High participation rates in a massive employee-satisfaction poll

The lawyers of Microsoft have the opportunity each year to respond to a survey of all the company’s employees. According to Microsoft’s general counsel, Brad Smith, writing in InsideCounsel, May 2008 at 8, “more than 80 percent of the legal department participates.” That level of participation is commendable (See my post of April 8, 2005: a much lower rate at another law department and some speculation as to why.). It suggests to me that the members of the legal department believe that the survey results will be kept anonymous and that improvements may result from it.

Smith goes on to explain that “We use the extensive quantitative feedback(and typically more than 1,000 verbatim comments) to identify and develop new internal initiatives each year.” The short reference says nothing further about what Microsoft’s legal group has done as an initiative.