All 70 Employee Survey Questions Every Employee Should Be Asked
All HR and Workplace

70 Employee Survey Questions Every Employee Should Be Asked

Author: Ravijojla Novakovic Last updated: March 5, 2024 Reading time: 16 minutes

Use our employee survey questions to understand the situation at your organization better. Listen to your employees and act on their timely feedback and constructive feedback.

Employee survey questions are the best way to understand how your employees breathe.

They are extremely useful for companies who are trying to get better insights into their employee engagement, motivation, satisfaction, and many other employee-related aspects of the business.

In this blog, we will review some of the employee interview surveys you can use in your organization. 

What is an Employee Survey?

Employee surveys are questionnaires used to gather feedback from employees about various topics such as job satisfaction, company culture, leadership, work-life balance, and employee engagement.

Why are Employee Surveys Important?

There is an interesting statistic that says 58% of employees wish their company conducted employee engagement surveys more frequently.

Employee surveys are an essential component of any organization since the employees are the driving force behind it. Both managers and employees must comprehend their colleagues’ opinions and views, as this helps create an inclusive and pleasant work environment.

Moreover, by giving your employees a voice, you can make them feel valued and heard, demonstrating that you care about their opinions and are willing to make adjustments to improve their workplace experience.

Lastly, if your organization is facing any issues, employee surveys can help you identify those problems and take necessary steps to address them. This, in turn, can help increase employee retention rates..

How To Write Good Survey Questions

On the surface, creating questions seems like an easy task, but many can easily make mistakes without knowing, thereby compromising the quality of the answers to the questions.

Therefore, it is necessary to follow a few general rules that will help you write questions that will bring you the truth and unbiased answers.

Here are the rules:

1. Think about the purpose of your questions.

2. Write clear and precise questions with terminology that everyone understands.

3. Avoid Double-Barreled Questions.

4. Avoid questions that may lead to biased answers.

What Are the Key Employee Survey Questions?

The key employee survey questions are found in these groups: employee engagement, employee satisfaction, supervisor survey questions about employee development, employee feedback satisfaction, employee thoughts on leadership, employee retention survey questions, and questions about company values and culture.

1. Employee Engagement Survey Questions 

Employee engagement is the most popular topic in the world of human resources.

However, according to research by Gallup, only 33% of employees in the USA were engaged in 2016 – “involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their personal and family life and workplace”.

Don’t forget that employee disengagement costs the USA companies over $500 billion annually.

employee survey questions for engagement

Let’s now look at the popular questions to test employee engagement. 

  1. Do you usually look forward to coming to work?
  2. Do you feel like your job provides you with a sense of meaning and purpose? 
  3. Do you feel like you belong to this company? 
  4. Do you see yourself working here in 2 years? 
  5. Do you enjoy working with your team? 
  6. Do you feel like this is a good place to develop your career? 
  7. Do you feel inspired to do your best? 
  8. Do you feel like your work is being recognized? 
  9. Do you feel you have the necessary resources to do your job well? 
  10. Do you feel aligned with the company’s goals? 

2. Employee Satisfaction Survey Questions 

Employee satisfaction drives employee engagement. Therefore, it is extremely important for organizations to understand their employee satisfaction rates.

employee survey questions for satisfaction

Here is the list of questions you can use to test employee satisfaction.  

  1. What do you like most about working here? 
  2. Do you feel connected to and respected by your coworkers? 
  3. How happy are you at work? 
  4. Do you feel like your role has a purpose? 
  5. How likely would you leave this organization if another company offered you a 5% raise? 
  6. Do you consider your work interesting? 
  7. Are you happy with your work-life balance? 
  8. What motivates you to go above and beyond at work? 
  9. Do you feel like your work is appreciated? 
  10. Do you feel like you’re progressing professionally at this organization?

3. Survey Questions about Employee Development 

Employee development and career growth opportunities are top-rated factors that employees appreciate about their employer.  

Use these questions to understand better your employees’ satisfaction with your career development initiatives.  

  1. Do you feel like you can progress your career within our company? 
  2. Do you feel like your employer cares about your growth? 
  3. How important is career development to you? 
  4. Do you have a clear understanding of your career or promotion path? 
  5. Do you feel like your manager supports your career development? 
  6. Is it more important to you to progress within the existing department, or would you rather learn things from different job functions? 
  7. In your opinion, how important is feedback when it comes to career development? 
  8. How do you like our current employee development initiatives? 
  9. What do you like the most about our current employee development programs?
  10.  What would you change about our current employee development programs?

4. Survey Questions about Employee Feedback 

Continuous employee feedback not only helps employees grow but also drives employee satisfaction and engagement.  

Therefore, an effective leader can use these employee feedback survey questions to see how happy employees are about getting feedback from their immediate manager on their work and contribution in a trusting and open workplace environment.

  1. Do you feel like you get enough feedback on your work? 
  2. How often do you get feedback? 
  3. How often would you like to receive feedback? 
  4. Are you satisfied with the format of our employee feedback program? 
  5. Does your manager encourage you to give upward feedback? 
  6. Do you feel like you can give feedback to your manager? 
  7. Do you feel like your manager takes action after collecting feedback? 
  8. Is peer-to-peer feedback important to you? 
  9. What do you like and dislike the most about our current employee feedback format? 
  10. Why is feedback important to you?

