Employee Morale Surveys: The First Step Toward Building a Better Workplace

Take a look around at the state of your workplace. How is employee morale? Whether it’s stellar or dismal, employee morale levels matter. And while not all of the factors that go into strong levels of employee morale are within your control as an employer, some are. And no matter how things are going, you should always have a pulse on where morale stands.

In this article, we’ll discuss how your organization can begin to understand employee morale levels and their causes (whether positive or negative). We’ll also uncover several ways you can turn employee morale around using the power of data that’s unique to your organization and its team members.

We’re Worried that Our Employee Morale Might be Low. What Can Our Organization Do?

According to the Harvard Business Review, low employee morale is a trend that has become almost endemic in recent years. Engagement is chronically low, as are productivity levels, and workplace stress and burnout are on the rise.  

Data suggests that these trends likely can be blamed at least in part on market factors and the state of the world economy. As HBR reports, though “our careers seem to have been optimized for efficiency, it’s no surprise that many workers feel deprived of their creativity, curiosity, and humanity altogether.”

While low employee morale and engagement might not be an employer’s fault, there are so many things an organization can do to boost morale. All efforts, however, start with one critical first step: understanding where employee morale currently stands, and why.  

How Can an Employee Morale Survey Help Us Further Our Organizational Objectives?

We’ve discussed that employee morale levels are a critical health indicator of your company’s culture. But how exactly can efforts to improve employee morale, even when successful, impact your bottom line? Defining the tangible benefits of focusing on employee morale is crucial to obtaining leadership buy-in and sustaining your employee morale initiatives.  As you’re outlining your own specific use case, consider some of the most popular reasons for kicking off your re-energization efforts using an employee morale survey:

1. Employee morale surveys can help you predict turnover and tenure: High employee turnover can be costly and disruptive. By regularly assessing morale, businesses can identify early warning signs of dissatisfaction and take proactive measures to improve retention.

2. Employee morale surveys can help you identify new ways to help employees become and stay engaged. Engaged employees are more productive, motivated, and committed to their organization. Morale surveys help identify morale actors that your organization is getting right, as well as where your improvement efforts should or could be focused for maximum impact.

3. Employee morale surveys can provide a jumping off point for improving productivity. Kicking off your workplace re-energization efforts with an employee morale survey allows you to measure your progress as your initiatives develop. Distributed at regular intervals, an employee morale survey can help you identify which efforts are paying off, where any changes could be made, and how best to pivot to hit your objectives.

4. Employee morale surveys help you improve your workplace culture, making employees feel seen, heard, and valued. A survey administered to employees with a focus on morale says to your employees that their opinions are valued and their happiness is important to your organization. Employees who feel valued and heard respond with higher levels of productivity, which benefits employers and employees alike.

Ideas for Boosting Employee Morale

Every workplace is different, and no two successful initiatives for boosting employee morale will be identical, either. Your employee morale survey will give you the strongest ideas for re-energizing your unique workforce. As you consider which action items you’ll take on, consider the following popular methods for boosting employee morale:

• Revamp your employee reward and recognition programs, with perks like extra time off to volunteer, personalized incentives, and one of a kind experiences.
• Check in with the levels of burnout and perceptions of work life balance among your employees. Then introduce well being benefits designed to address deficiencies.
• Seek out diversity and improve perceptions of inclusion. Company commitment to diversity, inclusion, and belonging have been shown to do wonders for workplace culture, and in turn, employee morale.
• Prioritize transparency in leadership decision making, especially for big changes that effect the day to day lives of your employees. The feeling of having no control or insights into the “powers that be” can have determinantal effects on employee morale within an organization.
• Test out new social events to bring employees together and encourage them to build worthwhile, meaningful connections with their team mates and form bonds at work.
• Revisit the structure of your promotion ladders. Employees who have a clear vision of the next opportunity available for them at the company are more likely to stay engaged and keep morale high. Having a goal or next step to work for can make all the difference in an employee’s attitude—something that can be accomplished through just a simple session of career mapping.

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Sample Employee Morale Survey Questions

Your employee morale revamp efforts will be unique to your organization, industry, workplace, and employees. However, it’s always a good idea to review some strong sample employee morale survey questions in order to drum up ideas for what you’d like to know, focus on, and ultimately change.

