Employee Engagement Survey: 40 Essential Questions

In today’s rapidly evolving workplace, understanding and improving employee engagement isn’t just a HR initiative, it’s a business imperative. 

Companies with highly engaged employees experience 23% greater profitability compared to those with lower engagement levels¹. This correlation is attributed to enhanced employee presence, productivity, and customer service orientation. Yet an astonishing percentage of 62 % declare ‘Not Engaged’, 15% ‘Actively Disengaged’ and only 23 % say that they feel engaged².

One of the keys to bridging this gap? Prevention. Asking the right questions, at the right time, in the right way. 

Why Traditional Employee Surveys Are Failing Modern Teams

The annual employee survey is long gone. In an era of remote work, rapid change, and instant feedback, waiting 12 months to gauge employee sentiment is like trying to navigate using last year’s weather forecast. Modern teams need real-time insights that capture the pulse of their organization as it beats.

Traditional employee surveys face several well-documented challenges:

• Many HR leaders report that their surveys aren’t delivering actionable insights.
• Employees often don’t see meaningful changes implemented based on their feedback.
• Organizations struggle to maintain consistent participation rates.
• By the time data is analyzed, it’s often already outdated.

The solution? A dynamic, automated approach that transforms surveying from an annual event into an ongoing conversation. However, before diving into automation, it’s crucial to get the foundation right. Even the most sophisticated automated system can only be as effective as the questions it asks. 

Let’s explore the science behind crafting survey questions that drive meaningful insights and encourage consistent participation.

The Science of Effective Survey Questions

Creating effective survey questions isn’t just about asking what you want to know – it’s about understanding the psychology of feedback. Here are the core principles that drive meaningful responses:

1. Psychological Safety First

When employees feel safe sharing their thoughts they provide more honest, actionable feedback. Questions should be framed neutrally and accompanied by clear privacy guarantees.

Example role ‘New Employee’: Asking a new employee to share feedback for the team during their first week or month can impose a burden on someone still getting acquainted with their responsibilities and team dynamics. Instead, frame the question as: “As a new hire, what support from your manager or team members would help you feel more comfortable this week?” This creates a safe space for honest feedback while respecting the employee’s on-boarding process.

2. Specificity Drives Action

Vague questions get vague answers. Each question should target a specific aspect of the employee experience that you can actually influence.

Example role ‘Team Leader’: Instead of asking team leaders, “What are the biggest challenges in your team?”, make the question specific to an actionable area: “As a team leader, do you feel the tools provided for managing performance reviews are sufficient? If not, what additional features or resources would improve the process?” This ensures the feedback is focused on an area where improvements can be implemented effectively.

3. Context Matters

Questions should acknowledge current workplace realities. For remote teams, this means addressing unique challenges like digital collaboration and virtual team building. 

Example role ‘Department Head’: Asking a department head about their general experience with remote work can result in broad or unfocused feedback. Instead, ask: “As a department head, what additional tools or support do you need to ensure your remote team stays aligned on goals and delivers results effectively?” This approach directly addresses their leadership challenges and invites actionable suggestions. 

👉 Check out our relevant “Work Environment: Resources and Support”, “Work Environment: Remote Work Effectiveness” and “Work Environment: Workplace Culture” templates that apply these rules.

Core Question Categories: The Essential 40

Crafting the right questions is fundamental to gathering meaningful employee feedback. This carefully curated set of 40 questions covers the key dimensions of employee engagement, ensuring you capture both quantitative metrics and qualitative insights. 

Each question is designed with specific rating scales to encourage thoughtful responses and provide actionable data. Whether you’re starting a new feedback program or refining an existing one, these questions will help you understand your team’s engagement, satisfaction, and needs.

1. Engagement Fundamentals (10 Questions)

These questions measure basic engagement levels and identify key drivers of employee satisfaction.

Pride and Purpose

1. “How meaningful do you find your work?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all meaningful to 5 = Extremely meaningful)

2. “How likely are you to recommend [Company] as a great place to work?”

Rating Scale: 0-10 NPS scale (0 = Not at all likely to 10 = Extremely likely)

3. “Do you see yourself still working here in two years?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Definitely not to 5 = Definitely yes)

👉 Try the “Pride and Purpose” Template!

Motivation and Energy

1. “How energized do you feel about your work?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all energized to 5 = Highly energized)

2. “What aspects of your work motivate you the most?”

Format: Multiple choice + Add your own

Options: [Challenging projects, Team collaboration, Learning opportunities, Impact on company goals,  Career growth, Work-life balance, Compensation and benefits, Other (please specify)]

3. “Do you feel your work makes an impact on company goals?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = No impact at all to 5 = Significant impact)

👉 Try the “Motivation and Energy” Template! 

