Thanks to the Great Resignation and “quiet quitting,” employee retention is having a moment.
According to Gartner, 47% of human resources leaders will prioritize the employee experience in 2023. The first step to understanding why employees are unhappy with their jobs? Conducting an employee survey.
Following employee survey best practices can help your organization encourage open communication, quantify feedback to justify improvements, and ultimately, increase retention rates.
Paying close attention to the questions you ask is one of the most important employee survey best practices. According to SurveyMonkey, questions should be brief, concise, and easy to understand. You’ll want to keep your tone conversational and avoid using jargon.
To help you get to the heart of what’s helping — or hurting — employee retention at your organization, here’s a list of sample questions for you to include in your next survey.
Understand Employee Satisfaction Factors
Satisfied employees are key contributors to a company’s success. Your first employee satisfaction survey should be comprehensive. After that, checking the pulse of your employees on a regular basis is crucial.
Ask:
- How meaningful is your work?
- How challenging is your work?
- In a typical week, how often do you feel stressed at work?
- How well are you paid for the work you do?
- How much do your opinions about work matter to your co-workers?
- How often do the tasks assigned to you by your supervisor help you grow professionally?
- What do you feel are your chances of getting promoted?
- How likely are you to look for another job outside the company?
READ MORE: 6 Employee Rewards Trends to Watch
Measure Employee Engagement
According to SurveyMonkey, employee engagement measures how dedicated team members are to the mission and outcome of your company. It’s an important indicator of the health of your business and a good way to spot areas for improvement.
Ask:
- Do you believe the organization has your best interests in mind when making business decisions?
- Are you satisfied with the way we’ve managed both our business and people during this time [specify disruption/situation/time frame]?
- Do you believe we’ve maintained adequate communication with all employees?
- Have you continued to collaborate with your team during this time?
- Does your team inspire you to do your best work?
- Does your team help you successfully complete your work?
- Do you believe you have the appropriate amount of information to make correct decisions about your work?
- When something unexpected comes up in your work, do you usually know whom to ask for help?
- Do you have a good understanding of our informal structures and processes?
- How likely are you to recommend this company to others?
- Do you enjoy your role?
- Do you feel a sense of personal accomplishment from your job?
Dig Deeper Into the Employee Experience
Every company is different and has its own set of challenges. One of Qualtrics’ employee survey best practices is to get more granular, asking about specific categories, such as:
Collaboration
- Does your manager promote teamwork as a value?
- Do you get opportunities to collaborate at work?
- Who are the people you collaborate with the most?
Communication
- Is there clear access to the information you need for your job role?
- Is there transparency with information across the company?
Company Leadership
- How confident are you in your manager’s ability to represent your needs?
- Do you think your leaders demonstrate the company values?
Personal Growth and Professional Development
- Do you have a career development plan?
- What support from management is available to help you develop your skills?
- Do you get encouragement from management to train?
Inclusion
- Do you feel your manager listens to and fairly considers your ideas?
- Do you feel encouraged to suggest your ideas and opinions?
Job Resources
- How challenging is your work?
- Do you feel your work is interesting?
- Do you believe you have enough authority to complete your job?
Performance and Accountability
- Do you have regular meetings with your manager where they share feedback?
- Is the feedback presented in a constructive way?
- Do you have a clear understanding of your goals and targets?
Strategic Alignment
- Is there a clear understanding of how your work reflects on the company’s strategic goals?
- Do you get information from management about the direction of the company?
Work Processes
- Does your manager promote high quality as a value?
- Do you get opportunities to improve processes or policies?
- How coordinated is your work from your manager?
Get Intel on Your Rewards Program
If you don’t already have an employee rewards program, creating one should definitely be on your to-do list, since studies show that employee recognition is key to a positive workplace culture. If you do have a program, it’s important to get the employee perspective so you can maximize its effectiveness.
Ask:
- Do you feel that your contributions to the team are recognized and rewarded?
- How important is recognition to your happiness at work?
- Does/Would the chance to earn rewards motivate you to work harder?
- What kind of reward do you prefer to get from your manager?
- What is the most meaningful way for you to receive rewards?
Plan to Follow Up
These last two questions are perhaps the most important of the employee survey best practices and tell you a lot about employees’ outlook of the company.
- How confident are you that action will be taken based on the results of this survey?
- Do you think the company is able to make positive changes?
Benchmarking and sharing survey results make your employees feel heard. The worst thing you can do when you get feedback from your employees? Not take action. Following up is key.
Looking for more employee survey best practices? See how simple adding incentives can be, thanks to integration and automation!
about the author
BHN Rewards
BHN Rewards puts the power of digital rewards to work for marketers, researchers, and HR managers. Don't forget to check out all the great content in our Resources section!
BHN Rewards puts the power of digital rewards to work for marketers, researchers, and HR managers. Don't forget to check out all the great content in our Resources section!
