"People do something if they really want to — or if it’s really easy."
Once a year, you send out that big employee satisfaction survey.
Fifty questions. That takes time. And energy.
Then, weeks later, a sixty-page PDF appears. A few meetings. Perhaps even a pie chart.
Sound familiar?
The problem isn’t that employees don’t want to give feedback. The problem is the annual employee satisfaction survey itself. Employees know how this ends: their input disappears into a black hole.
And then… nothing happens.
That’s not only frustrating, but also a waste of time, energy and trust.
So: if your engagement strategy still revolves around an annual employee satisfaction survey, it’s time to look at what actually works.
HR teams tell us the same thing time and time again. For example:
“Our response rates are plummeting.”
“People no longer trust the process.”
“By the time we get the results, they’re already out of date.”
But what is the reality?
In practice, these surveys are simply too long. Nobody wants to fill in seventy questions.
What’s more, they’re too slow: it takes weeks before you see any results.
On top of that, they’re often too general, meaning the feedback is lukewarm or arrives too late to be useful.
And the worst part? You’re basing decisions on skewed data. Because who actually fills in those endless questionnaires anymore?
It’s usually the people who think everything is brilliant.
Or, conversely, those who hate everything.
Meanwhile, the vast majority in the middle — the people you actually want to hear from — remain silent.
The real problem? Lack of motivation. And friction.
That’s why behavioural scientist BJ Fogg from Stanford puts it so simply:
Behaviour = Motivation × Ease.
In other words: people do something if they really want to — or if it’s super easy. So
, do you want a higher response rate?
Then you need to make it easier.
That’s exactly why we do things differently at askemo:
Surveys take 30–40 seconds, instead of 40 minutes.
We only ask relevant questions, without any unnecessary fluff.
Feedback comes in real time, not six weeks later.
The result? You finally hear from all employees — not just the loudest voices.
With askemo, you can launch a scientifically validated employee engagement survey that’s user-friendly for both you and your colleagues. No long, tedious questionnaires. Instead, short surveys with the highest response rate in the Netherlands. Employees can respond quickly and easily, much like sending a ‘Tikkie’.
Our approach consists of three phases:
Stop designing surveys on your own.
Start with a workshop involving HR, management and employees. Establish:
Pro tip: send an old-fashioned card with a QR code. It stands out. Works a treat.
Start with a baseline survey. A quick poll covering 8–10 key topics. For example:
Nothing more than that. No mandatory explanations. Keep it quick and non-committal.
Next? Ask more targeted questions based on the data.
One question per week. Per theme. That’s the pace.
Example: does ‘psychological safety’ score a 6? Then you follow that up.
Does ‘team spirit’ score a 9.5? Great. Don’t overanalyse.
This is where most organisations go wrong:
They do nothing with the feedback.
Not at askemo. We ensure:
And: you can see which action ideas are popular with other organisations.
Give them a thumbs-up. Share them. Build on what works.
You just need to change the frequency.
Annual surveys are slow, outdated and too late.
Pulse feedback is fast, up-to-date and motivating.
Make it easy. Make it visible. Make it valuable.
That’s how you finally turn feedback into action.
Want to explore this further? Check out our webinar on employee retention.
