35 key questions to measure your employees' engagement
Did you know that engaged employees are 22% more profitable? How do you know whether your company's employees are engaged or not? By asking them, of course.
Employee satisfaction surveys are precisely what let you analyze what your people like about their job and what they like less, painting a picture of their real engagement with your organization.
Thinking about running an engagement survey? Don't dive into it alone! Amélio is here to support you through every required step, to make your engagement initiative a real success.
Without further ado, here is our guide covering everything you need to know about engagement surveys, including 35 examples of effective questions.
What is an engagement survey?
An engagement survey is a type of questionnaire that measures employees' engagement, satisfaction and morale.
Employees are invited to share their views on various topics surrounding their day-to-day employee experience, such as company culture, opportunities for personal development, the organization's values and mission, their well-being, and so on.
This helps improve internal practices, as well as attract and retain the best talent.
Why run an engagement survey?
Running engagement surveys offers several benefits, for employees, for managers and human resources professionals, but also for the organization as a whole.
Why engagement surveys are more effective than simple questions. When someone asks you "How are you?", chances are you usually reply "I'm doing well!".
And if you were asked more specific questions such as "How is your relationship with your partner? With your children? With your friends? Do you feel motivated by your personal projects? Or stressed by your responsibilities?" and you could answer honestly and anonymously, would your answers be different?
It's exactly the same principle with engagement surveys! Employees are invited to comment on their organizational experience, without fear of consequences, since their answers are handled confidentially and anonymously.
They can express their opinion freely, unlike an individual or group interview, for example, where there may be certain biases or a fear of judgment. The engagement survey is therefore a reliable measurement tool, providing answers that are closer to employees' reality.
How active listening fosters employee engagement. One of the elements that nurtures the employee experience and fosters engagement is feeling heard. In other words, employees need to know that their opinion matters to their organization.
By asking them to weigh in on their job and their perception of the company, you have a direct impact on their sense that their opinion counts and that they can get involved in finding solutions. That can be very motivating!
Surveys, an essential tool for improving the employee experience. For managers, business leaders and human resources departments, surveys provide visibility into what matters most to employees, into the hot spots in real time.
In other words, the answers provided by employees make it possible to identify what needs concrete and rapid action to improve the employee experience, but also the levers, that is, what should be maintained or which efforts should be enhanced to further increase team satisfaction.
By taking actions that truly count and thereby adapting internal practices to employees' concerns, you increase your chances of retaining your best talent. Indeed, this fosters a positive organizational culture, contributing to the development of a powerful employer brand.
The benefits of an organizational culture that values happiness at work. Ultimately, what, or rather who, do you need to ensure you reach your goals as an organization? Probably your employees.
Whether it's production, sales, promotion or accounting, each individual contributes to the company's success. And the more they like it, the more likely they are to put in extra effort to contribute to its mission.
So, since a happy employee is 21% more productive, there is a great deal to gain from putting in place mechanisms that foster employee engagement and happiness at work. Indeed, this makes it possible to reach the organization's objectives and vision more effectively and more quickly. Your employees may even have innovative ideas to optimize your processes and thus help drive growth.
To find out employees' level of engagement and improve it, engagement surveys are ideal.
Engaged employees are 22% more profitable. And a happy employee is 21% more productive.
35 example questions
Ready to write? Your questionnaire should give you a 360-degree view of your employees' engagement and satisfaction.
To do this, we recommend asking questions relating to the various engagement factors and sub-factors.
For the full definition of the engagement factors and sub-factors we use at Amélio, click here!
The types of questions you choose can be varied (multiple choice, scale, open-ended questions, etc.) and we suggest addressing 3 main topics: the organization, relationships and employee fulfillment.
The organization
Engagement questions about the organization refer to everything relating to the company in general. In other words, employees are asked about elements of the organizational culture as well as the various internal conditions and ways of operating that foster quality work within the organization.
