Comments Report

Depending on the size of your group and your organization’s policy about distributing the written comments employees provide when completing the survey, you may have access to a comments report. The comments report is particularly valuable for getting an initial understanding of what employees are thinking about regarding each specific topic in the survey.

When reviewing the comments report for your area, it is very important to keep a few things in mind:

• First, try to avoid playing the “who said what” game. In other words, don’t try to guess which of your employees made specific comments. Instead, try to identify broad themes that communicate a message about how employees feel and suggestions they are making about how situations or issues can be improved. It is possible that some comments are rather harsh.

• Try to control your emotions and how you react to these comments. Some employees can be less than diplomatic when they write a comment. Looking past any harsh words, ask yourself whether there is an important message that is being conveyed that perhaps is consistent with other comments that are more tactfully written.