Just Car Clinic has joined forces with York-based TJF Research to conduct an in-depth survey among its employees.

The survey will provide staff at each of the company's 13 collision repair centres across the Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire region, with an opportunity to contribute ideas and express their thoughts on a wide range of issues.

TJF Research, based at Kensington Court, Dringhouses, was first introduced to Just Car Clinic by Nissan, for whom it conducts customer satisfaction surveys.

Karen Jarvis, a partner at the market research firm, said that having conducted a successful customer satisfaction project with Just Car Clinic, its chief executive Barry Whittle wanted to see how he could tap into staff ideas.

The confidential employee survey will be based on questionnaires to each of the leading collision repair company's employees. The collated results will be reported to the Just Car Clinic management team. This ensures that, while everyone's comments will be taken on board, their identities will remain private.

Dawn Swales, Just Car Clinic's human resources manager, said: "If we want our employees to be completely honest with us so that we can get some genuinely useful feedback, it's important that they feel relaxed about taking part in the survey.

"We decided to appoint TJF because they will handle every aspect of it, from putting together the questionnaires to processing the feedback, and will just present us with an overview at the end.

"That way we won't get to see any of the individual surveys and everyone can be sure that their responses will be treated with the strictest confidence."

Among the topics covered by the survey are employees' "likes and dislikes", areas for improvement, working conditions, communication, rewards and opportunities.

Updated: 10:31 Friday, June 11, 2004