Employee engagement is a crucial factor toward the success of your business—and employee feedback is your window into what matters to your employees. Use our employee survey templates to collect meaningful feedback about numerous topics.

Your business decisions inevitably affect your employees, and giving your employees a chance to influence those decisions is a cornerstone of employee engagement. Employee surveys help you understand how your employees feel about particular issues, collect actionable ideas, and assess your overall employee engagement situation.

We provide you with our most popular employee survey templates that you can use at your business. Whatever questions you want to ask your employees, we have an employee survey template specifically-designed for it.

Pro tip: Stop using an external email tool for internal communications. ContactMonkey makes conducting employee surveys a breeze, and is a top Mailchimp alternative for internal communications.

What are Employee Surveys?

Employee surveys are internal communications where employees can share ideas, voice concerns, and raise issues that affect them and their work. These surveys can vary in length, but are always focused on better understanding the values and feelings of your employees.

There are various types of employee surveys focused on different aspects of employee engagement. Employee survey templates are a valuable tool for businesses who conduct regular employee surveys as they save time and effort, and produce feedback that can be used to benchmark engagement over time.

How often should you conduct an employee survey?

There are two answers to this question:

• It depends on the nature of the survey and the feedback you wish to receive, but
• Not so often that your employees grow tired of providing their feedback

The kind of survey you’re sending dictates how frequently you’ll send it out. Employee pulse surveys are short and require minimal effort for employees, meaning you can send out these surveys more often. Other surveys elicit feedback that will need to be compared with past feedback—like annual employee wellness surveys—meaning they need to be scheduled at annual or quarterly intervals.

If you’re sending multiple surveys to your employees, ensure that you space them out to give your employees some breathing space. Bombarding your employees with surveys can cause them to provide half-hearted feedback, or worse: tune out entirely.

We recommend scheduling your employee surveys ahead of time to avoid congestion. Use our free Internal Communications Planning Calendar to map out your upcoming employee surveys to maximize the quality of the feedback you receive.

What makes a good employee survey?

Again, there are two answers to this question:

• A good employee survey asks questions your employees genuinely care about, and
• provide you with meaningful, actionable feedback.

Your ability to collect useful employee feedback will depend on how inclined your employees are to contribute their thoughts and feelings. Ask concise, pointed questions about issues relevant to your employees, and act on their suggestions when you receive them. If your employees see that you’re taking their feedback seriously, they’ll be more likely to complete your surveys in the future.

20 Most Popular Employee Survey Templates

You can collect all kinds of employee feedback depending on the survey you send to your employees. Use our email survey templates to gather feedback that will help you create better internal communications, build employee engagement, and achieve your business goals.

1) Employee benefits survey template

An employee benefits survey asks employees about their feelings around the benefits they receive from your business. Benefits are a significant incentive for employees to pursue and maintain employment at your company.

Use an employee benefits survey to gauge satisfaction with your current benefits and get new ideas for what you can offer employees:

Are you aware of the employee benefits program provided by your company? [thumbs up or down]

Are you satisfied with employee benefits provided by your company? If not, please identify areas where we could improve. [thumbs up or down]

How would you rate our employee benefits program compared to other organizations that you have worked for? [star rating or emoji reactions]

2) Employee engagement survey template

An employee engagement survey helps you measure whether your employees find their work meaningful and fulfilling. Numerous factors contribute to employees finding meaning and fulfillment in their work, which we examine in our employee engagement trends for 2022 article.

Put briefly, employee engagement boils down to three aspects: cognitive engagement, physical engagement, and emotional engagement. Consider these three criteria when creating your employee engagement survey:

Do our company’s goals align with your own values and priorities? [thumbs up or down]

Do you receive the support you need to succeed at your job? [thumbs up or down]

How does our work environment affect your ability to succeed at your job? [star rating or emoji reactions]

3) Employee motivation survey template

Employee motivation surveys take the tenets of employee engagement—meaning and fulfillment—one step further by asking employees how likely they are to act based on those feelings. An employee may feel connected to their job, but they might not be motivated to contribute based on that connection for various reasons.

