20+ Best Employee Survey Questions

Employee disengagement is costly. To keep your workforce aligned and invested in team success, it’s essential to monitor engagement levels using quality employee survey questions. 

When business is booming and targets are getting steeper, employers often overlook their most important asset—employees. The consequences of this oversight can be severe.

To keep employee disengagement and high turnover rates at bay, it’s important to take regular pulse checks of your team. Find out what’s working across your company and what’s not with purposeful employee feedback questions and a high-performance pulse survey tool. 

Why Should You be Asking Employee Survey Questions?

Employee feedback survey questions help you stay attuned to employee needs and wants. They also help you track down potential issues in your company at the earliest signs of trouble. 

The importance of employee feedback is twofold: 

1. It lets you know what’s going well in your company and what needs to be improved; 
2. It shows employees that their input is valued.

By consistently asking for upward employee feedback, you’re telling your staff, “Hey, we care about the work you do and your wellbeing at the company. We want to make sure you enjoy coming in to work every day.” 

Benefits of Employee Feedback Survey Questions

The best employee engagement survey questions let you gather more authentic employee feedback. This gives you the data to make meaningful changes across your company, rather than simply shooting in the dark. 

To get more out of employee feedback, use an email-integrated employee feedback tool like ContactMonkey. 

Our tool lets you embed surveys into internal emails, access qualitative and quantitative survey data, and keep the needle moving on employee experience:

You can also conduct employee surveys with different segments of your workforce by using custom email lists. Using ContactMonkey’s List Management feature, you can create custom email lists—without needing IT—that integrate with your Human Resource Information System (HRIS) like Workday and ADP, as well as Azure Active Directory, so they’ll update automatically.

Best Employee Survey Questions

How much information you’re able to gather from your employee survey questions depends on two things: relevant subject matter and purpose-driven structure.

Employee pulse engagement survey questions should touch upon key elements of your employee experience strategy: leadership, company culture, communications, and professional development—to name a few. For a full list of different kinds of employee surveys, try downloading our free employee survey email templates.

You also want a good mix of quantitative and qualitative feedback, which means using a tool with multiple survey response options. 

With ContactMonkey’s email-embedded pulse surveys you can gather survey responses in a variety of formats, including: 

• Dichotomous scales 
• Likert scales 
• Star ratings
• Emoji reactions 

If you’re struggling to come up with employee survey questions, you can use ContactMonkey’s OpenAI ChatGPT integration to generate unique survey questions. Simply describe what you’d like to accomplish with your survey and edit the suggested questions according to your audience.

Let’s dive deeper into the different types of employee survey questions and break down some examples of how to use them. 

Employee Engagement Survey Questions

The cost of employee disengagement across the US adds up to nearly $350 billion dollars a year. While most employers don’t strive to make their staff miserable, forgetting to check in with employees is the surest way to see engagement plummet. 

By consistently gathering employee feedback, you can recognize engagement issues early on and tackle problems before it’s too late. Here are some staff survey question examples you can implement in your next organizational pulse check:

1. Are you proud to work for [company name]? (Yes/No and comment option)

Answers to this question will reveal levels of brand alignment and support for your company’s mission. With the anonymous comment component, you’ll also get to see what sorts of actions make your employees proud—whether it be your corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative or how you celebrate employee achievements. 

This way, you can start to double down on these efforts and amp up what works. It’s recommended that you strive for 80%-90% agreement on this question. 

2. On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend this organization as a place to work? (eNPS)

eNPS survey questions measure how likely your employees are to promote your company to others. With ContactMonkey’s segmented employee survey analytics, you’ll even be able to see who your brand ambassadors are. This knowledge can then be used to enlist brand influencers to build hype around various employee engagement efforts and events.  

The best thing about eNPS is that it gives measurable, quantitative data on employee engagement levels. This is highly valuable when showing the ROI on employee engagement or making a business case for investing in employee engagement software. 

3. How engaged do you feel in your work? (star rating)

This question provides a quantitative measure of how engaged employees feel across specific roles. This type of question is great for seeing potential engagement differences across different teams and departments. 

