Non-response bias is a common yet frequently misunderstood phenomenon that can quietly invalidate your most expensive HR initiatives. Whether you’re a seasoned department lead or a first-time manager, you need to understand how this bias impacts your data. In this guide, we’ll explore how to avoid non-response bias and get the most out of your employee satisfaction survey process.
Key Takeaways
- Non-response bias describes the skewed results of a survey that are the consequence of only a portion of the group filling out the form. The survey results are therefore inaccurate, due to the ‘non-response’ of multiple team members.
- The consequence of non-response bias is useless data. Non-response can lead leadership to make decisions based on a skewed reality.
- Employees can not respond to a survey for a number of reasons: not being present; not receiving the invitation; technical error; being a ‘quiet quitter’; out of concern that the survey is not anonymous; and finding it hard to access on PC (for mobile, non-desk positions).
- You can minimize non-response bias by making it easier to participate, building trust through anonymity; taking action based on survey results so people know that their responses matter; and offering incentives (if appropriate).
- Using a dedicated performance management software like Primalogik can greatly facilitate the survey process and help you get the feedback you need from your employees.
Table of Contents
2. The consequences of non-response bias
3. What causes non-response bias?
4. What you can do to minimize non-response bias
5. Use Primalogik to conduct successful employee satisfaction surveys
What is non-response bias?
Non-response bias happens when the people who don’t fill out a survey feel very differently, or would answer very differently, from the people who do.
When this happens, your survey results don’t actually represent your whole team or company; they only represent the individuals who answered the survey. This can lead leadership to make decisions based on a skewed reality.
For example, if you have only satisfied employees filling out a survey, or only dissatisfied employees filling out a survey, the result will not accurately represent the entire group’s level of employee satisfaction.
Example of non-response bias
Imagine you have 100 employees. You send out a survey about work-life balance.
- 70 people respond: They say balance is great!
- 30 people don’t respond: They were too busy working 12-hour shifts to open the email.
If you only look at the data, you’d think everyone is happy. But because the overworked group (the non-responders) is missing, your data is not accurate.It’s impossible to assess the people experience in your company with this incomplete feedback. Non-response bias has undermined your entire employee satisfaction survey process.
The consequences of non-response bias
The consequence of non-response bias is, in simple terms, useless data. And useless data means your survey has been a waste of time, money, and resources. It’s also a problem if those at the top levels of an organization are led to believe their workforce is feeling one way or the other: it means incorrect conclusions will be drawn and bad decisions will be made.
Employee satisfaction is playing a larger role than ever before in overall workplace culture and organizational success. Employee satisfaction surveys that used to be considered something ‘extra’ are now coming closer to the heart of the entire performance management process. Since workplace satisfaction is having a bigger and bigger impact on retention and overall engagement, the results of surveys about related topics are also having a bigger impact. The consequences of getting it wrong are greater now that the results of quick check-ins and real-time feedback are shaping make-it-or-break-it company policies.
What causes non-response bias?
There can be a number of reasons that employees don’t respond to surveys. Sometimes it’s easy to identify the cause: they could be on sick leave, or may not have received the invitation to participate, or perhaps there was a technical glitch.
Sometimes the reason can be more subtle and harder to identify from the outside. Spectra360 notes that “employees who are very unhappy or want to make changes are more likely to take the survey, while those who are happy might not feel the need to participate.”
Other types of non-responders include:
The Quiet Quitter
Employees who are disengaged or planning to leave often don’t bother taking surveys. Result: Leadership thinks engagement is high because only the happy employees responded.
The Tech Gap
Office workers find it easy to click a link; warehouse or field staff might find it a hassle. Result: Policies get tailored to office needs, ignoring the frontline staff.
The Scared Employee
If employees don’t trust that the survey is anonymous, those with negative feedback stay silent. Result: The survey shows no complaints or negative feedback of any kind.
What you can do to minimize non-response bias
To minimize non-response bias, you have to lower the amount of time and effort required to participate, while increasing the perceived value of completing the survey (trust and impact).
If people feel like their input is a waste of time or a personal risk, the only people left responding will be the outliers—the extremely happy or the extremely angry.
1. Build Trust Through Anonymity
The biggest reason for silence is fear of retaliation. If employees think others can see their specific answers, they may lie or opt out.
Platforms like Primalogik include the possibility of submitting anonymous employee surveys and other types of anonymous employee feedback, which eliminates this particular risk.
You can also state that results won’t be shared for any group smaller than 5 people. This prevents people from identifying participants through the process of elimination.
2. Make It Easy
Survey fatigue is real. If a survey takes 20 minutes, your busy high-performers will skip it. Keep surveys short and focused. Use pulse surveys (with only 3–5 questions) that only take a couple of minutes to fill out and avoid a giant, annual 50-question challenge.
Make sure everyone can access the survey, regardless of whether they are working remotely or using mobile (for workers not at a desk). This can be put in place easily using an automated and customizable online employee survey tool like the one included in Primalogik’s performance management software suite. Remember to test the process of sending out invitations to take part. Automated reminders are also a good way to encourage more participation.
You might also want to brush up on how to create an effective employee satisfaction survey and use a template to get off on the right foot.
3. Close the Feedback Loop
Nothing kills response rates faster than a survey that disappears into nowhere. Show your staff the results (the good and the bad) within weeks, not months. Real-time feedback requires a two-way commitment, and they should be rewarded for responding promptly.
It’s also a good idea to explicitly link company changes to survey results. For example: Because 60% of you mentioned meeting burnout, we are implementing No-Meeting Fridays starting next month.
4. Offer Incentives If Appropriate
You want to encourage participation without inspiring positive reviews. The best way to do this is to explicitly tell employees to take 10 minutes of paid work time to complete the survey. Don’t expect them to do it on their lunch break.
Use Primalogik to conduct successful employee satisfaction surveys
Non-response bias can ruin your best efforts at gathering relevant employee satisfaction feedback through surveys. At Primalogik, we understand that the right software can help you build and execute effective surveys and gather the data you need to make your organization thrive.
Take the pulse of your employees’ satisfaction and engagement using our complete performance management software suite, and manage the data via easy-to-implement reports, people analytics and manager journals. With instant feedback and employee survey tools at your fingertips, you can gather the information you need to encourage, motivate and appreciate your staff. Book a demo today.