An employee motivation survey helps you find out what may be stopping your employees from contributing more to your company, and can provide useful insights for overcoming these barriers:

I feel like my voice is heard at this company. [star rating or emoji reactions]

I would like to work here as long as possible. [star rating or emoji reactions]

I’m satisfied with the benefits offered. [star rating or emoji reactions]

I receive regular feedback from management. [star rating or emoji reactions]

I am treated with respect by my coworkers and leadership. [star rating or emoji reactions]

4) Employee opinion survey template

Going beyond employee engagement, surveys like employee opinion surveys give employees the chance to share their thoughts about a wide range of topics. Gather your employees’ opinions about:

• Workload
• Compensation
• Professional development
• Management and leadership
• Company operations and policies

The length of your opinion surveys will vary based on topic, but we recommend keeping them short and sweet. This way your employees will be able to provide more meaningful feedback about a single topic:

Does your manager recognize your work often? [thumbs up or down]

Do you ever feel that stress from work is affecting your personal life? [thumbs up or down]

Are there any professional development opportunities we are not currently offering that you wish we had? [thumbs up or down]

These kinds of questions are usually best answered beyond a simple yes or no. With ContactMonkey, your employees can share anonymous comments with their survey answers:

5) Employee pulse survey template

Pulse surveys are single questions usually included alongside other internal communications content. Like employee opinion surveys, pulse surveys can be used for just about any topic. Poll employees about upcoming events, business initiatives, or even about your internal communications:

Did you find this email helpful? [thumbs up or down]

Are you going to attend our upcoming town hall? [thumbs up or down]

Have you checked out our new fitness program? [thumbs up or down]

6) Employee experience survey template

Employee experience surveys aim to measure the more granular aspects of employee engagement. Where an employee engagement survey deals with an employee’s feelings about their workplace, an employee experience survey examines the specific factors that influence those feelings.

Employee experience can be broken down into three criteria: cultural experience, physical experience, technological experience. Looking at your employee engagement in these ways can help you contextualize the feedback you receive so you can improve employee experience at your business:

Do you agree with your manager’s leadership style? [thumbs up or down]

Does your manager provide you with the resources you need to succeed? [thumbs up or down]

Do you feel comfortable in your workspace? [thumbs up or down]

7) Employee feedback survey template

An employee feedback survey is the older sibling to the opinion survey. A feedback survey can get into more detail about a particular topic, and can ask different kinds of questions about it. Since employee feedback surveys are generally longer, they should be sent to employees sparingly—like quarterly or yearly.

The topics discussed on employee feedback surveys can vary, but the feedback you receive should ideally be more than a simple yes or no. We recommend collecting anonymous employee comments alongside the default responses for questions like these:

Do you feel that you can ask your manager for feedback openly? [thumbs up or down]

Do you feel that your manager communicates tasks and  expectations adequately? [thumbs up or down]

How supported do you feel by your manager? [star rating or emoji reactions]

8) Employee onboarding survey template

Starting new employees on the right path is an important key to their success at your company. An employee onboarding survey can help you refine your employee onboarding process and highlight areas where you can improve.

Ask questions about different aspects of your onboarding like the materials you provide, the introductions you conduct, the timeframe of your onboarding, and other important parts of the process:

Did we provide you all the resources you need to get started at our company? If not, what else could we provide you? [thumbs up or down]

Were you given opportunities during onboarding to ask all the questions you wanted? [thumbs up or down]

Was the timeframe for your onboarding process reasonable? [thumbs up or down]

9) Employee exit survey template

When an employee leaves your company, they can offer informed suggestions about their time at your company and what they feel can be improved. An employee exit survey is a powerful tool to get critical feedback from departing employees about their experience at your company.

Gather their feedback on everything from company culture to policies to employee events and everything in between. These are just some of the many questions you can include in your exit surveys:

I feel comfortable sharing my thoughts and ideas with peers and team leaders. [star rating or emoji reactions]

Are you able to be creative and take risks in your role? If not, why? [thumbs up or down]

I am able to maintain a healthy work-life balance in my current role. [star rating or emoji reactions]

How would you describe the leadership of this organization? [star rating or emoji reactions]

10) Employee training survey template

Employee training surveys help you understand the efficacy of your training programs and whether employees understand what they’re taught. These surveys can provide important feedback that you can use to refine your training processes.

Effective training programs are crucial for the success and safety of your business. For example, a phishing awareness training program helps your employees from putting sensitive company information at risk. Training surveys help protect both your employees and your business.

I feel that [company] provides adequate training for employees to address every challenge they may face. [star rating or emoji reactions].

Are there any issues you regularly face in your work for which you would like additional support?  [thumbs up or down]

Do you feel comfortable asking clarifying questions about training programs to your manager? [thumbs up or down]

11) Employee performance survey template

An employee performance survey takes a different approach to evaluating how your employees take to their responsibilities than traditional performance reviews: it asks the employee to rate their own performance. Not only can this help identify levels of engagement, it can also highlight discrepancies between employee and employer performance expectations.

You can inform these questions based on employee engagement statistics you can gather from other surveys and email tracking metrics.

