FAQ for the annual 'Best Christian Places to Work in Canada' survey.

How many employees need to fill out surveys? Is it voluntary?

What are these surveys like? How will they be scored?

Who will see the results of these surveys? Will results be kept confidential?

Can we add customized questions or demographics to the survey?

I still have more questions…who should I contact?

Who is sponsoring and administering the 'Best Christian Workplaces' survey?

Who is participating in this survey and how is it being publicized?

What are the eligibility requirements?

What are the requirements for certification?

If we fail to be certified, will that be publicized?

When must we register by? When must we complete the surveys?

How many employees need to fill out surveys? Is it voluntary?

The level of participation is designed to provide a 95% confidence level with a 4% margin of error. This participation target is calculated with the formula 600/(1+((600-1)/EE)) where EE is the number of employees you will survey. This target may also be calculated online at American Research Group. To give you some idea, view the estimates in the chart below.

Your organization will be responsible for encouraging employees to fill out the surveys.

What are these surveys like? How will they be scored?

The online employee survey takes 15 minutes to complete and is comprised of a minimum of 56 multiple-choice questions, five custom questions, and three open-ended questions asking employees for their opinions about their organization.

The Organization Profile is a more comprehensive questionnaire regarding the organization’s people practices that should take 30 minutes to an hour to complete by the survey administrator or HR representative.

Most survey questions are based on a 1-5 scale; scores for the employee surveys will be tabulated by taking an average of all responses received from the organization.

Who will see the results of these surveys? Will results be kept confidential?

This survey is anonymous. Although demographic information is collected, all reports will represent information in such a manner that it is impossible to determine individual responses (the results of demographic groupings of less than five are not shown).
Further, the results will be viewed solely by BCWI and management of the organization taking the survey. However, we encourage management to share the results with all employees.

Best Christian Workplaces Institute reserves the right to publish positive scores and comments that reflect well on organizations. In addition, composite results of all organizations to provide benchmarking data will be provided to participating organizations.

Can we add customized questions or demographics to the employee survey?

Yes, we can add up to five additional questions to the survey for any individual participating organization. These questions will not have any comparison data and will not be included in determining recognition as a Best Christian Workplace.

Our survey also includes a powerful reporting feature. Each participant will be able to receive employee survey results by organizational unit/department. Of course, we will not provide information for any breakdown with less than 5 employees participating. This ensures employee confidentiality. This feature will allow each organization to pinpoint “best practice” departments and locations and identify others with opportunities for improvement (additional fee).

I still have more questions…who should I contact?

Please address any additional questions to:

Kathy Lopus
Program Manager
Best Christian Workplaces Institute
ph: (206)230-8111

Who is sponsoring and administering this survey?

In Canada, BCWI is working in collaboration with the Canadian Council of Christian Charities (CCCC) who will announce the recognized Best Christian Places to Work in Canada each year.

Who is participating in this survey and how is it being publicized?

Any organization with a publicly stated Christian mission and vision, is based in Canada, and has 10 or more employees is eligible to participate. Every year we directly contact hundreds of organizations in a variety of fields—including churches and parachurch ministries, colleges, universities, seminaries, K-12 schools, relief agencies, denominational headquarters, educational institutions, communications companies, and retailers.

The survey also includes “Christian businesses”, which are organizations that serve a commercial need and have a stated Christian mission, purpose or goal statement that is communicated broadly.

We are also publicizing this feature on the Web, through associations and through a number of e-mail lists.

What are the eligibility requirements?

To participate in the ‘Best Christian Workplaces’ annual survey, an organization must be U.S.-based, have more than 10 full-time employees, and have an explicitly, publicly stated Christian mission and/or purpose.

What are the requirements for certification?

BCWI conducts a review of survey results for certification based on overall survey results. Small and mid-sized organizations with a 4.0 (out of 5.0) score or higher are considered for certification. For organizations above 400 employees the overall criterion is reduced by .05 for every additional 100 employees to be certified as a Best Christian Workplace.

If we fail to be certified, will that be publicized?

The identities of all non-certified organizations will remain kept confidential.

When must we register by? When must we complete the surveys?

You can take an independant survey at any time. Participate in the Spring or Fall surveys for a reduced price.