 5. Employee Surveys about Leadership 

Relationships with leaders and managers are another factor that have a direct impact on employee satisfaction, motivation, and retention.  

employee survey questions about leadership

These employee survey questions will help you better understand relationships between employees and their leaders.  

  1. Does your manager give you the credit for your work? 
  2. Does your manager set clear goals? 
  3. How well does your supervisor support you in your work? 
  4. Do you feel comfortable giving upward feedback to your supervisor? 
  5. Does your manager encourage you to give upward feedback? 
  6. Do you feel like your manager takes your ideas into account? 
  7. Do you feel respected by your direct supervisor? 
  8. Have you seen any positive change since we started collecting employee feedback? 
  9. How transparent is the management team? 
  10. How trustworthy is the management team?

6. Employee Retention Survey Questions 

If you are trying to reduce your employee turnover rates, you first need to understand what may the reasons for your employees leaving.  

Here is the set of most popular employee retention survey questions.  

  1. Overall, how satisfied are you with your current job? 
  2. What do you like the most about your current job? 
  3. What do you dislike the most about your job? 
  4. What were the reasons why you changed your previous job? 
  5. What was the reason why you chose your current job? 
  6. What makes you stay at your current job? 
  7. What would be the top 3 reasons for you to start looking for new opportunities? 
  8. What would an employer have to offer for you to decide to switch a job? 
  9. Do you feel like your work is valued enough? 
  10. Are you happy with your compensation and benefits? 

7. Survey Questions about the Company Culture 

Similarly to EVP, employees are the best source of information when you are trying to define the unique culture of your organization.  

employee survey questions for company culture

Company culture is the heartbeat of an organization, influencing how employees interact, collaborate, and engage with their work.

A positive and inclusive culture fosters motivation, creativity, and loyalty among team members, contributing to higher job satisfaction and productivity. It sets the tone for teamwork, innovation, and employee well-being, shaping the overall success and reputation of the company.

Every employee engagement survey needs to include questions that specifically solicit opinions gather feedback about the state of company culture.

  1. Do you clearly understand the cultural objectives of the organization? 
  2. Do you clearly understand your role in achieving the objectives? 
  3. Do you feel like the management team sends a positive message?  
  4. Do you feel like the company is true to its core values? 
  5. Are you satisfied with the overall company culture?  
  6. Does the company culture support bottom-up feedback? 
  7. Do you feel like coworkers co-create a supportive environment? 
  8. Do you believe we live authentically by our organizational values? 
  9. Does our executive team contribute to a positive work culture? 
  10. Does the company culture support your performance? 

Survey Questions about Employees’ Work-Life Balance

Employee work-life balance is paramount for individual happiness, professional development, and organizational success. When all employees feel valued and can effectively manage their professional and personal lives, they experience reduced stress, improved mental health, and increased job and family life satisfaction.

work-life balance importance in the U.S.

According to a study from Zappia, as many as 72% of employees say a good work-life balance is very important to them. Also, In only 6% of said that a work-life balance was not very important.

Here are the survey questions you should ask:

  1. How would you describe your current work-life balance and how satisfied are you?
  2. Can you share specific examples of how the company has supported or hindered your work-life balance?
  3. What strategies do you use to manage and maintain a healthy work-life balance in your day-to-day routine?
  4. Do you feel comfortable discussing work-life balance concerns with your supervisor or management team? Why or why not?
  5. Are there any company policies or practices that you believe positively impact or could improve employees’ work-life balance?
  6. In your opinion, how has the nature of your work or job responsibilities affected your ability to maintain a healthy work-life balance?
  7. Have you ever felt pressured to sacrifice personal time for work-related tasks? If so, how often does this occur?
  8. How do you perceive the company’s culture in terms of promoting a healthy work-life balance among its employees?
  9. Are there specific tools, resources, or initiatives that you believe could enhance work-life balance for employees in our organization?
  10. How can the company better support employees in achieving a sustainable work-life balance, especially during busy or demanding periods?

Supervisor Survey Questions about Employee Recognition

Ask these questions to understand the state of your company’s state of employee recognition.

  1. How satisfied are you with the current employee recognition programs in our company?
  2. Are you satisfied with the recognition experiences you received for your work in the past year?
  3. Do you frequently feel recognized or appreciated for your contributions at work?
  4. Do you believe that the current recognition programs effectively highlight and reward outstanding performance?
  5. Do you feel that the types of recognition you receive are meaningful and motivating to you personally?
  6. Have you ever felt that certain individuals or teams receive more recognition than others?
  7. Are you often recognized for specific achievements or milestones?
  8. How comfortable do you feel expressing your preferences or suggestions regarding employee recognition to your supervisor or management?
  9. Does the company improve its approach to employee recognition to better support and motivate the workforce?
  10. How likely are you to recommend our company as a great workplace based on its employee recognition practices?

Why Are Low Survey Response Rates Fatal?

Before understanding the main barriers that keep employees from answering surveys, let us first briefly address the opportunity costs of low survey response rates. 

