Employee Surveys in Switzerland: Find Providers & Tools

The market for employee survey tools has grown significantly in recent years. In Switzerland in particular, there are now numerous providers capable of conducting employee surveys. Many providers promise high response rates, insightful results dashboards, and an easy implementation process.

But anyone who has ever conducted an employee survey knows this: Choosing the right employee survey provider is crucial. It determines whether an employee survey will actually yield insights and drive change—or whether it will ultimately just produce a report that gets buried on the intranet.

In this article, we’ll show you which criteria really matter when selecting a provider for your employee survey and why the decision between conducting the survey in-house and seeking external support has far-reaching consequences.

Conducting an Employee Survey: In-House or an External Provider

Before companies start looking for an employee survey provider, they must ask themselves a fundamental question: Should the employee survey be conducted in-house or by an external employee survey provider?

At first glance, an internal employee survey seems like a good idea. Many organizations already have online survey tools or HR systems that make it easy to create a survey.

In practice, however, it quickly becomes clear that a professional employee survey is significantly more complex.

Implementation includes, among other things:

• Development of a Valid Employee Survey Questionnaire
• Planning Communication for the Employee Survey
• Technical Distribution of the Employee Survey
• Memory Management
• Data Analysis
• Report Generation
• Planning of Measures

Especially in larger organizations in Switzerland, an employee survey can quickly tie up several hundred hours of the HR team’s time.

Anonymous Employee Survey

One argument that clearly speaks in favor of an external provider is the issue of anonymity.

When employees suspect that their responses are being analyzed internally, they often become hesitant. Criticism is phrased more cautiously or avoided altogether. Even a combination of details such as department, age, and length of service can make it possible to identify specific individuals in smaller teams.

An external employee survey provider can serve as a neutral party in this process. This ensures that the employee survey remains anonymous and credible. It builds employee trust and significantly improves the quality of the responses.

Employee Survey Providers: Which Services Matter Most

Not every provider that operates an online survey tool is automatically a suitable provider of employee surveys.

While many employee survey tools make it technically possible to conduct a survey, this is often not enough for a strategically focused employee survey. A professional provider of employee surveys should offer much more than just a platform or a survey tool.

Criterion	Practical Significance
Pre-Interview Counseling	Joint Definition of the Objectives of the Employee Survey
Scientifically Validated Questionnaire	Validated Questions for a Professional Employee Survey
Technical Infrastructure	Reliable delivery and mobile-optimized participation
Data Processing in Compliance with Data Protection Laws	Compliance with the Swiss Data Protection Act
Informative Reports	Clear presentation of the results
Post-processing	Support in developing measures

A Swiss or international provider?

When planning an employee survey, many companies face another decision: Should the survey be conducted by an international provider or by a Swiss employee survey provider?

International providers often offer large international benchmark databases. This can be an advantage, particularly for multinational corporations, when results need to be comparable on an international scale. However, these survey platforms are often highly standardized and can only be adapted to specific national conditions to a limited extent.

For many organizations in Switzerland, a Swiss employee survey provider such as ValueQuest therefore offers clear advantages.

• First, Swiss providers are very familiar with the labor law and data protection requirements related to employee surveys. This applies in particular to the revised Swiss Data Protection Act, as well as issues surrounding anonymity and employee participation.
• Second, Swiss providers often have realistic benchmarks for companies in Switzerland. A comparison with international averages may not be very meaningful if work culture, leadership, and employee expectations are strongly influenced by national conditions.
• Third, cultural fit also plays a role in Switzerland. An employee survey thrives on clearly worded questions, understandable communication, and trust in the process. Providers with experience in the Swiss market are better able to tailor questionnaires, communication, and the presentation of results to the expectations of employees and managers in Switzerland.

For medium-sized companies in particular, a specialized provider of employee surveys in Switzerland is therefore often a better choice than a global, standardized survey tool.

Conducting an Anonymous Employee Survey: Data Protection

The anonymity of an employee survey is a key prerequisite for honest responses. Many companies underestimate how much employee trust influences the quality of an employee survey.

Here are the questions you should ask any employee survey provider:

Who has access to the raw data?
In a professional, anonymous employee survey, the client must not have access to individual responses.

What is the minimum group size for analysis?
Reputable providers of employee surveys set a minimum size, often five to seven people. Smaller teams are not analyzed separately.

How is demographic data analyzed?
In small teams, combinations of multiple characteristics can compromise anonymity.

What data protection standards apply?
The revised Data Protection Act (revDSG) is particularly relevant for an employee survey in Switzerland.

Many providers also adhere to international industry standards set by ESOMAR.

Questionnaires for Employee Surveys: Methodology and Quality

An employee survey questionnaire is a measurement tool. If the questions in the employee survey are unclear, the results will be unreliable. Typical mistakes in self-developed questionnaires include:

• Leading Questions
• Double Questions
• Interviews That Last Too Long
• Unanswered Questions

A professional questionnaire for employee surveys is typically based on scientific models, such as:

• Job Demands-Resources Model
• Engagement Models
• Models of Organizational Support

A good employee survey in Switzerland combines standardized questions with company-specific topics tailored to the day-to-day operations of Swiss companies.

Analyzing Employee Surveys: Benchmarks and Reports

Once the employee survey is complete, the actual analysis begins. The evaluation of a professional employee survey not only provides individual metrics but also puts the results into context. Benchmarks play an important role in this process. Without comparative data, it is difficult to interpret the results of an employee survey. An experienced provider of employee surveys can, for example, demonstrate the following:

• Comparison with other companies in Switzerland

• Industry Comparison

• Trends over multiple survey cycles Typical reporting levels for an employee survey are:

• Entire company

• Business Units

• Departments

• Teams

Following Up on an Employee Survey: From Results to Action

Many employee survey providers—especially those that offer tools—focus on data collection. But the most crucial part of an employee survey doesn't begin until after that.

If an employee survey is not followed by any visible changes, employees quickly lose confidence in such processes. A professional provider therefore also assists with the follow-up to the employee survey. Typical elements include:

• Presentation of the results

• Facilitating workshops

• Development of action plans

• Follow-up surveys: Especially when conducting an employee survey in Switzerland, many organizations today expect support with implementation.

Realistically Estimating the Costs of an Employee Survey

The cost of an employee survey is often underestimated. Many companies compare only the cost of an employee survey tool. In reality, however, a professional employee survey involves significantly more services.

Cost Breakdown	Internal	External
Tool Costs	low	medium
HR expenses	very high	low
Questionnaire Development	high	contains
Analysis	high	contains
Follow-up	often not available	optional

A poorly conducted employee survey can be significantly more expensive than one carried out with professional guidance.

If an employee survey has a low response rate or if employees are reluctant to answer out of fear that their anonymity will not be preserved, the entire survey loses its significance.

Checklist: The Most Important Questions to Ask an Employee Survey Provider

When selecting a provider for employee surveys, you should ask the following questions:

1. How is the anonymity of the employee survey ensured?
2. What is the minimum group size for analyses?
3. Where is the data from an employee survey stored? In Switzerland, in the EU, or internationally?
4. Which models is the questionnaire based on?
5. What benchmarks are available for the employee survey?
6. What reporting levels are provided?
7. Is technical support available for participants in the employee survey?
8. What kind of support is provided after the employee survey?
9. What kind of track record does the provider have in the area of employee surveys?