Episode 13: The Problem with Engagement Surveys

Employee engagement surveys, originating from military morale assessments, have become widespread in HR despite doubts about their effectiveness in predicting performance. The concept of "engagement" lacks a universal definition, yet it influences executive bonuses, leading to inconsistent application and academic scepticism regarding its validity. Methodological flaws include oversimplification and the assumption of shared understanding in questions, while the process can be infantilising by placing sole responsibility on employers. We suggest exploring alternative, more nuanced methods for understanding employee experiences, such as narrative collection and sentiment analysis, moving away from standardised surveys.Excerpts from ⁠Magnetic Nonsense⁠⁠: ⁠⁠A Short History of Bullshit at Work and How to Make it Go Away⁠Note: podcast generated by Google LM Notebook from the original book text.