If you’re using ContactMonkey’s segmented survey analytics, you can get a clear breakdown of employee survey results by role, title, and office location. With this information, you’ll be able to build out more tailored employee engagement strategies that revolve around the unique needs of different teams.  

4. I rarely think about looking for another job: (Yes/No)

An engaged workforce has lower turnover rates because employees see a future at the company. The answer to this question is incredibly important because it will show you how many employees still see themselves thriving in the company. 

If you’re seeing a lot of ‘No’ answers, it’s time to take a deep dive into employee engagement and retention strategies. 

5. I see a clear path for growth at this company: (Yes/No)

This question specifically examines employees’ outlook on their career trajectory. Engaged employees see a clear path for growth. A handful of ‘yes’ answers will indicate that you’re providing sufficient opportunities for employee development and personal growth, such as training, career coaching, and the like. 

If you notice most employees responding ‘no’ to this question, you’ll need to develop more employee coaching opportunities and find proactive ways to support staff in their career goals. 

This might involve employee coaching or mentorship opportunities. But the first step will be to conduct a professional development pulse survey. Let’sdive into this next!

Management and Leadership Survey Questions

Managers and leaders need to strike the right balance between being personable and empathic but also assertive and bold. 

Employees should feel like they can open up to their leaders but also see them as pillars for guidance. To ensure your company leaders are getting the best of both worlds, try asking these employee survey questions:

6. Do you feel like your manager is invested in your success? (Thumbs Up/Down) If so, provide an example. (Anonymous Comment)

Studies show that employees who genuinely believe their managers care about their development are more than3 times more likely to be engaged. But what does investing in employee growth really mean?

For starters, it’s about offering tools and resources that employees need to succeed. This might include paid subscriptions to software that helps employees excel at what they do, or training modules that teach them new skills. 

The answer to this survey question will let you know whether managers are indeed providing these material and interpersonal resources. 

7. Do you regularly receive feedback and recognition from your manager? (Yes/No)

Managers who know their employees’ strengths are 71% more likely to have employees who are engaged and energized. 

Acts of recognition boost employee morale and give staff added confidence in their roles. So it’s important to have plenty of affirmative answers to this question. Otherwise, it might show that employee recognition from managers is running low, and it’s time to amp up your rewards and recognition program.  

8. Are team priorities usually clear to everyone? (Thumbs Up/Down)

Effective collaboration, strong workplace relationships, and trust in leadership all rely on employees being well-aligned. The answer to this question will indicate the level of alignment across your organization and highlight potential communication problems. 

Depending on your results, you can determine how to fix your leadership communications for stronger team alignment. You might also look into investing in internal communications software that mitigates workplace silos through hyperconnectivity.  

9. Is the senior leadership team successful at motivating employees? (Yes/No)

When your company is on an upwards trajectory and things are looking bright, it’s easy to overlook employee motivation. But successful leaders must be able to continuously boost employee morale—whether it be through a strong vision, financial incentives, or a bit of each. 

The answer to this employee motivation survey question will help you see whether your company needs to take extra steps to boost team morale. From there, you can determine if the solution is more team-building, better compensation, and benefits, or more flexible work options. 

10. Do you understand how your performance is measured? (Yes/No)

Ambiguity in the workplace is the root of many employee disengagement issues. When employees understand what is expected of them, they feel empowered to excel at their jobs and are more likely to be engaged in their work. 

The answer to this question will indicate whether KPIs and other performance benchmarks are clear for all employees and suggest what needs to be clarified. 

Professional Development Questions

Showing an interest in your employees’ advancement demonstrates their value to the company and fosters loyalty. Taking an active interest in employees’ professional development is one of the keys that will set you apart as an effective workplace. 

Here are some employee survey questions you can ask employees to see if they’re satisfied with your professional development offerings:

11. Do you feel that your current role is aligned with your career goals? Why or why not?

This is the best type of question to use when you want employees to truly reflect on their professional development trajectory. If employees don’t feel like their current role is aligned with their career goals, their days at the company are numbered. 

