How priorities and strengths are calculated

This article will outline how strengths and priorities are calculated and what factors are taken into account when determining strength and priority drivers. For more information, please see Strengths and priorities and how they work. 

After the end of every survey round (at 1:00 AM UTC), Peakon evaluates which segments need updated strengths and priorities. 

Within each of these segments, Peakon then identifies specific drivers of engagement as strengths and priorities based on the feedback received from the driver and sub-driver questions. 

This article covers each of these two processes in the following sections:

1. Context selection - which contexts qualify for updated strengths and priorities
2. Driver selection - which drivers within a context qualify as strengths or priorities

Context selection

The context switcher is located in the top left-hand corner of the Peakon dashboard, and allows users who have access to multiple datasets to switch between them. 

The following checks ensure that Peakon only updates strengths and priorities within a context when enough new feedback has been collected to warrant an update: 

• The aggregated participation rate for the context is more than 25% since the last update of strengths and priorities 
• At least 30% of the segment’s employees have been included in a survey schedule since the last update of strengths and priorities

The above logic tries to find the right balance by ensuring that priorities and strengths for each context are not updated unless Peakon receives feedback from a significant portion of employees.

The second check also prevents priorities and strengths for larger segments, such as male and female segments, being updated every time smaller segments are surveyed when running multiple survey schedules and frequencies for different target populations. 

For example, a company might run an annual company-wide survey but also have one department, representing only 10% of the company’s employees, on a separate monthly survey frequency. The checks would prevent the company-wide results from being updated monthly based solely on one department’s scores. However, assuming the checks have been met, the priorities and strengths of the department on a monthly survey frequency will likely be updated monthly.

Note: The second check that refers to both enabled and disabled survey schedules.

How multiple survey schedules affect company-wide strengths and priority calculations

Some companies choose not to have company-wide surveys and instead set up multiple schedules, on various frequencies, for different populations of their employees (regional surveys etc.) In such instances, updates to the company-wide strengths and priorities are subject to the same checks and logic.

Consider such a company’s gender segments, which would each represent a large portion of employees. The checks ensure that strengths and priorities are not recalculated every time a small portion of those employees are surveyed. However, assuming the company had 40 surveys, each representing 2.5% of the company’s employees, the checks would also ensure that strengths and priorities for the gender segments are updated periodically once 30% of the segment has been surveyed. 

Driver and sub-driver selection

When calculating strengths and priorities, both drivers and sub-drivers can be identified by Peakon. The two factors that influence whether a driver or sub-driver will be identified as either priority or strength are the Benchmark and Impact. You can see the Benchmark and Impact as columns in Key drivers of engagement section pictured below.

To be identified as strength or priority, a driver or sub-driver needs to:

• Be significantly below (for Priorities) or above (for Strengths) the benchmark
• Have a strong impact on engagement (as shown by the Impact circles)

The comparison against the benchmark is made using the 75th percentile of the benchmark.

Managers can accept or reject suggested priorities. Additionally, it is also possible to set priorities on drivers that have not been suggested as a priority. Read more about this in Strengths and priorities and how they work.