> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://evidano.gitbook.io/ailyze-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://evidano.gitbook.io/ailyze-docs/common-research-workflows/analyze-employee-feedback.md).

# Analyze Employee Feedback

Understand engagement surveys, exit interviews, and pulse feedback, and compare results across departments and tenure.

This page shows you how to analyze employee feedback — engagement surveys, pulse surveys, and exit interviews — and compare results across departments, teams, and tenure.

At the end you will have [themes](/ailyze-docs/reference/glossary.md#theme) in the open-ended comments, charts for your rating questions, and side-by-side comparisons by group.

## Before you start

* The Free plan or higher, plus your feedback as a spreadsheet (XLSX or CSV) or as documents (DOCX or PDF).

## Step 1: Pick the workflow that matches your data

| Your data is…                                          | Use                                            |
| ------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------- |
| An **engagement or pulse survey export** (spreadsheet) | **New spreadsheet project**                    |
| **Exit interviews** written up as documents            | **New document project**                       |
| **Recorded** stay or exit interviews                   | **Transcribe Audio/Video** first, then analyze |

This recipe follows the **xlsx/csv** path.

## Step 2: Set up department and tenure comparisons

1. Start **Analyze xlsx/csv files** and upload your survey export.
2. At **Choose the type of Analysis**, pick "Analyze text, numerical, categorical, etc. survey data across all columns" for the full picture.
3. In **Configure Column Types**, drag **Department, Team, Tenure band, Location,** and **Manager** into "Segments".
4. Check that rating questions sit under **Numerical Data** (histograms) and single-choice questions under **Categorical Data** (bar charts).
5. Let Evidano theme the open-ended comments, then click **Create Project and Start Analysis**.

<figure><img src="https://1178311500-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fi4GBXPMUDxszIpUVOARU%2Fuploads%2FqelYx5PqkJsdyrSRze7V%2FAnalyze%20Employee%20Feedback%201.gif?alt=media&amp;token=64939cf7-6f54-4170-a043-699fb2b1fb7e" alt="Setting up an employee-feedback analysis with segments"><figcaption><p>Department and tenure are dragged into Segments so the results can be compared by group.</p></figcaption></figure>

**Protect anonymity.** Keep groups large enough that no one can be identified. If a [segment](/ailyze-docs/reference/glossary.md#segment) has very few respondents, merge it, or leave out the **Respondent Name/ID** column so quotes stay anonymous.

## Step 3: Read your results

* **Themes** in open-ended feedback (for example, *workload*, *recognition*, *career growth*) with [frequencies](/ailyze-docs/reference/glossary.md#frequency).
* **Segment comparisons** showing how engagement drivers differ by department or tenure; switch between each group and the **Overall** view.
* **Quotes** for each theme, anonymized as needed, and charts you can export for the board deck.

<figure><img src="https://1178311500-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fi4GBXPMUDxszIpUVOARU%2Fuploads%2FaufLkX1RivZTxeFaaAAh%2FAnalyze%20Employee%20Feedback%202.png?alt=media&amp;token=46b2f5fb-e094-4f15-a2cd-0837b7cad32b" alt="Employee-feedback themes and segment comparison"><figcaption><p>The segment comparison beside each theme shows which departments drive it.</p></figcaption></figure>

## Step 4: Report to leadership

* Click **Chat to generate report or chart** and ask: *"Summarize the top three themes for the Engineering department vs the company average, with one quote each."*
* **Download as DOCX** for the written summary, or **Add Collaborator** (Pro) for a living link.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Costs money:** Downloading a report and sharing a link need the Pro plan. See [Plans, Limits & Credits](/ailyze-docs/reference/plans-limits-and-credits.md).
{% endhint %}

## A realistic example

> **Scenario:** A **1,200-person engagement survey** with ratings and two open-ended questions. Segmented by **department** and **tenure**, the dashboard shows where sentiment dips, which themes drive it, and a quote for each group.

## Next steps

* [Analyze open-ended survey responses](/ailyze-docs/common-research-workflows/analyze-open-ended-survey-responses.md) — the full spreadsheet workflow behind this recipe.
* [Compare groups and segments](/ailyze-docs/analyze-data/compare-groups-segments.md) — contrast departments or tenure bands safely.
* [Survey research best practices](/ailyze-docs/methods-and-best-practices/survey-research-best-practices.md) — anonymity and sample-size guidance.