The objective of engagement surveys is to get a full picture of the state of workforce engagement. Employees who don’t participate in engagement surveys withhold crucial information that HR needs to get an accurate perspective. More importantly, their insight is necessary to answer the question: why are employees disengaged at work? 

Experienced leaders and HR professionals understand well that corporate culture isn’t comprised only of positives but also of negative attributes that impact the workforce to a tremendous degree, including the level of engagement present at the workplace. 

By accepting the narrative that large workforces can’t have high survey participation rates, companies are effectively missing out on an opportunity to understand the pain points of their workforce that are leading to low engagement. 

What Is a Good Survey Participation Rate? 

Naturally, organizations with smaller workforces have an easier time getting employees to finish the employee engagement survey, compared to large enterprises with global workforces.

These are the 6 tiers of employee survey participation rates:

  • >85% Potentially overly encouraged participation
  • 70-85% Excellent participation
  • 60-70% Good participation
  • 50-60% Average participation
  • <50% Poor participation
  • <30% ALARMING

While participation rates around 90% might seem phenomenal (and in all fairness might be) companies should approach them with caution, as exceptionally high response rates might be achieved by overly encouraging employees to complete the surveys. 

The response rate is not a metric of engagement in itself, but rather, a number that demonstrates the amount of willingness the workforce has for discussing the engagement environment in the company.

If employees are baited or lured to complete a survey, their participation is not completely voluntary, and that casts a shade on the sincerity of their answers. 

Roadblocks for Soliciting Honest Employee Feedback

1. Unclear Value Proposition 

The first roadblock to employee survey participation is the unclear value proposition, i.e. failure to communicate to employees what is the benefit of acquiring information from them about their engagement. 

A clear value proposition is precise and sets expectations from employees in a way they can understand. A complete value proposition will include:

  • The reason why the engagement survey is being conducted
  • Disclosed involvement required from employees, i.e. how much time the survey will take to complete
  • The benefit of completing a survey, i.e. to introduce new employee-centered practices, or to make work more engaging. 
  • A time frame when employees can expect a follow-up action based on survey participation
  • Ideally, give an example of when leadership has used employee feedback to introduce a change, and by doing so, validate the request for participation 

2. Poor Survey UX

Bad survey UX makes completing surveys and writing down answers an absolute chore, which might cause many employees to give up mid-process. Make no mistake: poorly-designed engagement surveys won’t bring HR valuable insights from employees. 

A strong survey UX pays close attention to the survey’s dynamics, ensuring the survey is not monotonous. Typically, the shortest, least demanding questions are put at the beginning of the survey, which helps employees get into answering a series of questions. Then, the questions become slightly more detailed and make more demanding asks. 

Remember, employee engagement surveys have to be employee-centric, made for an employee’s perspective.

3. Lack of a Survey Delivery System 

When surveys are not convenient to log into and solve, employees are less likely to participate in them. 

The lack of a proper survey delivery system becomes more problematic in enterprises with global workforces, where most employees are deskless or frontline workers, or where the workforce is a combination of white-collar and blue-collar employees. 

In order to get most workers to participate in employee engagement surveys, the survey solution has to be excellently integrated with the rest of the tech stack employees use in their day-to-day operations. For blue-collar workers, this echoes the importance of having a steadfast mobile solution with zero functionality loss, that works as an extension to the rest of their key apps. 

No convenience, no participation. 

Having a reliable survey delivery system built on top of the critical mobile app ensures the survey is easy to access and quick to finish, and most of all, doesn’t represent a disturbance in the workflow. 

4. Poor Feedback Culture

A poor feedback culture is defined as a culture where people feel hesitant to share honest feedback about the negative aspects of their work. 

When discussing engagement setbacks, employees have to be confident that they can share their honest opinion about their engagement. 

An industry-standard solution for tackling the lack of security is to make all employee surveys anonymous. However, if there is a deeper, cultural problem at the company, people are still less likely to give honest answers and participate in engagement surveys. 

A reason for this mindset is the fundamental belief that their opinion doesn’t ultimately lead to a change in the workplace. After all, why should they bother finishing a 20-minute engagement survey if nothing will come out of it? 

Unfortunately, there are no quick solutions for cultural change, but that doesn’t make the problem impossible to solve. Above all, change requires transparency, action, and honest communication from the bottom down. 

Help Your Manager Recognize More Employees

Employee surveys remain one of the most important tools for understanding the pulse of your workforce. Without asking the right questions, HR can’t tell for sure if employees are truly satisfied with the organization. And without their regular constructive feedback, management effectiveness will drop.

While creating structured employee surveys can be difficult, companies can’t afford to neglect them. Start by creating an anonymous questionnaire and ask your employees for candid feedback. 

The best way to increase employee engagement with surveys is to encourage employees by sending monetary and non-monetary recognition every time they fill surveys. The company is sure to gain insights and identify areas of improvement, and employees will see their opinions as as truly crucial to their organization. It’s a win-win for everybody.

Start thinking about your next employee engagement survey, compile your questions and recognize your employees. You’ll be surprised how soon you’ll cultivate a culture of feedback and respect.

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