Team Connection

1. “How connected do you feel to your immediate team?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Very disconnected to 5 = Very connected)

2. “Do you feel valued by your colleagues?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all valued to 5 = Highly valued)

3. “How well does your team collaborate?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Very poorly to 5 = Very well)

4. “Do you have a best friend at work?”

Initial Response: Yes/No

👉 Try the “Team Connection” Template! 

2. Work Environment (10 Questions)

These questions assess the tools, resources, and support employees need to succeed.

Remote Work Effectiveness

1. “Do you have the tools needed to work effectively remotely?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Strongly disagree to 5 = Strongly agree)

2. “How productive do you feel working in your current setup?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all productive to 5 = Extremely productive)

3. “Is it easy to collaborate with teammates across different time zones?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Very difficult to 5 = Very easy)

👉 Try the “Remote Work Effectiveness” Template! 

Resources and Support

1. “Do you have access to the resources needed to do your job well?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all to 5 = Completely)

2. How satisfied are you with your work-life balance?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Very dissatisfied to 5 = Very satisfied)

3. “Are meetings well-organized and productive?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Never to 5 = Always)

👉 Try the “Resources and Support” Template!

Workplace Culture

1. “Do you feel comfortable being yourself at work?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all comfortable to 5 = Very comfortable)

2. “How well does our culture support your wellbeing?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all to 5 = Extremely well)

3. “Is it easy to disconnect from work when needed?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Very difficult to 5 = Very easy)

4. “Do you feel included in company social activities?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all included to 5 = Very included)

👉 Try the “Workplace Culture” Template!

3. Leadership and Communication (10 Questions)

These questions evaluate management effectiveness and information flow.

Leadership Trust

1. “Do you trust your immediate supervisor?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all to 5 = Completely)

2. “How well does leadership communicate company goals?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Very poorly to 5 = Very well)

3. “Do you feel leadership is transparent about company decisions?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all transparent to 5 = Very transparent)

👉 Try the “Leadership Trust” Template!

Communication Flow

1. “How clear are your job responsibilities?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Very unclear to 5 = Very clear)

2. “Do you receive timely feedback about your work?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Never to 5 = Always)

3. “Is it easy to share ideas with leadership?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Very difficult to 5 = Very easy)

👉 Try the “Communication Flow” Template!

Decision Making

1. “Are you involved in decisions that affect your work?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Never to 5 = Always)

2. “Do you feel your opinion matters?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all to 5 = Very much)

3. “How confident are you in company leadership?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all confident to 5 = Very confident)

4. “Is the rationale behind major decisions clearly communicated?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Never to 5 = Always)

👉 Try the “Decision Making” Template!

4. Growth and Development (10 Questions)

These questions gauge career progression and learning opportunities.

Career Path

1. “Do you see a clear career path at [Company]?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all clear to 5 = Very clear)

2. “How satisfied are you with your growth opportunities?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Very dissatisfied to 5 = Very satisfied)

3. “Do you feel challenged in your current role?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all challenged to 5 = Optimally challenged)

👉 Try the “Career Path” Template!

Skill Development

1. “Does your job enable you to develop new skills?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all to 5 = Very much)

2. “How well does the company support your professional development?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Very poorly to 5 = Very well)

3. “Do you have access to the training you need?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all to 5 = Complete access)

👉 Try the “Skill Development” Template!

Future Outlook

1. “How optimistic are you about your future at [Company]?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all optimistic to 5 = Very optimistic)

2. “Do you feel your career goals align with company opportunities?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all aligned to 5 = Perfectly aligned)

3. “Are you learning valuable skills in your current role?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Not at all to 5 = Very much)

4. “How likely are you to be working here in one year?”

Rating Scale: 5-point Likert (1 = Very unlikely to 5 = Very likely)

👉 Try the “Future Outlook” Template!

Implementation Guide: Making It Work

Asking the right questions

Make sure you select the right questions based on the goal you have and the feedback you want to receive. In the previous chapter ‘Core Question Categories: The Essential 40’ we analyzed the most used questions based on the aspects that are evaluated. 

There are endless options to select as answer type. Some examples:

• 1-5 Likert scale
• Yes/No
• Agree/Disagree
• 0-10 (NPS)
• Emoji ranking
• Set your own options

It’s important to consider the kind of results you’ll want to analyze later after collecting the responses. Some of the options provide qualitative results whereas others quantitative.

A good practice also is to allow users to add their own option in the list of answers. That shouts inclusivity and flexibility! Beware the analysis of results though, since that practice is generally used when no further analysis is required and the purpose is solely building camaraderie among team members.

Find more information and guidance on how to do that in Geekbot user guides.

Selecting the Audience

Introduction message

One of the first steps in setting up your survey is crafting a welcome message. A personalized and engaging message can encourage participants to respond promptly by setting a positive tone and providing clarity about the survey’s purpose. 

Use this opportunity to briefly explain the objective of the survey, how long it will take to complete, and why their input is valuable.

For example you can use a casual and friendly tone, e.g.:

“Hi Team! 👋 We’re running this quick survey to gather your thoughts and ideas. It won’t take more than 2 minutes, and your feedback will help us make improvements that benefit everyone. Thanks in advance for sharing your insights—we really appreciate it! 🙌” 

or a more professional and purpose driven one, like: 

“Hello Team, Your feedback is invaluable to us. This short survey is designed to help us better understand your needs and enhance our processes. It should take just 2-3 minutes to complete. Thank you for your time and for contributing to our shared success.”

This small but thoughtful step can significantly boost response rates and ensure participants feel acknowledged and motivated to engage.

Participants Pool

After creating your welcome message, you should carefully select your participants.

When determining who should participate in your employee survey, careful consideration of your participant pool is crucial for gathering representative and actionable data. Your selection process should balance broad inclusion with targeted relevance to achieve your survey objectives.

Consider these key factors when defining your participant group:

• For department-specific process improvements, focus on relevant team members.
• For company culture assessment, include employees across all levels and departments.
• For management effectiveness evaluation, target direct reports of specific leaders.

Also:

• Ensure proportional representation across departments.
• Include appropriate ratios of management to non-management staff.
• Consider geographical distribution for multi-location organization.

Audience Size

For securing data quality include everyone if the organization is small (<100 employees). For larger organizations, consider setting sample sizes.

Make sure you have set in advance the eligibility criteria, the minimum tenure requirements as well as defined any exclusions.

Geekbot offers two flexible options: adding participants by fetching all users from specific channels or inviting individual users. If you want to reach an entire team or department, selecting a channel is the way to go. More on this, in our helpful user guides.

Implementing for Optimal Response

Communicating with Transparency

Before launching your survey, it’s essential to lay the groundwork for success through transparent communication. Start by clearly explaining the survey’s purpose and how the feedback will be used, ensuring participants understand the value of their input. Address privacy concerns by outlining the measures in place to protect their anonymity and data.

To foster confidence and encourage participation, create dedicated #channels where respondents can ask questions or raise concerns throughout the process. Maintaining open communication before, during, and after the survey not only builds trust but also reinforces your commitment to using their feedback effectively.

Optimizing Survey Timing

Careful scheduling is crucial for maximizing participation and quality responses:

1. Choose the Right Launch Time

• Schedule surveys during regular working hours when employees are most engaged
• Consider different time zones if you have a distributed workforce
• Avoid busy periods, holidays, or major company events that might impact participation

2. Set Appropriate Response Windows

• For routine feedback or quick polls, a 24-hour window may suffice
• Allow at least 48 hours for comprehensive reviews or deep-dive surveys
• Consider extending the window for complex topics that require thoughtful reflection
• Factor in part-time employees and different work schedules

Establishing Survey Frequency

Select a recurring schedule that matches your feedback goals:

1. One-Time Surveys

• Best for specific events or initiatives.
• Useful for annual comprehensive reviews.
• Ideal for project-specific feedback.

2. Recurring Surveys

• Weekly: For team pulse checks and quick feedback.
• Monthly: To track ongoing initiatives or regular metrics.
• Quarterly: For department performance reviews.
• Annually: For comprehensive company-wide assessments.
• Custom intervals: Based on your organization’s unique needs.

Useful Implementation Tips!

1. Test your survey timing with a small group before full deployment
2. Send reminder notifications before the survey closes
3. Monitor early response rates to adjust timing if needed
4. Keep seasonal business fluctuations in mind when scheduling recurring surveys

Remember that the best schedule is one that balances the need for regular feedback with respect for your employees’ time and workload. Regular review of participation rates and feedback quality can help you fine-tune your timing strategy over time.

Viewing and Sharing the Results

When running surveys in Slack, your choice of when and how to share survey results can significantly impact the quality and authenticity of responses. Consider these visibility settings based on your survey goals:

1. “In real-time” allows participants to see the poll results as votes are submitted. This option is ideal for situations where you want to foster transparency and real-time engagement among team members. For example, during a team meeting or brainstorming session, real-time visibility can stimulate discussion and collaboration.

