Let's face it. Employee satisfaction is a big deal. Not only does it impact how we feel about our jobs, but it also has real consequences for a company's success.
So, how do you measure employee satisfaction? That's where employee satisfaction surveys come in. These surveys provide a platform for your employees to share their honest opinions and experiences. They give you direct insights into their needs and concerns, allowing you to address these issues and make employees highly engaged.
Highly engaged and satisfied employees are enthusiastic, productive, and loyal—a recipe for business success! This can lead to a 41% reduction in absenteeism and 59% less turnover.
To understand which questions work best, we'll give you top examples of employee satisfaction survey questions so you can get the insights you need to boost satisfaction across your organization.
Top 50 employee satisfaction survey questions
It's time to ditch the guesswork and tap into the power of research-driven questions. We've carefully curated a library of science-backed questions to help you design impactful surveys. These questions for the employee satisfaction survey will pinpoint the key drivers of workplace engagement and provide insights that you need to take meaningful action.
1. Company culture
Questions in this category gauge the overall feel of the workplace. Do employees feel they belong, share the company's values, and understand its direction? These questions are important since company culture influences how managers and employees work together and handle problems.
Close-ended questions (based on a 5-point Likert scale rate)
- My company gives me the feeling that I belong.
- I feel a part of formal and informal discussions at work.
- I am passionate about my company's mission.
- My company promotes a spirit of collaboration.
- Good work is rewarded at my company.
- Good work is recognized at my company.
Open-ended questions
- If you could change one thing to make your organisation a better place to work, what would it be?
- In what ways is innovation encouraged and supported within the company?
- Reflecting on your experience working here, what's going well?
- Reflecting on your experience working here, what could be improved?
2. Job satisfaction
This section explores how employees feel about their specific roles. Are they challenged, rewarded fairly, and equipped to succeed?
Close-ended questions (based on a 5-point Likert scale rate)
- The work I do is meaningful to me.
- At work, I know what is expected of me every day.
- I find my workload manageable.
- I find my tasks challenging and engaging.
Open-ended questions
- Are your achievements recognized in the workplace?
- What additional tools and resources would help you perform your job effectively?
- Think of an experience you had at work in the last year that had a significant impact on you. Could you describe this experience?
- Does your role so far matches the job description provided?
3. Manager and Organizational Support
Strong leadership is vital for employee morale and trust. These questions aim to uncover how employees perceive their managers and the company's senior leadership.
Close-ended questions (based on a 5-point Likert scale rate)
- My manager provides me with regular and constructive feedback.
- I trust the decisions made by senior leadership.
- My direct manager is approachable at all times.
- My immediate manager leads by example.
Open-ended questions
- How transparent is management about company changes and decisions?
- In what ways could the management team better value your input?
- How does your company demonstrate a commitment to the wellbeing of employees?
- What kind of support and resources you find useful when you are stressed?
"Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled."
— Anne M. Mulcahy, Former Xerox CEO
4. Growth & development
Companies with a moderate learning culture have a 27% higher employee retention rate. Employees who feel supported in their career growth are more likely to stay engaged. This category helps identify if the company invests in its people.
Close-ended questions (based on a 5-point Likert scale rate)
- I have opportunities for professional growth within the company.
- The company invests in my professional development through training and resources.
- I feel that my career goals can be met at my company.
- My professional development and growth is encouraged at work.
- My immediate manager supports my professional development.
Open-ended questions
- How satisfied are you with your career path in the organization?
- What additional support or resources would help you pursue promotions or new roles within the company?
5. Work-life balance
76% of employees experience burnout on the job. The below questions assess whether employees can balance their work demands with their personal lives.
Close-ended questions (based on a 5-point Likert scale rate)
- I feel supported by the company in achieving a healthy work-life balance.
- The company offer flexible working arrangements that suit my lifestyle.
- For my role in my company, I am able to switch off from work-related technology (e.g., emails, chats, calls) after work hours.
- The colleagues in my team will step in to assist me if I need to attend to important personal matters during work.
- My company provides the flexibility on how to utilise my benefits based on my personal and family needs eg. leave, compressed work-week, childcare facilities, counselling support, etc.
Open-ended questions
- How reasonable are your work hours, and do they allow for sufficient personal time?
- How easily can you take time off for personal reasons without impacting your work
- How would you describe your current work life balance situation?
6. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)
A truly inclusive workplace makes every employee feel valued and safe. These questions look at the company's DEI efforts and the employees' experiences related to them.
Close-ended questions (based on a 5-point Likert scale rate)
- I feel able to be myself in the workplace without judgment
- I believe the company is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion
- My organisation is always prepared to make adjustments to assist with different employee needs.