Proximity to the organization
To move in the same direction as your organization, your employees need to recognize themselves in it, to buy into its mission, its vision, its values. They also need to feel that they are kept informed of important news, so they know how they can contribute to the objectives. Hence the importance of asking them about this.
- Do the company's values match what you consider important in life?
- Does your organization adequately communicate the changes and decisions that affect employees?
- Do you feel the company listens to employees' needs and concerns?
Work context
The employer brand is made up in particular of human resources practices. In other words, what is offered to employees in exchange for their work, their skills and their experience? And above all, according to them, are these satisfactory conditions?
Since your employer brand sets you apart from other companies, it is fundamental when it comes to recruiting and retaining new talent; it is all the more relevant to measure where your working conditions stand in the market. This will allow you to make adjustments as needed, making your current employees happier and more loyal, while giving you the power to attract candidates.
- Taking into account your experience and skills, do you believe you are paid fairly?
- What should we do to make our work environment more pleasant?
- Do you feel safe in your workplace?
- Do the work procedures and methods help you carry out your work efficiently?
- Does your manager clearly establish everyone's responsibilities within the team?
- Does the training you receive help you improve your skills for your work?
Staff retention
Your best ambassadors are your current employees. They are best placed to promote you, both to talk about the products and services offered and to refer competent people from their circle. That's two more than valid reasons to find out how proud they are of your company! It is also strongly recommended to find out the reasons that would push them to leave the organization, giving you courses of action to foster staff retention.
- Do you feel proud when you tell your friends and family that you work for [company]?
- Which elements motivate you most to stay with the organization?
- If you had to leave the company tomorrow, what would be the main reason?
Relationships
Engagement questions about relationships refer to everything relating to social interactions within the organization, at various levels. They cover employees' perceptions of the quality of their relationships with their colleagues and managers, as well as their appreciation of the atmosphere and their sense of belonging to their team.
Relationships between employees and managers
Since humans are fundamentally social animals, the relationships they maintain with their colleagues and their manager are of paramount importance. Asking employees about the climate within their team and about the possibility of developing positive relationships with the various levels of the organization is therefore essential to measure their satisfaction at work.
Colleagues
- Is the working atmosphere within your immediate team positive and pleasant?
- How could we make collaboration between the different work teams easier?
- Does your team help you complete your work when you need it?
Managers
- Does your manager convey values of mutual aid and support throughout the team?
- What management practices, actions or behaviours do you particularly appreciate from your manager?
- Can you speak honestly and without fear with your manager?
- Is your manager easily accessible to answer your questions?
Intrinsic work tools
In a study conducted on 200,000 employees, feeling appreciated for their work was the main factor making them happy, well ahead of pay or tasks. It is therefore very relevant to measure the mechanisms surrounding recognition and feedback that are in place in the organization.
- In general, if you had to do the same work again, could you do it better thanks to the feedback you receive?
- On which aspects of your work would you like to receive more comments and feedback from your manager?
- Are you satisfied with the way [the company] recognizes your contribution to the company?
Fulfillment
Engagement questions about fulfillment relate to the employee and their well-being, to how they feel in the company and in their role. These answers reflect employees' perceptions of the impact of their job on themselves as well as on the organization.
Elements of intrinsic motivation
In recent years, the search for meaning at work has taken on more and more importance in employee satisfaction and engagement. What inspires and motivates them to get up each morning? To what extent do they feel fulfilled in their work? By asking questions about their motivation, you'll get the real picture. You'll then be able to clarify certain elements of your vision as needed, for example.
- What motivates you most in the company's strategy and vision?
- Are the organization's main objectives and priorities clear to you?
- Do you feel your organization uses your strengths and skills as much as it could?
- Do you feel a sense of personal accomplishment in your work?
Well-being
It is quite rare for someone to say that their greatest dream is to remain in a job that makes them anxious, that doesn't allow them to have a personal life, whose workload is so heavy that they have no chance of finishing their to-do list, or that harms their mental and physical health. That sounds more like a nightmare! With this in mind, questions about workload, health and stress would give you better visibility into employees' perception of the elements of work that can contribute to or harm their well-being. We work better when we feel good, don't we?
