Find out what your people really think : How to maximize response rates to employee satisfaction surveys

Purpose – This paper aims to describe the ways in which employers can maximize responses to their employee‐satisfaction surveys. Design/methodology/approach – The paper deals, in turn, with each of the factors that determine response rates: engagement; involvement; relevance; experience; expectation; method; convenience; anonymity/confidentiality; the questionnaire itself; contentment; despair; incentives; urgency; reminders; and coercion. Findings – The paper provides examples of good and bad practice, while revealing that there is no single “best way”. Practical implications – The paper looks, in particular, at the differences between web‐based and paper questionnaires. Originality/value – The paper provides plenty of useful information for employers to gain an accurate picture of employees' feelings about their experience at work.