- If I raised a concern about discrimination, I am confident my employer would do what is right.
- All people have an opportunity to succeed in this organization.
- Employees of different backgrounds interact well and are integrated in my organisation.
Open-ended questions
- How diverse do you perceive the leadership team to be?
- Have you witnessed or experienced discrimination at work? If so, please describe the incident(s).
- What improvements, if any, can be made to improve the diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at your company?
Learn about the best practices in survey design, focusing on the use of positively vs. negatively worded questions to gather actionable employee feedback.
Employee satisfaction surveys best practices
To get the most valuable insights from your employee engagement survey, the questions and their framing matter! Keep these six best practices in mind when you frame the employee satisfaction survey questions:
- Focus on clarity: Use simple, direct language that anyone can understand. Avoid jargon or complex phrasing.
- Get specific: Don't ask vague questions. Focus on specific aspects of the employee experience, such as communication, management support, or growth opportunities.
- Keep it concise: While cramming in many questions is tempting, a concise, focused survey gets better results. Aim for around 20-30 key questions.
- Offer variety: Include a mix of closed-ended questions (like rating scales) for quick analysis and open-ended questions that allow employees to elaborate and provide deeper insights.
- Protect anonymity: Communicate that responses will remain anonymous. This encourages employees to provide honest and often more critical feedback.
- Involve others: Seek input from managers and employees across different departments to identify the most relevant concerns.
Steps to launch an employee satisfaction survey
Here's a simple breakdown of the key steps to ensure your survey delivers the necessary insights.
Step 1: Define your goals & objectives
This is the most crucial step in the process. Without clear goals, your survey becomes aimless, and you won't get anything valuable from it. Some examples of goals might be:
- Understand overall employee engagement levels
- Identify areas of low morale and potential turnover
- Gain insights into how employees perceive company culture
- Assess the effectiveness of recent initiatives or changes
If you want to set your goals, ask yourself, "What do we want to learn or improve?" Involve key stakeholders from HR and leadership to ensure the survey aligns with the company's broader objectives.
Step 2: Choose your survey questions
Your questions should directly tie back to your goals. If you want to understand company culture, ask about belonging, values alignment, and trust in leadership. Avoid leading questions that suggest a desired answer. Instead, choose neutral questions to encourage honest responses.
Step 3: Select your survey platform
A dedicated survey platform makes the entire process smoother. Here's why you need one:
- Easy setup: Pre-designed templates and science-backed questions save you time.
- Data analytics: Platforms offer sophisticated analytics to identify trends and drivers of engagement.
- Confidentiality: Robust systems are designed to protect employee anonymity.
- Actionable insights: Tools can suggest tailored action steps based on results.
Use a comprehensive platform like EngageRocket that offers a science-backed library of employee satisfaction survey questions. These questions are customizable and the surveys maintain confidentiality.
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Step 4: Communicate with the team
Employee buy-in is essential for a successful survey. Transparent communication builds trust and encourages participation. Here's what to emphasize:
- Company commitment: Explain how the survey supports the company's commitment to employee well-being.
- Purpose: Clearly state the survey's goals and how the results will be used.
- Confidentiality: Reiterate how the process ensures anonymity and protects employee feedback.
- Impact: Explain that their input will directly shape improvements in the workplace.
Step 5: Launch & encourage participation
Finally, it's time to hit that launch button! Choose a time when your employees aren't overwhelmed by major deadlines or projects, and avoid periods right before holidays. Once the survey is live, send gentle reminders periodically. It's important to take follow-ups but avoid overly pushy messages that might turn people off.
Consider small incentives, like gift cards or a gamified points system where employees can earn rewards for completing the survey. This extra bit of motivation can significantly boost participation rates.
Transparency is key to a successful survey. Let employees know in advance that you'll share the overall results (not individual responses) alongside the company's steps to address the feedback. This shows employees that their input is valued and will lead to positive organizational changes.
Conclusion
Employee satisfaction surveys aren't just a formality. They can help create a happier, more productive, loyal workforce. The questions you ask and how you conduct your survey directly impact the insights you gain.
Crafting an excellent survey that drives accurate results can be a complex process. That's why platforms like EngageRocket exist. We offer comprehensive features to streamline your survey process. From our library of science-backed questions to in-depth analytics and actionable insights, we take the guesswork out of employee satisfaction.
If you're ready to enhance employee satisfaction, boost performance, and gain a competitive edge, it's time to explore the power of EngageRocket. Book a demo today, and let us show you how we turn employee feedback into organizational success.