How Do I Compare Survey Results with External Benchmarks in Heatmaps?

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What Are External Benchmarks?

External benchmarks are average values derived from anonymized data of organizations that use the validated Honestly Engagement Survey or Honestly Pulse Survey. These are categorized by:

• Company Size : (e.g., up to 250 employees, 251–1000 employees, more than 1000 employees)
• Sector : (e.g., Services, Industry, Finance, Other)

These classifications can be set in the “Company information ” tab in your account settings.

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How to Use External Benchmarks in a Heatmap

1. Create a Heatmap
   Follow the standard steps to create a heatmap.
2. Select Questions with Benchmarks
   External benchmarks are available for questions from the validated Honestly questionnaires. If you are using those, benchmark data will automatically according to your organization’s sector and size defined in the settings.
3. Check or Adjust Question Mapping (Optional)
   If your heatmap includes custom questions that are similar to benchmarked ones, Honestly will attempt to map them automatically based on text. You can manually review and adjust this mapping in the survey editor if needed.

The area marked in red indicates whether a question is already linked. Marked in green is the icon that can be clicked to adjust the assignment. Subsequently, links can be added or adjusted: Or deleted:

1. Enable Benchmark Column
   In the heatmap settings, toggle the benchmark display to show an additional column with the external benchmark value.

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How External Benchmarks Are Displayed

• An extra column appears in the heatmap, labeled “External Benchmark”
• If no benchmark for a question exists, an empty cell is displayed.
• If no benchmark for any question exists, the column is omitted.
• The cell displays the benchmark score for that question.
• This allows for a clear side-by-side comparison with your internal results.

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Best Practices

• Keep Company Info Updated : Benchmarks are matched based on company info—make sure yours is set correctly.
• Review Question Mapping : Especially if using custom questions, validate that mappings are accurate to ensure meaningful benchmark comparisons.
• Use Benchmarks for Insight, Not Judgement : Context matters—benchmarks are a guide, not a verdict.

For more details on survey compatibility and validated questions, see:

• Creating Comparable Surveys
• Factors and Sub-Factors