Opinion

Employee Survey

What Makes a Good Employee Engagement Survey Question?

What makes a good employee engagement survey question? We explain why effective surveys should assess both the characteristics of engaged employees and the conditions that typically influence engagement.

25 August - 3 Minute Read

360 Feedback

What Questions Should You Include in a 360-Degree Feedback Questionnaire?

What should you include in a 360-degree feedback questionnaire? We explain how to select meaningful behaviours and competencies, and when an established or bespoke 360 model is the better choice.

21 August - 3 Minute Read

Employee Survey

How Long Should an Employee Engagement Survey Be?

How long should an employee engagement survey be? We explain how many questions to include, why 10–15 minutes is a useful target, and how to balance survey length with meaningful insight.

18 August - 3 Minute Read

Employee Survey

Employee Engagement Survey Benchmarks: How Should You Compare Your Results?

Employee engagement survey results become far more useful when you have something meaningful to compare them against. A score of 4.1 out of 5 may look positive, but is it good for your organisation? Has it improved since last year? Are some parts of the organisation performing substantially better than others? And how do your results compare with other organisations? In this guide, we look at the different ways organisations can benchmark employee engagement survey results, when external benchmarks are useful, and why the way your survey provider calculates and reports scores matters.

14 August - 3 Minute Read

360 Feedback

How Can Universities Develop Leaders on a Limited Budget?

360-degree feedback can be a highly cost-effective way for universities to develop leaders when budgets are constrained, because it focuses development on the specific behaviours that will make the greatest difference. The key is to use a model that reflects the realities of university leadership and to ensure the feedback leads to focused, practical action.

12 August - 3 Minute Read

Employee Survey

Employee Engagement Survey Providers for SMEs

If your organisation has between 20 and 1,000 employees, you probably need something different—a provider that combines powerful survey technology with practical consultancy and hands-on project management. This guide explains what SMEs should look for when choosing an employee engagement survey provider and how to select a partner that delivers meaningful business value.

10 August - 3 Minute Read

Opinion

What Does a Fully Managed Employee Survey Include?

A fully managed employee survey typically includes discovery, survey design, communications planning, survey launch, response monitoring, data analysis, reporting, leadership presentations, manager workshops, action planning and follow-up support. Rather than simply collecting employee feedback, it provides expert guidance throughout the entire process to help organisations turn insight into meaningful improvements.

7 August - 3 Minute Read

360 Feedback

Choosing a 360 feedback supplier

The best 360 feedback providers offer more than technology. They combine consultancy expertise, evidence-based survey design, behavioural frameworks, confidential administration, insightful reporting and coaching support to help individuals understand their strengths, address development areas and improve leadership effectiveness.

30 July - 3 Minute Read

Opinion

Why Combine Executive Coaching with 360-Degree Feedback?

Executive coaching and 360-degree feedback are powerful development tools in their own right, but together they deliver even greater value. Discover why Protostar typically starts coaching programmes with 360-degree feedback to create evidence-based objectives, targeted development and measurable leadership growth. These questions matter because the way comments are managed can significantly affect both the quality of feedback and the level of trust employees place in the survey process.

22 July - 3 Minute Read

360 Feedback

How Much Does 360-Degree Feedback Cost in the UK?

Wondering how much 360-degree feedback costs? Discover typical UK pricing, what affects the cost and what's included in a fully managed 360-degree feedback service.

22 July - 3 Minute Read

360 Feedback

Who Should Provide Feedback in a 360 Degree Review?

Choosing the right people to provide feedback is one of the most important decisions in any 360-degree feedback process. While organisations often focus on the questionnaire itself, the quality of the feedback depends just as much on who is invited to complete it. The aim of 360-degree feedback is to build a balanced picture of how someone is experienced by the people they work with most closely. That means including a range of perspectives rather than relying on a single manager's opinion or the views of one particular group.

30 June - 3 Minute Read

Opinion

Should Managers See Employee Survey Comments?

Open comments are often one of the most valuable parts of an employee survey. They provide context behind the scores, highlight issues employees may not raise elsewhere, and often reveal patterns that numerical data alone cannot explain. At the same time, organisations frequently worry about how to handle comments. Should managers see employee comments directly? Will employees still speak honestly if they think their wording could identify them? How do you balance transparency with confidentiality? These questions matter because the way comments are managed can significantly affect both the quality of feedback and the level of trust employees place in the survey process.

13 May - 3 Minute Read

360 Feedback

Why 360-degree feedback often goes wrong in organisations

360-degree feedback is widely used to support leadership development. In principle, it offers a more rounded view of how individuals are experienced by others, beyond a single line manager perspective. However, if not rolled out effectively, organisations can be disappointed with the results. Feedback can feel vague, overly positive, or difficult to act on. In some cases, it can even create defensiveness or reduce trust. These issues are rarely caused by the idea of 360-degree feedback itself. More often, they come from how the process is positioned, designed, and supported.

15 April - 3 Minute Read

Opinion

When Should You Use Focus Groups After an Employee Survey?

Even when employee survey respondents are given many opportunities to add free-text comments, their responses often raise important follow-up questions: why do employees feel the way they do, and what suggestions do they have for improvement? This is where focus groups can play a valuable role. Used thoughtfully, they help organisations explore the context behind survey findings and develop a clearer understanding of what employees are experiencing. Ideally, they are done immediately after the survey and before the analysis report is compiled, so that the focus groups inform the report.

27 March - 3 Minute Read

Opinion

What Is the Difference Between Coaching and Mentoring?

Organisations often use both coaching and mentoring to support leadership development. While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they serve different purposes and work in different ways. Understanding the distinction can help organisations decide which approach will be most useful for a particular leader or situation.

16 March - 3 Minute Read