Post-Launch: Understanding and explaining Survey Ratings

This article provides guidance on how to effectively explain survey ratings and color schemes within the WorkTango platform. The article provides messaging that can be used to answer common questions about survey ratings.

How To Explain Survey Ratings and Color Schemes  

1. Confirm that the survey uses a  5-point Likert Scale. If not (i.e., 7-point scale or otherwise), reference resource articles and tweak the below messaging to fit. 
2. Review and share the below messaging where applicable.

Understanding Favorable vs Unfavorable

A 5-point Likert Scale is often used for survey questions, where “1” represents “Strongly Disagree” and “5” represents “Strongly Agree”.  The platform displays the percentage of employees who selected each score, but takes analysis one step further with color schemes to allow for differentiation between favorable and unfavorable sentiments.

• Ratings of 4 (Agree) or 5 (Strongly Agree) are considered favorable, reflecting positive sentiment.
• Ratings of 2 (Disagree) or 1 (Strongly Disagree) are labeled unfavorable, indicating concern or dissatisfaction.
• A 3 (Neutral) is considered neutral.

Statements with the highest percentage of favorable responses are highlighted as top-scoring factors. Within the platform, color-coded visuals help bring this data to life, making it easier to spot patterns at a glance.

By tracking shifts in favorable and unfavorable responses over time, organizations can better understand what’s working, uncover areas for growth, and build a more engaged employee experience.

Understanding % Favorable vs Average

The Average Score calculates the mean of all responses, considering the weight of each rating. While helpful for understanding overall sentiment, it can be less intuitive to interpret than % Favorable. For example, an average of 3.5 might not immediately convey the employee sentiment as clearly as knowing that 70% of respondents "Agree" or "Strongly Agree”. The Average Score can also be skewed by outliers or a large number of neutral responses

% Favorable shows the percentage of employees who selected “Agree” or “Strongly Agree.” It offers a clearer and more actionable view of employee sentiment.

Because it is easier to interpret and less impacted by extreme or neutral responses, WorkTango generally recommends using % Favorable as the primary metric for reporting and analysis.

FAQs

Q: What is a good score? 

A: Above 70% favorable, between 15-20% neutral, and below 15% unfavorable are considered good scores.

Q: Which score does the heatmap default to?

A: The heatmap defaults to displaying the % favorable (% of employees who selected 4 or 5)

Q: What is the WorkTango recommended view and scale? 

A: % favorable and 5-point Likert Scale. This is what benchmarks are based on.