Use anonymous comments to dig deeper behind this question and see how you can support employees in aligning their role with their career objectives. 

You can also use this feedback to follow up with employees and ask them to sit down to develop a career plan together. In the long run, this will take you in the right direction towards boosting employee engagement and build trust. 

12. How would you rate the professional development opportunities in this organization? (Star Rating)

This question is great because it provides you with measurable data on how satisfied employees are with your professional development offerings. It also helps you identify specific shortcomings in the quality or quantity of available training programs and mentorship opportunities.

13. What additional professional development opportunities would you like to see our company offer? (Anonymous Comments)

This is a follow-up question for employees who’ve already rated your current professional development program. Here you get more specific insights into preferred classes, tools, and resources your company can offer to support employee growth. 

Once responses start rolling in, create a list of common suggestions which you can explore in depth. Pro tip: mention the interesting or unique suggestions you’ve received in your next internal newsletter. Letting employees know you’re listening to their needs is a huge engagement booster. 

14. Are you satisfied with the format/style of our professional development offerings? (Thumbs Up/Down)

The success of your professional development program doesn’t just depend on the number of online classes you offer. It also depends on your ability to adapt to employees’ learning styles. 

Some employees may be interested in having access to an online learning module. Others⁠ prefer peer mentorship and networking events. This question is designed to understand whether the current opportunities appropriately reflect how employees learn and grow and help you make changes accordingly. 

15. Are you satisfied with your current professional development budget? Why or why not? (Yes/No and Anonymous Comment)

This type of employee satisfaction survey question will help you understand whether your company’s professional development funds are accommodating your employees’ goals.  

Professional growth often depends on the financial resources employees have at their disposal. Perhaps your employees want to enroll in a more intensive bootcamp, or start buying books to develop their skills in a specific area. Ideally, your company should be able to support them in these pursuits. 

This type of question should always be followed up with an anonymous feedback box for employees to include suggestions for improvement. You can easily create anonymous surveys with ContactMonkey and embed anonymous comment boxes straight into internal emails with the switch of a button:

Company Culture Questions

Company culture is your organization’s bedrock. It drives team alignment and propels employee engagement by giving employees a sense of community and support when they’re at work. But an undefined or toxic company culture can have the opposite effect. Ask these employee survey questions about company culture to see what type of company your organization really has:

16. What makes you proud to work for this company? (Anonymous Comment)

The answer to this employee pulse survey question will highlight what your employees see as their accomplishments in the company. 

Responses might also reveal what company values or goals they truly support. It’s important to leave an optional comment feature for this question so that employees can share what could make their experience better.

17. Would you say that the company culture is supportive and inclusive? (Thumbs Up/Down)

This workplace survey question takes stock of whether your company has created a welcoming and supportive environment for employees from all walks of life. At times, answers to this question may shed light on harsh realities. 

For instance, you might see the signs of a toxic workplace culture. But learning the truth is the first step to making change. 

18. Are conflicts/disagreements handled effectively in our organization? (Yes/No)

Every organization experiences its share of internal disagreements. What sets apart positive company culture from a toxic culture is how employees respond to conflict. 

A strong leadership team that fosters an inclusive culture is able to resolve conflicts in a collaborative fashion. That is, by hearing out different viewpoints and moderating the flow of conversation effectively. The answer to this question will give you a good indicator of whether you have a strong, inclusive company culture or whether you might need to improve workplace culture communication.

19. How would you describe the company culture in one word? (Anonymous Comment)

This is a simple employee pulse survey question that will give you a solid idea of what your company culture is all about. If employees use words like “innovative” or “collaborative” you’ll know you’re on the right track to a positive workplace culture. More neutral answers like “easy-going” also provide insight into the style and etiquette across your company. 

Once you gather all the different descriptors you can create a word bubble of all the different things that make up your culture and promote these elements during recruitment and employee onboarding. 

