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Employee Surveys 123
Chapter 4 provides examples of types of wording that can be confusing, many of which are
applicable to employee surveys. Other examples of confusing wording include the following:
· Amounts spent at concessions--confusion may occur as to whether the amount is per visit (in
which case the number of visits per day is also required) or the amount spent per day. It is diffi-
cult for employees to estimate the average amount spent per day for concessions that they only
use once a week or once a month. A better approach is to ask when they last visited a particular
concession and how much they recall spending. The responses then provide a distribution of the
frequency of visits and the amount spent. The question should make it clear whether taxes and
tips should be included.
· Work location--some employees work in multiple locations.
· Category of employer--employees often do not recognize categories of employers such as
"concessions." It is better to provide a wide range of options so few people will respond with
"other." Include volunteer positions in the response options if the airport uses them (e.g., in
information booths).
Two sample questionnaires for employees are provided in Appendix H.
6.5 Measures to Obtain Adequate Response
The two main considerations in obtaining an adequate response rate are to clearly explain the
purpose of the survey in a way that will make the survey of interest to employees and to ensure
that it is easy for them to respond. The introduction should identify who is conducting the sur-
vey and who it is for. It should state how the results will be used, highlighting aspects that could
benefit them as airport employees.
Aspects such as the quality and friendliness of interviewers and the length, format, and ease of
understanding and completing the questionnaire (discussed in Section 5.6) apply equally to
employee surveys.
If questionnaires are being handed to employees while they are at work, they should be
approached when not busy, asked to fill out the form at their convenience, and informed what to
do with the completed questionnaire. Options, discussed earlier, include returning later to collect
the completed questionnaire, having a drop box, or using pre-paid reply mail. It will be necessary
to go to the same work locations over a range of times and days of the week to cover employees
working different shifts.
Interviews in employee break rooms or food courts are often very successful. The topics can
become points of conversation among employees and they develop more interest in the issues
being covered.
6.6 Survey Budget
The budget for employee surveys will include the following components: survey design and
planning, including development of employee lists if a list-based approach is used; question-
naire design, testing and printing, or loading onto a survey website; survey field staff and
supervisor wages and other on-site expenses; data entry, checking, and analysis; and report-
ing and presentation of findings. (See Section 2.5 for a more detailed discussion of the steps in
developing a survey budget.)
Concession and satisfaction surveys of employees are often conducted in conjunction with
passenger surveys, which can significantly reduce the costs of the employee survey, especially an
on-site survey. Contact with employees is best done during quiet periods at the airport, so employee