- Are new tasks and responsibilities delegated fairly within the team?
- Is your workload appropriate and realistic given your role and responsibilities?
- Are you satisfied with the organization's actions to promote employee health and well-being (resources, programs, team activities, etc.)?
- What are your main sources of stress at work?
Development and learning
One of the main reasons employees leave their job is whether or not they can develop professionally. Indeed, in a study conducted by WorkInstitute among 35,000 employees, the "Professional development" factor accounted for 21% of the reasons for leaving. That is far ahead of the 2nd cause, which was "Work - life balance" and accounted for 13% of the reasons for leaving.
Here's the good news, though! Your organization has the power to give its employees favourable conditions for developing their skills and reaching their goals, with the supervision and autonomy they need. The first step is therefore to find out their perception of their development and learning as part of their job.
- In your team, are mistakes seen as opportunities to learn?
- Do you have opportunities to learn and develop your expertise in your current role?
- Do you have the opportunity to try new tasks related to your career goals?
- Do you have enough freedom to choose the best way to do your work?
- Do you feel there is too much supervision in your work?
Not sure where to start? Amélio's survey templates make it easy to write your questions. Conditional questions can even be built into the questionnaire to dig deeper into certain answers, giving you an even more precise picture of the situation. Contact us to learn more and discover why thousands of human resources professionals entrust their engagement surveys to Amélio.
How to run effective surveys
In light of these example questions, you may be wondering what the ideal frequency is, how many questions to ask, or what to do after such a survey? Let us shed some light.
Frequency. There is no ideal frequency! It will depend on your organizational reality, your resources, or even the reality of your employees' work.
However, running surveys more frequently provides better visibility into changes over time and the irritants they can cause.
Indeed, over the course of a year, an organization can face various events: team movements, new staff, dismissals, new tools and work methods, new products, mergers or acquisitions, and so on.
Measuring the impact of these events in real time makes it possible to put actions in place immediately to limit frustrations, fostering greater employee satisfaction at work.
To avoid comments like "Not another survey!" or "It's too long, I'm not filling it out this time!", you can simply adjust the number of questions according to the frequency. This will help you avoid survey fatigue.
For example, if you run a survey every month, you could limit it to 20 questions per survey.
Make your life easier! Amélio's algorithm lets you ask your employees questions automatically, at the desired frequency, while making sure to cover a variety of engagement factors in each survey. To learn more about our platform, it's right here!
Data analysis and action plan. The efforts to improve engagement within your teams don't stop once your surveys have been sent and completed!
Indeed, once the results are in, analysis work is needed to identify your organization's strengths and weaknesses.
For which aspects should you put concrete actions in place to improve your employees' experience? Have they suggested possible solutions?
Does data analysis seem tedious or beyond your skills? No worries! The Amélio platform analyzes responses in real time, quickly painting a picture of your employees' engagement. Amélio tells you what's going well, what's going less well and priorities for action. Start today creating an inspiring employee experience with the most complete tool. Click here to get a quick demo!
Once your action plan is set and solutions are in place, you can assess their effectiveness in the next surveys, by comparing the results of the different periods, for example. In doing so, you establish a mindset of continuous improvement.
Whatever the results, it is essential to inform your team members of what happens next, allowing you to increase their participation in future surveys, because they see that it has an impact, but above all so that they can feel involved and heard. Which is essential for their engagement!
In short…
Engagement surveys allow you to better understand your employees' concerns, so you can take concrete actions that will make a difference to their satisfaction at work. By better understanding your organizational culture, you can turn it into a genuine competitive advantage, allowing you to recruit the best resources, but above all to retain them.
Amélio can support you through every stage of setting up engagement surveys, from writing the questions to creating your action plans, including data analysis.
Book a demo Schedule a free demonstration to discover all the platform's benefits.