How would you rate your performance in the past year? [star rating or emoji reactions]

Do you feel adequately challenged by your current responsibilities? [thumbs up or down]

I find it easy to focus on producing the best work I can. [star rating or emoji reaction]

12) Employee attitude survey template

An employee attitude survey asks general questions about your company and company culture. The purpose of this survey is to figure out what affects how employees feel and what you can do to boost the connection between employee and employer.

On your employee attitude survey, you should ask questions about factors that can affect the day-to-day experience of your employees, as these will have the biggest impact on their overall attitude toward your company:

I am given regular updates about company activities and policy changes. [star rating or emoji reactions]

My manager regularly communicates with me and offers their guidance when it is needed. [star rating or emoji reactions]

I find my job personally satisfying and challenging. [star rating or emoji reactions]

13) Employee happiness survey template

How happy your employees are at their jobs has a huge impact on their overall engagement. An employee happiness survey helps businesses understand the feelings of their employees and how it relates to their performance.

Employee happiness has a big impact on your employee net promoter score (eNPS). This metric measures how likely employees are to recommend your product or service to their friends and family. It also measures how likely they are to recommend your workplace to family and friends. You can include an eNPS question on your employee happiness survey:

How happy are you at work? [star rating or emoji reactions

I receive meaningful recognition for doing good work. [star rating or emoji reactions]

On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend this organization as a place to work? [eNPS survey]

Using ContactMonkey’s email template builder, you can select eNPS surveys alongside your other feedback options. The results of your eNPS surveys are displayed in their own section in your email analytics dashboard.

14) Employee recognition survey template

Providing your employees with the resources they need to succeed is one important aspect of employee engagement; recognizing their success is an equally-important part of this. Employee recognition initiatives play a big role in helping employees feel connected to their workplace and coworkers. It also helps them develop pride in their work and gain fulfillment from doing their best.

Your employee recognition survey can serve at least two important purposes: gauging whether your employees feel adequately recognized by management and peers, and collecting feedback about existing recognition efforts:

I am recognized when I produce excellent work. [star rating or emoji reactions]

I am happy with the rewards and initiatives I receive when I produce excellent work. [star rating or emoji reactions]

Are there employee recognition initiatives that you would like to see [company] implement? [thumbs up or down]

15) Employee of the month survey template

An important form of employee recognition are employee appreciation days or employee of the month programs. These are initiatives that celebrate the accomplishments of employees with a greater degree of visibility than simple manager-to-employee recognition.

Your employee of the month survey should try to gauge your employees’ feedback similar to your employee recognition survey: understand how they feel about your current employee of the month efforts and gather ideas for improving this initiative:

I enjoy [company]’s Employee of the Month program and appreciate when it recognizes my and my coworkers’ contributions. [star rating or emoji reactions]

[Company]’s Employee of the Month program provides rewards and recognition proportional to the efforts of the employee being recognized. [star rating or emoji reactions]

Do you feel we should update our Employee of the Month efforts? If so, what would you like to see from us? [thumbs up or down]

16) Employee mental health survey template

Your employees are people, and face challenges in their professional and private lives like anyone else. Your employees’ mental health has a big impact on every aspect of their work. You should critically examine—using the previously-mentioned benefits survey—what mental health resources your company offers employees and what your company can do to facilitate mental health.

Your employee mental health survey collects feedback about what affects your employees mental health and what changes they feel would improve their mental health in the workplace:

I am comfortable raising issues about mental health to my manager. [star rating or emoji reactions]

Does [company] provide adequate mental health resources? If not, what other efforts would you like us to make? [thumbs up or down]

Do you feel the shift to remote work has affected your overall mental health? If so, please suggest ways that we can improve the transition. [thumbs up or down]

I am happy with the mental health resources and benefits [company] makes available for me. [star rating or emoji reactions]

17) Employee satisfaction survey template

Employee satisfaction is more related to employee happiness than employee engagement—though all the concepts are invariably linked to one another. Measuring employee satisfaction helps businesses understand the personal satisfaction employees get from performing their jobs.

An employee satisfaction survey asks questions in order to gain insights into how and why employees feel satisfied with their roles and responsibilities. Like employee happiness surveys, your employee satisfaction surveys can utilize eNPS to help you understand levels of employee job satisfaction:

Would you recommend our product or service to your friends and family? [eNPS]

My input is valued by my coworkers and manager. [star rating or emoji reactions]

I solve problems using my unique knowledge and skills on a regular basis. [star rating or emoji reactions]

18) Employee safety perception survey template

An often overlooked aspect of an employees’ connection to their job is the physical safety they feel at their workplace. Ensuring that your employees feel safe when doing their job is crucial to nurturing both employee engagement and positive mental health.