Keep in mind that great employee survey software can recommend survey questions that will help you garner insights that are tailored to help you meet your goals.

1. Questions about Job Satisfaction

• Are you satisfied are you with your current role and responsibilities at the company?
• Do you feel energized to begin work each day?
• Do you feel that your skills, talents, and passions align well with your current role and responsibilities at the company?
• Do you feel stable and secure in your role at the company?

2. Questions about the Work Environment

• How would you rate your level of comfort overall within your work environment?
• Do you feel physically safe while at work?
• Are you satisfied with the cleanliness and organization of your workspace?
• How satisfied are you with the noise levels in your work environment?
• How satisfied are you with the lighting in your work environment?
• Does the set-up of your workplace cause you physical pain during or after your work day?
• Are you able to take breaks to move around and stretch during the work day?
• Have you received training and instruction on proper ergonomic practices?

Questions about Management and Leadership

• Do you feel that you receive adequate support from your managers or supervisors?
• Do you feel that you receive effective communication from your managers or supervisors?
• Do you feel that your managers and supervisors are working as hard as their direct reports to further the goals of the company?
• Do you feel that the company’s leadership is doing a good job managing the company at a high level?
• How satisfied are you with the levels of transparency about the state of the organization from leadership?
• Do you feel that your managers or supervisors listen to and value employee concerns and feedback?
• Do you feel that company leadership listens to and values employee concerns and feedback?
• Do you feel that your managers or supervisors are effective leaders and are capable of leading their teams in furtherance of the company’s goals?

Questions about Work-Life Balance

• How satisfied are you with your work life balance?
• Do you feel that your work unnecessarily or negatively interferes with your personal life or obligations?
• Do you often feel that the assignments you receive cannot be completed in your regular working hours, such that you would need to work after hours, on weekends, or on holidays to complete them?
• Do you have enough time to relax and unwind after work?

Questions about Professional Development

• Do you feel that you have adequate opportunities for career advancement within the organization?
• Do you feel that you have adequate opportunities for learning and professional development within the organization?
• How satisfied are you with the training and development programs that you have been offered or received?
• Do your managers or supervisors regularly provide feedback on your performance in a way that helps you grow and improve in your role?
• Do you feel that your managers or supervisors take a genuine interest in your learning and professional development?

Questions about Compensation and Benefits

• Are you satisfied with your overall total compensation, including your wages, salary, and benefits?
• How would you rate the quality of the organization’s benefits offerings?
• Do you feel that you are compensated fairly for your role and its responsibilities?
• Do you feel that you are compensated fairly in comparison to other employees within the company?
• Do you feel that you are compensated fairly compared to employees at other companies within the same industry and geographic region?

Questions about Team Dynamics

• Do you feel that you work well with your current team members?
• Do you feel that your team collaborates and communicates well with each other?
• Do you feel that synergy is created when the individuals in your team come together to work on a shared project or goal?
• Do you feel your manager or supervisor treats all members of your team equally and fairly?
• Do you feel your contributions are valued by your team?
• Do you feel a sense of belonging within your team?
• How often do you participate in team-building activities?

Questions about Company Culture and Reputation

• How satisfied are you with the organization’s culture as a whole?
• What is your perception of the company’s reputation within the industry?
• What is your perception of the company’s reputation within the community?
• Are you proud to represent the company within our industry and community?
• Do you feel the company’s values align with your personal values?
• Do you have a good understanding of the company’s values, mission, and goals?
• Do you feel a sense of belonging within the company?

Questions about Recognition and Rewards

• Do you feel recognized and rewarded for your contributions and achievements?
• Are you satisfied with the company’s employee recognition and reward programs?
• Do you feel that the company’s employee recognition and reward programs are generally effective at highlighting employees who put forth their best efforts to further the company’s goals?

Questions about Employee Burnout and Job Related Stress

• How often do you feel overwhelmed by your workload?
• How often do you feel “burned out” after a day at work?
• When you ask for support from your managers or supervisors, do you generally receive it?
• Do you feel that your levels of workplace stress have risen to an unmanageable level?
• Do you feel you the company provides employees with adequate resources to manage job related stress?

Questions about Employee Engagement

• Do you find joy in your role and responsibilities at the company?
• How often do you go above and beyond in your role?
• Do you feel your work makes a positive impact within the company, the industry, or the community?