There are some organizations where the demographics of the employee population are almost identical in terms of age, education, attainment, field of work, physical location, access to Internet connectivity, a common language, and many other attributes. However, this is not always the case. From the presence of four generations and non-English-speaking workers to employees without computer workstations, the workplace varies and sometimes quite radially. These variations can make the survey process quite complex and costly.
Consider a work environment in which you have five age groups in the range of 20-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50-60, and 60-75. Some employees have computer workstations and some do not, and most have smart phones. All employees do have personal e-mail addresses and personal phone numbers. For this discussion, consider how you might approach this situation:
- What should we consider in planning a survey deployed via the Internet?
- What challenges might we face in sending the survey instrument to all employees?
In addition, describe a group or groups that may offer the greatest challenge in deploying the organizational survey instrument.