Studies have concluded that a negative, causal relationship exists between employee satisfaction and employee turnover, and conventional wisdom insists it is true-improving employee satisfaction appears to be instrumental in decreasing employee turnover.

But, how do you determine what employees want in order to be satisfied? The same way you find out about what customers want. You ask-through an employee survey.

An employee survey is not a one-shot event eliciting general feedback. It is not a report that sits on managers' shelves making them feel good that at least they asked. Employees will stop taking surveys if they know nothing will come of their feedback. They will know it is an exercise in futility. Sure, a report might be generated, but if the survey didn't spur any action plans or an interactive, ongoing dialogue between managers and employees, the agents will be rightfully frustrated.