An employee safety survey can highlight parts of your workplace that may need additional resources to ensure your employees’ safety. These surveys can also help you identify additional training opportunities for your employees:

Overall, I feel safe at my workplace. [star rating or emoji reactions]

I have a good understanding of [company]’s health and safety policies and resources. [star rating or emoji reactions]

There are regular conversations about health and safety between managers and employees. [star rating or emoji reactions]

How dedicated do you feel [company] is toward its employees’ health and safety? [star rating or emoji reactions]

19) Change management survey

Whenever your business adopts a new software, procedure, or policy, it’s important to properly communicate what’s changing. Change management communications help businesses make any change as smoothly as possible, but how can you know your employees know everything they need to know?

Change management surveys let your employees share their feedback about any important changes your business has undergone. Not only does this help you understand whether your employees are up-to-date with your changes, but it can also help you develop effective training programs to ensure your employees are ready to succeed:

Do you feel that the new software would increase your team’s productivity? [thumbs up or down]

Are you optimistic about our upcoming change initiative? [thumbs up or down]

What is one thing we could have done better in past change initiatives? [anonymous comments]

What resources would be most helpful in guiding you through our new software? [anonymous comments]

20) Diversity and inclusion survey

Embracing your employees’ differences and providing them with resources to make them feel comfortable should be a top priority for every business. Promoting diversity and inclusion in your workplace contributes to an inclusive work environment and stronger company culture.

A diversity and inclusion survey helps you assess how included your employees feel at your business. It can also provide you with ideas and topics for your diversity and inclusion initiatives:

How do you feel our business upholds the principles of DEI? [star rating or emoji reactions]

Do you feel included in decision-making processes relevant to you? [star rating or emoji reactions]

Are tasks and promotions awarded fairly amongst employees? [star rating or emoji reactions]

When problems arise, are they handled in a fair and impartial manner? [star rating or emoji reactions]

How to Create and Send an Employee Survey with ContactMonkey?

Using ContactMonkey’s email template builder you can create, customize, and send employee surveys in an instant. We’ll walk you through the basic steps:

Set up your employee survey template

You can create your employee survey from scratch or choose a premade template from ContactMonkey’s internal communications template library:

Our email template builder’s drag-and-drop controls make it super easy to customize your survey and add your company’s branding. Our survey templates come with employee feedback options built-in, but you can also change up how your employees provide feedback by choosing different survey options:

After you’re happy with the design of your employee survey, you can import your recently-created survey template into your Outlook or Gmail inbox using the ContactMonkey sidebar.

Select which distribution list you want to send your survey to; be sure to send your surveys only to groups of employees who’ll find the questions relevant. You can add merge tags to personalize the survey’s subject line and body copy based on which employee is receiving it.

Schedule your survey’s send time so it hits your employees’ inboxes when they’ll be most likely to read and respond to it. Use ContactMonkey’s email analytics dashboard to find the times your employees engage with their emails the most based on past sent email campaigns:

If you follow these steps you’ll have a good chance at collecting tons of great feedback on your employee surveys. To analyze your employee survey results, you can easily consult the information which is recorded and visualized within your email analytics dashboard.

Employee Survey Template Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s a quick breakdown of what we covered about employee surveys and employee survey templates.

What are employee surveys?

• Employee surveys are internal communications that collect employee feedback about numerous business-related issues.

Why use employee surveys?

• Employee surveys help businesses understand what matters to its employees, measure employee engagement, collect actionable business ideas, and help employees feel heard in their workplace.

What are employee survey templates?

• Employee survey templates help internal communicators save time and effort on their employee surveys. They also help keep surveys consistent, even if they’re sent months or years apart.

What questions can I include on employee surveys?

• The best employee survey questions involve topics that directly affect employees. Give employees a place to voice their concerns and influence decisions by gathering employee feedback about policy changes, engagement initiatives, events, health and safety practices, and much more. 

Employee Surveys Help You Achieve Your Business Goals

Whatever you want to learn about your employees, employee surveys are one of the most efficient and reliable ways to gather feedback about whatever topic needs examination. Gain important insights about what issues matter to your employees and get new ideas for how to make your workplace a better place for both employee and employer.

A dedicated employee survey tool like ContactMonkey makes creating, sending, and tracking employee feedback a breeze. Use our survey templates to schedule recurring employee surveys so you can collect comparable results. Not only will these surveys be a great source of ideas and feedback, but you can compare your results over time to gauge whether your employee engagement strategies are having the desired effect.

See how easy it is to create employee survey templates using ContactMonkey by booking a free demo of our internal communications tool for Outlook and Gmail: