5 Questions to Ask in an Employee Survey and Why

Employee surveys can be incredibly useful to a company, if they are designed correctly. Surveys that ask the wrong questions, in the wrong way, could inadvertently obscure serious issues. Moreover, if past employee survey results were not transparently shared with employees, they might be reluctant to participate or to answer truthfully in future ones.

As we learnt in a previous blog, employee survey feedback can be improved by improving question construction; for example, by asking questions about observable behavior rather than thoughts or perceived motives (because opinion-based questions could yield biased responses); including question items that can be verified independently to improve the reliability of employee feedback; and by avoiding double-barreled questions. Employee surveys are easy to build, distribute and to analyze if you have the right employee survey software at your disposal – and Ezzely does not disappoint. If you want to create an employee survey that yields meaningful results, it is important first to have a clear understanding of your research question. Once you know what feedback you need, you’ll be better equipped to ask the right types of questions to gain the best possible insights.

If you want to gauge employee satisfaction, include these five questions in your employee survey (source: TINYpulse):
1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you at work?
2. Would you refer someone to work here?
3. Do you have a clear understanding of your career or promotion path?
4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your work-life balance?
5. Hypothetically, if you were to quit tomorrow, what would your reason be?

Let’s take a look at the reasoning behind each of these five questions, in turn:

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you at work?

Start with this question in an employee satisfaction survey to set the tone for the remainder of your enquiry. It offer sample response options when asking about their level of satisfaction, and, when asked frequently, can provide a helpful barometer of long-term workplace satisfaction. The key to its success is not merely asking the question, but also addressing the feedback you receive from employees – this ensures that employees feel that the company takes their views seriously, thus prompting honest responses in future.

2. Would you refer someone to work here?

The likelihood of an employee referring to someone may offer insights into their level of job satisfaction. Happy employees tend to be excellent brand ambassadors, while unhappy employees can directly or inadvertently cause reputational damage by sharing their unhappiness with friends and family.

3. Do you have a clear understanding of your career or promotion path?

Employees with continuous development opportunities were found to be twice as likely to spend their career with their company, according to a Gallup poll. By asking whether employees have a clear understanding of their career/promotion path, you’re able to anticipate whether additional opportunities should be offered to retain employees who feel unsatisfied with their current development trajectory.

4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your work-life balance?

Employees who spend more time at work than at home may run the risk of burning out or neglecting other important aspects of their lives. A work-life balance allows employees to be productive and engaged at work because of the opportunity such a balance affords individuals to look after their mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. This question allows an employer to gauge whether staff are overworked and thus require additional support. Remember: Burnt-out staff are far more likely to take sick leave, seek greener pastures or be unproductive.

5. Hypothetically, if you were to quit tomorrow, what would your reason be?

This question could assist in uncovering problems you didn’t even know you had – ones that could potentially drive employees to seek opportunities elsewhere. Find out what your company’s pain points are and take action to show your staff that their voices are taken seriously and that you are responsive to their needs.

Anonymous employee survey responses are more likely to inspire candid feedback, which will ultimately benefit the company through higher response rates. Employee survey software and employee survey apps allow companies to create surveys quickly, and deploy them directly to their desired respondents–check out Ezzely’s survey functionality to explore how it can help your company improve its surveys, and so much more!