Project WHEN Culture Pulse Survey

Employee survey examining your workplace culture, and focusing on creating a respectful, harassment-free work environment

Your organization is interested in addressing workplace harassment. How will you establish a starting point? How will you know if your efforts are effective?

The National Women’s Law Center recommends that companies administer an anti-harassment survey annually. Analyzing the results can help employers assess the workplace culture of respect and determine if the organization is on the right path. The initial survey is a critical step since it will create a baseline metric against which improvements will be measured.

How will you ensure that you are asking the right questions to your employees? The importance of using a proven survey instrument cannot be overstated. The use of the same survey language year after year will ensure consistency in capturing employee sentiment. 

The subject of harassment can be difficult to discuss within the workplace. But it should not stop any organization from getting to the root of the matter. The administration of a confidential anonymous survey by an expert, independent third-party provider will provide employees confidence that they can be open and honest in responding to survey questions. 

Project WHEN offers our Culture Pulse Survey, which takes into account the risk factors identified by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). It is formulated based on our multi-year research initiative centered on preventing workplace harassment before it occurs, one of the reasons the EEOC has acknowledged the unique approach adopted by Project WHEN.

What does the Culture Pulse Survey include?

Project WHEN’s survey takes a holistic view of your organization in order to provide you actionable data you can use to address harassment in your company. This holistic approach extends beyond sexual harassment to include all forms of harassment: physical harassment, quid pro quo harassment, microaggression, bullying, job shaming, verbal threats, derogatory comments, discriminating or exclusionary behavior, and other forms of offensive conduct.

Equally as important in addressing workplace harassment, the Project WHEN survey focuses on measuring your organization’s culture of respect. The survey categories and questions are drawn from research on the Critical Influences that impact behavior in the workplace, and factors that, if left unchecked, can lead to workplace harassment. The research began in 1996 by Project WHEN’s founder, Diane Stegmeier, and the study involved 234 organizations in 31 industries. 

The survey is comprised of 24 questions (excluding employee demographics) based on a number of key categories which follow. Project WHEN’s Culture Pulse Survey can be completed by employees in approximately 10 minutes. The survey addresses employee experiences with general harassment (e.g. bullying, exclusion, etc.) as well as sexual harassment with questions that have been sensitively written. 

• Core Values
• Culture
• Confidence
• Communications
• Leadership Behavior
• Rewards & Consequences
• Safety
• Impact on Productivity
• Awareness
• Autonomy & Authority
• Employee Experiences
• Physical Space
• Open-ended Feedback

Below are example questions from important themes included in the survey:

• Agreement format: In our organization, there is a clear sense of what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior among employees.
• Open-ended format: Our organizational culture can best be described as ___________________________.
• Level of Confidence format: How confident are you that the organization is serious about preventing harassment in the workplace at this particular point in time?
• Agreement format: Our senior leaders understand the severity of harassment in the organization.

How do we proceed with the employee Culture Pulse Survey?

The survey is part of Project WHEN’s Organizational Certification, but is also available as a standalone service for companies that see the need to understand employee sentiment by gathering meaningful data.

The WHEN™ Organizational Certification offers a holistic and strategic approach in creating a harassment-free workplace. Enrolling in this program will send the message that your organization is serious about ensuring that employees are working in a safe and respectful work environment.

After registering in our certification program, the employee survey will be deployed in the initial phase of the process. We will guide your organization in studying your corporate culture by leading a qualitative and quantitative data collection process. 

After analyzing the results of the survey, Project WHEN will prepare and deliver a comprehensive report detailing concerns from employees and our recommendations to address any areas for improvement. This data gathering and analysis phase will then pave the way for the remaining steps towards becoming certified.

If you are interested in availing the Culture Pulse Survey, whether as a part of our holistic certification program or as a separate undertaking for your organization, get the process started by getting in touch with us through this contact form.

Other ways to get involved with Project WHEN

Want to help spread the word about the importance of eliminating workplace harassment? You can make it happen by getting involved with Project WHEN. 

To demonstrate your commitment to this cause and officially join the movement, we encourage you to sign our Pledge of Commitment. This will also automatically sign you up to our mailing list so you can stay updated about the latest Project WHEN news. 

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, financial support from the concerned organizations and individuals is an essential way for us to fund our work. If you want to help us further our mission, please consider making a donation. All financial contributions made to us are tax deductible.

You can also partner with us to host a Project WHEN Roundtable within your organization or business community. In this event, key leaders and stakeholders will have an opportunity to participate in an intimate and meaningful discussion about workplace harassment challenges and how to address it. Check out our sponsorship page to learn more about partnership opportunities that we are offering.