Employee satisfaction surveys: 20 proven questions + samples

Strategically drafted employee satisfaction surveys are a brilliant way to collect feedback to shape company culture and improve business performance. 

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The challenge? Asking the right questions to provide the insight leaders need. 

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Discover 20 questions designed to collect the employee feedback you need, without the headache!

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If you want to learn more proven strategies for leading effective teams, read our blogs on

• Employee engagement statistics,
• The best employee engagement apps,
• Team building activities for: In-office teams, virtual teams, teams with low budgets

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First up, guidelines for creating the best satisfaction survey

Get it right from the start by following these five simple steps:

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1. Define your goals - Don’t just rush out an employee satisfaction survey because you think you ‘should.’ Get clear on your aims. What are you hoping to achieve from collecting feedback? What company practices are you looking to shape?

2. Think about your respondents - Determine who you want to engage, as this will influence the questions you choose. Do you require feedback from the whole organization or selected teams?

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3. Make it easy to take part - Skip the frustration of recipients who don’t respond;  make sure your survey is simple to use and easy to understand. Use a mix of question types to keep things interesting.
   
   
4. Promise confidentiality - If you want honest feedback, offer your employees anonymity. This way, they know there will be no repercussions for saying something others don't want to hear!

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5. Share your results - Encourage your employees to participate by promising they’ll also get to see the data (anonymized, of course). Sharing findings helps employees to feel heard and valued. 

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The best employee satisfaction questions to ask 

We looked at the top questions used by employee engagement solutions and HR organizations and sorted them into three categories: questions about their job role, management & company culture. 

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A mix of question types is key to holding participants’ attention and avoiding survey fatigue. Three of the most popular question types in employee satisfaction surveys are:

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• Binary questions - are where only two options are available to choose between (like ‘Yes / No’ or ‘True / False’). These questions need little thought and can be progressed through rapidly. It’s a good idea to have several of these at the start of your survey, to help participants build a sense of momentum.
  
  
• Rating scale questions - provide participants with more freedom to rate their experiences without having to form written opinions. Answer options might look like: ‘On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being strongly disagree, 10 being strongly agree’ or ‘On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being not at all satisfied, 10 being completely satisfied’.
  
  
• Open-ended questions - these provide participants the opportunity to write their personal experiences. While this question type enables leaders to collect the most detailed feedback, answers need more time and brain power. With too many open-ended questions, you run the risk people will tire and leave the survey incomplete.

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We’ve included a mix of question types to help you keep your survey engaging!

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Questions about their job role

1. How happy are you with your job? On a scale of 1-10
2. Do you find your work meaningful? Yes / No
3. Does our company offer adequate opportunities for promotions and career development? Yes / No 
4. Does our company give you the tools you need to do your job well? Yes / No
5. Do you feel as though your job responsibilities are clearly defined? Yes / No
6. Do you feel like your job utilizes your skills as much as possible? Yes / No
7. How can we make your job easier? Open-ended

Questions about management 

8. Do your managers value feedback? Yes / No
9. Do your superiors communicate company news effectively and on time? Yes / No
10. How transparent do you feel managers are? On a scale of 1-10
11. How engaging are our team-building activities? On a scale of 1-10
12. Do you feel your managers are invested in your team’s success? Yes / No
13. Do you feel work is distributed evenly across your team? Yes / No

Questions about company culture 

14. How much do you enjoy our company culture? On a scale of 1-10
15. How connected do you feel to your coworkers? On a scale of 1-10
16. How open to change do you feel we are as an organization? On a scale of 1-10
17. How proud are you to be a member of your team? On a scale of 1-10
18. Do you feel you get enough recognition for your efforts? Yes / No 
19. Name three things you don’t like about your work environment. Open-ended‍
20. Name three things you like most about working here. Open-ended

5 tools to create & analyze your survey on employee satisfaction

The following platforms streamline the survey process. Each provides the tools to create, send, and analyze your survey results. Helping you to maximize response rates and easily utilize the data collected:

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1. TINYpulse

Price: from $5 per person per month

Website: http://tinypulse.com/ 

Best for: When you want highly personalized customer support that acts as an extension of your team.

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2. 15Five

Price: from $4 per person per month

Website: https://www.15five.com/ 

Best for: When you also want to collect feedback on other employee engagement drivers and take a holistic psychology-backed approach to employee development.

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3. Lattice

Price: from $11 per person per month

Website: https://lattice.com/ 

Best for: When you’re looking to empower leaders with a whole suite of tools that will support the development of high-performing company cultures.

