Savvy employers want their workers to be happy and engaged with their jobs. And, it seems, they are. According to a survey by The Conference Board, overall job satisfaction is at 62% in 2023.
Now, before you clap and yell “our work here is done!” Stop. While high job satisfaction is good news, it’s only a snapshot of a point in time. Companies that fail to keep employees engaged can still suffer from low morale and productivity down the road.
An accurate, simple way to measure your organization’s employee satisfaction is through surveys. Asking employees is a straightforward method of hearing how they feel “straight from the horse’s mouth”. Well-planned questions in an easy-to-answer format help collect priceless insight about employee opinions and feelings about their job role and the company.
How can you get the most out of your employee satisfaction surveys? Read on for best practice tips and some proven survey questions to use.
What Is an Employee Satisfaction Survey?
An employee satisfaction survey is a list of questions employers ask their workforce. The questions (which can be in various forms) may revolve around the working environment, direct managers, workload, co-workers, potential for career growth, company mission, work/life balance, and more.
A survey’s ultimate goal is to collect honest information about what employees like and dislike about their jobs. These insights help leaders make informed decisions that increase satisfaction and productivity and help decrease low morale and turnover.
Obstacles with Employment Satisfaction Surveys?
Creating and emailing a list of questions to every company employee may not get you the results you need. Some of the most common issues we see that can be roadblocks to an effective survey are:
- Gathering misleading information. The “say what they want to hear” is real, folks. If a person isn’t comfortable giving honest answers, you can end up with an unrealistically rosy picture.
- Using biased or unclear questions and language. A poorly designed survey can cause employees to misunderstand the questions. This issue can cause inaccurate answers and fail to produce helpful insights.
- Dealing with low participation rates. If employees feel the survey isn’t important, they may not fill it out. Lack of participation can cause a lack of representation across departments and up and down the ladder.
- Wearing employees out with surveys. Surveying employees too often can burn them out and make them less likely to offer up thoughtful answers. This frustration can also occur from surveys that are too long.
- Failing to act on the feedback. “Why bother?” is what employees will ask if they take time to share honest insights and then… crickets.
Get our free guide to running better employee engagement surveys
Best practices, tips for success, and what to do with all that data!
Employee Satisfaction Survey Questions
Once you’ve decided to use a survey, figure out the:
- Number of questions. Ask enough questions to gain valuable insights, but not so many that they take too long to answer.
- Type of questions. Scale-rated, multiple choice, and short answer questions are helpful. Decide whether you will use one type or a mix.
- Question topics. For employee satisfaction surveys, the questions should focus on things like work/life balance, benefits and compensation, diversity and inclusion, management, and company culture.
Here are some high-performing question examples that are effective at helping you gain insights.
Scale-rated questions
These questions typically require a 1-5 answer, with 1 being the “worst” and 5 being the “best”.
- How satisfied are you with your current role and responsibilities in the company?
- Do you feel your manager and the company value your contributions?
- How satisfied are you with the communication between leadership and employees?
- Do you believe you have the tools and resources needed to do your job effectively?
- How satisfied are you with the opportunities for career growth and development within the company?
- Do you feel the company cares about your well-being and work-life balance?
- Are you satisfied with the level of recognition you receive for your work?
- Do you feel your work environment is positive and inclusive?
Multiple choice questions
This question type is easy for employees to complete quickly. If they can choose multiple answers, they can offer significant insights into how an employee views their role and the company.
1. How would you describe your overall workload?
- A) Too light
- B) Just right
- C) Manageable, but sometimes overwhelming
- D) Often overwhelming
- E) Unmanageable
2. How often do you receive constructive feedback from your manager?
- A) Weekly
- B) Monthly
- C) Quarterly
- D) Annually
- E) Never
3. Do you feel that your work-life balance needs are being met?
- A) Always
- B) Most of the time
- C) Sometimes
- D) Rarely
- E) Never
4. What aspects of your job do you find most satisfying? (Select all that apply).
- A) Work-life balance
- B) Job responsibilities
- C) Opportunities for career growth
- D) Relationship with coworkers
- E) Compensation and benefits
- F) Recognition for your work
- G) Company culture
5. Which factors contribute most to your stress at work? (Select all that apply).
- A) High workload
- B) Lack of resources or support
- C) Unclear expectations
- D) Poor communication
- E) Work-life imbalance
- F) Limited growth opportunities
- G) Relationship with manager
6. What do you think would improve your experience at the company? (Select all that apply).
- A) More opportunities for professional development
- B) Better communication from leadership
- C) Improved compensation and benefits
- D) More recognition
- E) Improved work-life balance
- F) Better tools and resources
- G) More flexible work arrangements
7. What areas of support from management do you find most helpful? (Select all that apply).
- A) Regular feedback and performance reviews
- B) Opportunities for training and growth
- C) Recognition of my contributions
- D) Clear communication of expectations
- E) Emotional support and encouragement
- F) Assistance with workload management
Short answer questions
Longer, open-ended responses can give employers more insight into individual thoughts and feelings.
- What do you enjoy most about working at this company?
- What changes would you like to see in your current role to improve your job satisfaction?
- How can management better support you in achieving your goals?
- What motivates you to stay with the company?
- What specific resources or tools would help you do your job better?
Best Practices for Employee Satisfaction Surveys
It takes time and resources to create, distribute, and analyze an employee survey. Make sure you get what you want out of it! Our step-by-step plan for a winning survey process is below.
- Connect the survey with a business outcome. By proactively deciding the specific goal you’re using the survey for, you can tailor everything about it to deliver those results.
- Use clear, thoughtful questions. Only include questions that address employee satisfaction. Write them as succinctly as possible and use simple language. You never want participants to be confused about what you’re asking.
- Offer anonymity. Fear of blowback has tanked many a survey. Employees will participate and be more forthcoming if their names aren’t attached to their answers. According to The Best Places to Work, anonymous surveys can achieve participation rates of 90% or better.
- Explain the survey to the participants. Transparency is essential. Employees who understand what the survey is attempting to do will be more likely to participate fully.
- Send the survey out. Set up the survey on an intuitive platform that makes it quick and easy for employees to complete. Give them ample time to complete it, and send reminder notifications to increase participation.
- Analyze the results. Gather the data and look for issues multiple employees mentioned. What are most of them satisfied with? Where are the areas for improvement? By identifying patterns, organizations can make improvements that employees want the most.
- Share the findings. Don’t file the survey results away to never see the light of day. This will frustrate employees and make them less likely to participate in the future. Share what the company gathered from the survey along with an actionable plan for addressing any issues. This move will prove the time the survey took was worth it and build trust between the employees and the company.
Companies that focus on providing an innovative, inclusive, well-compensated, safe place to work can feel good about employee satisfaction. However, the only way to know for sure if workers are happy and fulfilled is to ask them.
Employee satisfaction survey questions, partnered with an intuitive platform and transparent use of the answers gathered, show your workforce they have a voice. If they feel like they are part of the company’s larger initiatives (and see improvements based on their feedback), they will be more likely to be happy and fulfilled in their jobs.
