ET09 We talk to Paul Thoresen about surveys, and more.

In this episode we are delighted to share an interview with Paul Thoresen, an industrial organisational psychologist based in the US. Paul works with organisations helping them to design, implement and take action from employee surveys.  Richard and Paul discuss some of the challenges around employee engagement and its measurement, such as the definition of the concept and the importance of being clear about the problem you are trying to address before looking at a solution.  They also explore whether surveys are sometimes seen as the solution, rather than a mechanism to gather the views of employees. As a tool they can be over-used and if no action is taken in between by the organisation, it can be a fruitless exercise. Paul encourages organisations to explore the data they may already have in their organisation, or think about other ways of collecting data such as focus groups and interviews.  More broadly we also look at the impact that social media is having on the speed and ease of sharing scientific information, however, it therefore requires us to critically appraise what we see and read.  You can read more about Paul's perspectives on evidence-based practice, organisational change and employee research on Twitter: @surveyguy2 or his blog: https://medium.com/@SurveyGuy2 If you're interested in reading more about employee engagement why not download our white paper: Employee engagement: the emperor's new clothes?