2. “In real-time, after the user votes” enables participants to view the results only after they have submitted their own response. This ensures that responses are not influenced by the current voting trends, promoting independent and unbiased input while still offering transparency post-vote.

3. “After the survey closes” delays the sharing of results until all responses have been collected. This approach is useful for collecting unbiased feedback, as participants cannot see the results while the poll is still active. It works well for sensitive topics or situations where you want everyone to focus on their own thoughts rather than being swayed by others.

4. “Only visible to you” keeps the results entirely private and accessible only to the survey creator. This option is suitable for confidential surveys or when the results will be analyzed internally before sharing with the team.

If you’re running surveys on sensitive topics or want to encourage more candid responses, you might want to consider anonymizing the survey. This leads to creating a secure environment that encourages honest feedback. It’s particularly useful for collecting personal insights or addressing delicate matters within a team. 

Geekbot supports all the aforementioned options by offering the respective functionalities when customizing the survey. The results visibility settings can be customized using a drop-down menu with several options and offers the option to “Anonymize results,” which hides participants’ names. Find more here.

New Geekbot Surveys & Polls

Geekbot Surveys transform team feedback from a periodic event into an ongoing dialogue through its real-time feedback system. When team members respond to surveys or polls, results are instantly aggregated and made available in the dashboard and/or in Slack. 

All survey and poll results you’ve participated in or created are easily accessible through your Geekbot dashboard. Simply visit geekbot.com or type the `login` command to Geekbot in Slack to access your complete history. 

The dashboard presents data through intuitive, comprehensive graphs and visualizations, making it easy to spot trends and patterns. For sharing with team members or stakeholders, you can quickly export results in either CSV format for detailed data analysis or PDF format for clean, presentation-ready reports. This ensures that valuable feedback insights remain accessible and actionable across your organization.

Participation Metrics

Geekbot’s dashboard provides comprehensive participation tracking features that give you instant insight into your survey engagement. 

You can see real-time response rates with clear visual breakdowns of who has and hasn’t responded, complete with participant avatars for easy identification. 

Whether you’re running a quick pulse check or a comprehensive team survey, you’ll always have a clear picture of participation rates and can easily monitor engagement trends over time.

Qualitative & Quantitative Analysis

Geekbot’s dashboard provides a comprehensive view of your survey results through intuitive data visualization. Each question’s responses are automatically aggregated and presented in pie charts, making it easy to spot patterns and trends at a glance.

You’ll see clear percentage breakdowns of responses, with majority opinions highlighted and minority viewpoints clearly indicated.

For example, when looking at areas for improvement, you can instantly see dominant concerns (like a 67% focus on time management) alongside other distributed feedback (such as 17% segments for communication and technical issues).

The Geekbot dashboard also excels at tracking responses over time through elegant trend visualization. For example, when looking at ongoing initiatives like wellness programs, you can see month-by-month changes through stacked bar charts that show both overall sentiment and specific response categories. These trend graphs help identify both gradual shifts and sudden changes in team feedback, making it easy to measure the impact of new programs or changes.

This chronological view is particularly valuable for:

– Tracking program adoption over time.

– Identifying seasonal patterns or trends.

– Measuring the success of new initiatives.

– Understanding long-term impact.

– Comparing responses across different time periods.

All survey data are available for export in both CSV and PDF formats, making it easy to share trends and patterns with stakeholders or include them in broader organizational reporting.

Leveraging AI in poll creation

Last but not least, Geekbot also offers AI-powered functionality for creating short and sweet Slack Polls!

When you need to create a new poll (i.e. single question survey), simply type `/geekpoll` in any channel followed by your topic, and Geekbot AI springs into action. For instance, if you type `/geekpoll team well-being`, the AI analyzes your intent and automatically generates a complete poll structure. It crafts a relevant poll title like “Team Well-being Check-in” and suggests appropriate questions such as “How would you rate the overall well-being of your team?” along with carefully thought-out answer options which of course you are free to edit or even generate new suggestions. Read more here.

This AI-powered approach saves valuable time in poll creation while ensuring you ask meaningful questions. The system understands context and generates options that make sense for your specific topic – whether you’re asking about project progress, team satisfaction, or company culture.

Conclusion: The Path Forward

Employee engagement isn’t a destination—it’s a journey of continuous improvement. By implementing these questions through an automated solution like Geekbot Surveys, organizations can create a feedback-rich environment that drives engagement, retention, and performance.

Remember: The best survey is the one that gets acted upon!

Start small, be consistent, and focus on turning insights into action. Your employees—and your bottom line—will thank you for it.

Ready to transform your employee engagement strategy?

Try Geekbot Surveys today and see how automated, intelligent surveying can revolutionize your workplace feedback.