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4. Motivosity

Price: from $4 per person per month

Website: https://www.motivosity.com/ 

Best for: When you also want to recognize and reward employee contributions.

5. HiveHR

Price: bespoke pricing, from $4 per person per month

Website: https://www.hive.hr/ 

Best for: When you’d like the tools to facilitate confidential employee feedback all year round.

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Employee satisfaction survey templates

Don’t have the time to put together your own employee engagement survey? Here is a selection of ready-to-go options:

• https://www.questionpro.com/survey-templates/employee-satisfaction-survey-questions-template/ 
• https://www.typeform.com/templates/t/company-satisfaction-survey-template/ 
• https://www.qualtrics.com/marketplace/employee-satisfaction-survey-template/ 
• https://www.quicktapsurvey.com/feedback/templates/employee-satisfaction-survey-online 
• https://www.zoho.com/survey/employee-satisfaction-survey.html 

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Employee satisfaction surveys: Common questions

What are employee satisfaction surveys?

Employee satisfaction surveys are questionnaires to help management collect feedback on staff contentment. They measure satisfaction in areas including job role, company culture, and management. Plus, they provide leaders with insight to shape employee experiences and increase engagement.

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What is the purpose of surveying employee satisfaction?

The purpose of surveying employees on workplace satisfaction is to take feedback, analyze it, then use it to shape company culture. Ultimately, it’s used to improve employee retention and overall business performance.

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Is there a difference between engagement and satisfaction surveys?

Yes! An employee satisfaction survey collects feedback on employees’ contentment at work. In contrast, an employee engagement survey seeks to understand how committed employees are. It will look at emotional, behavioral, and intellectual factors because employees can be happy in their job without ever doing their best work!

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How often should I measure employee satisfaction? 

For quick check-ins, try short employee pulse surveys sent weekly or monthly. These are quick opinion surveys that only take a few minutes to complete. 

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When it comes to in-depth feedback, annual surveys allow time to implement changes. These take a broader look at company-wide satisfaction year-on-year.

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Ensure you have other ways for staff to voice their opinions if surveying yearly. You'll still want to keep collecting general feedback throughout the year.

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How can I conduct a survey for employee satisfaction? What process should I follow?

To make the most of an employee satisfaction survey, a strategic approach is vital. Thankfully, you’re in the right place! Now you’ve got examples of the best employee satisfaction questions, here’s what to do with them:

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1. Get clear on your survey requirements 

• How many employees are you sending it to?
• What is your budget for distribution?
• How are you planning to collect the information?
• Which employee survey platform will you use?

2. Consider length

• Increase the likelihood of participation by keeping surveys short. Reduce the risk of survey fatigue by keeping it under 10 minutes to complete. 

3. Create the questionnaire

• Next, create your survey using a virtual employee engagement platform or survey software.
• Don’t forget to proofread & test it. Get another team member to look it over for added reassurance.

4. Send it out

• With a questionnaire in place, it’s ‘go’ time! If you’re not using an employee engagement solution to manage everything, make a note of send date and who responds. You’ll want to follow up with those who don’t complete it. If your survey is anonymous, keep an eye on the participation rate across departments. So you can send out reminders to the right teams. 

5. Analyze the data 

• The most critical aspect of an employee satisfaction survey? Using the data it collects. Use your employee engagement software or get a data brainiac to talk through findings and suggest what action to take next.

Do employee satisfaction surveys work?

Yes, when conducted correctly, employee satisfaction surveys are a powerful tool for collecting employee feedback and helping your company drive positive change. The key to success with an employee satisfaction survey is asking the right questions and acting on your findings.

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Should I survey new employees?

Yes, it’s valuable to survey new employees within the first month of their employment. An early employee satisfaction survey demonstrates you value staff experiences. And shows your commitment to making work enjoyable and effective from the start.

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What should I ask in a new employee satisfaction survey?

Here are 10 questions worth asking to gauge new employee satisfaction:

1. How challenging have you found your work? Rating scale
2. What’s been your biggest challenge? Open-ended
3. Describe your best/worst day on the job so far. Open-ended
4. Does your job role fit your expectations? Yes / No
5. How meaningful have you found your work? Rating scale
6. How can I make your job easier? Open-ended
7. Which aspect of the job are you excited/concerned about? Open-ended
8. What do you want to improve on following your first month here? Open-ended
9. Are you content with your current responsibilities? Yes / No
10. Do you feel like you fit in with the team? Yes / No

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Feeling more confident in how to develop your next employee satisfaction survey questionnaire? Don’t forget, if the feedback comes in and you need to focus on how to make remote employees feel connected, Gomada is here for you.