, as an area of "concern." Bucking the system means that I don't just go along blindly with every silly little piece of c--- that management dreams up, which almost always ends up being more work. The damn survey is work! I forget how many identifying questions there were before you can even get into it. What really ticked me off is you couldn't print it off if you did wan't to give some thought to it. You had to answer then and there, and it was taking time away from what I needed to be doing. Well, enough said. Thanks for listening and posting.

[NurseOnAMotorcycle, ASN, RN]

Well I think it definitely colors how the NMs look at their individual employees. When i was The New Grad, I was the only one on the unit with less than 20 yrs of experience. The first two questions were:

1. What unit do you work on?

2. How many years have you been working as an RN?

um..duh. I didn't do the survey, suggested that i was still too new to have an opinion. Pressure off.

Surveys=yuck.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

The only thing I've requested on surveys for the past two years is better pay for the floor staff and med aides. Guess what, corporate doesn't listen to management either.......these kids are still making nine bucks an hour and getting 3% raises each year.