20. Is there something you wished would be different about the company culture? (Yes/No) If so, what would this be? (Anonymous Comment)

This employee survey question is designed to target specific areas of your company culture that are in need of improvement. While getting employees to share whether they believe your culture is bad or good is useful, getting specific input makes it easier to implement change.

For instance, employees may point out that your company culture is not inclusive to a multigenerational workforce. Or they might say that your team events are too focused on parties and outings that not everyone enjoys. Whatever the answer may be, it will bring you that much closer to establishing tangible change within your culture. 

Communications survey questions

Poor dialogue and a lack of transparency doesn’t just obstruct the flow of information across your company. It can do damage to employee trust and confidence in your organization.

In the age of remote and hybrid work, consistent, two-way communication is absolutely essential for helping employees feel connected and preventing siloes. Asking employee survey questions around the state of internal communications will let you identify whether employees are getting the information they need, when they need it. 

Here are some communications survey questions to consider:

21. How would you rate our company’s efforts to keep you informed? (Star Rating)

Transparency and continuous dialogue make up the cornerstone of effective internal communication. When employees feel informed and connected they develop trust in your organization. Employees also feel more confident and comfortable sharing in a place where communication is consistently flowing. 

The answer to this question provides you with an overall score of how successfully your company communicates with the workforce. To dive deeper into the nitty gritty data, you’ll have to follow up with some of the questions below. 

22. Do you have easy access to the information/resources necessary to do your job well? (Thumbs Up/Down)

Whether it be product pricing information, call scripts, or training manuals, your internal communications should provide employees with the materials necessary to do their job. This survey question examines whether workplace resources are in fact easily accessible. 

If they aren’t, consider improving digital employee experience with ContactMonkey’s HTML newsletter templates. You can easily import these into Outlook or Gmail emails, allowing employees to access videos, smart links, surveys, and other digital content at the click of a button: 

23. What internal communication channel do you find to be the most effective? Which one do you find least effective? (Anonymous Comment)

Between email, employee engagement apps, and intranets, modern companies have a whole lot of internal communications channels. But not all are made equal. And sometimes, having too many internal communications channels can add up to information overload.

The answer to this question will let you identify which internal mediums are helping facilitate conversation and which ones are simply adding to the noise. An easy way to cut down on unnecessary internal communications channels is to use an all-in-one internal messaging software. 

With ContactMonkey, you’re able to send and track email and SMS communications from a single platform while optimizing each channel through responsive templates. Start your free trial to see ContactMonkey in action today! 

24. Does our company provide adequate information about change management procedures? (Thumbs Up/Down)

If employees feel blind-sided by a new business process, or feel inept when it comes to navigating change, they’re very likely to express resistance. The answer to this survey question will help you gauge the efficacy of your change management communications. 

You can help employees feel well-informed at each stage of the change management process using ContactMonkey’s change management pulse surveys. They enable you to introduce updates and gather employee feedback from a single platform—your internal newsletter. So it’s easy to create a constant feedback loop at each stage of the change management process. 

25. How can our company improve communications? (Anonymous Comment)

This question is a great way to wrap up your employee feedback survey. Employees have the opportunity to give their detailed thoughts on the state of your company’s communications while employers get actionable suggestions for improvements.

You can use the responses here to create recommendations for an action plan based on your survey results. It’s also valuable to paraphrase the suggestions here in a follow-up email where you thank employees for their participation in your survey. 

Create More Purposeful Employee Survey Questions With ContactMonkey

Knowing how to ask the right questions can help you both inspire and lead your employees into constructive dialogue about their experience at the company. Finding out that your staff are dissatisfied about certain aspects of your company can be alarming. But in the long run, it’s always better to know the truth so you can get a head start on making improvements.

With ContactMonkey’s employee pulse survey tool, you can get the exact feedback you need to implement change—and get it quickly. 

With email-embedded pulse surveys, ContactMonkey makes it easy for employees to provide feedback in minutes. And internal communicators get the survey analytics they need to execute meaningful change. Book a free demo to see ContactMonkey in action today!