What is an employee satisfaction survey?
Employee satisfaction surveys are questions designed to measure workers’ feelings of contentment with the current system. The survey asks questions about how employees feel about company culture and recognition by superiors. The goal is to identify problems and create solutions to boost productivity and retain employees longer. Surveys can be accessed via an internal online link and are usually anonymous so that workers feel uninhibited in expressing their views.
Related: Job Satisfaction and Happiness at Work: A Guide
Benefits of a happy workforce
Evaluating the needs and desires of workers is critical to boosting employee engagement and productivity. Organizations that can empower employees can gain a competitive edge. As it turns out, many Canadians are not engaged at work, according to a study conducted by Indeed and Oxford University measuring workplace wellbeing between 2019 and 2024. Employers that fail to improve workplace satisfaction can suffer from reduced productivity, high turnover, low morale, reduced ability to recruit good talent and negative interactions between employees, staff and customers.
Related: If Your Employees Are Happy, They’ll Likely Stay, and Here’s Why
The benefits of conducting a job satisfaction survey
There are several benefits to conducting a job satisfaction survey. Understanding how employees feel and being able to make changes in the workplace can benefit both employees and employers. Some of these benefits include:
- Identifying consistent issues
- Letting employees be heard
- Receiving direct feedback from workers
- Encouraging open communication with employees
- Using positive stats in recruiting materials
- Quantifying employee feedback
- Understanding if staff satisfaction has changed over time
- Anticipating and potentially preventing upcoming turnover
- Addressing concerns to make improvements
Related: Here’s How to Ensure Employee Satisfaction and Boost Happiness in a Changing World of Work
What to measure in an employee satisfaction survey
Employee satisfaction surveys vary from company to company, depending on their size and type of business. Overall, they should measure worker happiness and feelings of empowerment, as well as attitudes toward:
- Getting work done
- Communication and instruction
- Support of employees
- Distribution of workload
- Appreciation and recognition by management
- Company culture
- Company’s mission
- Working with team members
- Opportunity for advancement
Related: How to Empower Employees in the Workplace
Designing Effective Employee Satisfaction Survey Questions
Surveys are designed to elicit honest, genuine responses, so it is helpful to create questions that are straightforward to understand. Companies can create open-ended questions rather than appearing to evoke a particular reaction, and the tone can be conversational and concise to avoid corporate jargon. Answers may be given as a combination of multiple-choice and narrative writing. Here are some sample questions that measure employees’ feelings about their company and working conditions:
| CATEGORY | QUESTION |
| Overall job satisfaction | On a scale of one to five, how would you rate how you feel about your job overall? Please explain your answer. |
| Company’s mission | How do you feel about the company’s vision and mission? Would you say that it’s extremely important, important, neither important nor unimportant, unimportant or extremely unimportant? |
| Company culture | Would you describe the company’s culture as one that is welcoming to all people regardless of their backgrounds? (Answers can be ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘not sure’). Please explain your answer. |
| Passion for quality work | What best describes your feelings about doing your job well, generally speaking? Passionate, good, indifferent, uninspired, unmotivated. |
| Being recognized/appreciated by management | When I perform a task to the best of my ability, my manager gives me supportive and helpful feedback as much as I need; it’s sometimes helpful but I could use more support; I need a lot more support than I am getting. |
| Feeling informed and supported | For most of my tasks, I feel that I receive all the information I need to perform my job well ____ percent of the time. |
| Working with other employees | I feel most/nearly all/some/almost none/none of my co-workers communicate with me in a respectful way. |
Follow-up is critical
Once survey data is collected and tabulated, companies have valuable information on what they are doing well and what needs to change to boost workplace satisfaction. Administering these surveys is an exercise to allow employees to feel heard, but there must be appropriate and timely follow-up so that workers believe management cares about their needs. Companies that give workplace satisfaction surveys should be prepared to:
- Be transparent. Report to workers the results of the surveys company-wide.
- Plan for meaningful change. In reviewing the data, identify patterns of unhappiness and sensible requests for change that would benefit the company overall.
- Involve employees in making changes. Designate employee committees that will give input as the company moves forward toward making changes.
- Follow up with more surveys. Once changes are implemented, survey employees again to assess how they feel about them.
If companies survey employees with a sincere desire to evaluate workplace satisfaction and determine what changes will make employees happier, employers can be rewarded with increased engagement and productivity. As trust grows, employees are likely to continue to provide businesses with honest input that can lead to a mutually beneficial relationship.
Related: Here’s How to Ensure Employee Satisfaction and Boost Happiness in a Changing World of Work
Frequently asked questions about employee satisfaction surveys
How do you analyze employee satisfaction survey results?
You can look at the results from the company as a whole and examine different employee groups. You might analyze the results from each department or different levels in the company hierarchy. This process helps you spot trends and patterns in the results, such as higher satisfaction in upper management than in middle management positions or the general workforce.
What is the difference between employee satisfaction and employee engagement?
Employee engagement refers to how committed a worker is to helping the company. Highly engaged employees are motivated to work hard for the organization. High engagement levels often mean an employee is also satisfied with the job. Employee satisfaction means that the worker enjoys the job, but it does not necessarily mean they are engaged. An employee can enjoy their job and lack the motivation to work hard.
Related: Employer Branding Metrics to Track Right Now
What is a good employee satisfaction score?
Determining good satisfaction survey results depends on your rating system. You generally want more positive than negative scores, but expecting perfect scores is unrealistic. All companies have room for improvement. If your employees feel comfortable being honest and giving feedback on their concerns, they trust you enough to share. Conduct a job satisfaction survey regularly to compare scores. The initial survey creates your baseline data; additional surveys show whether you are improving.
Related: The Importance of a Good Employee Journey
How many questions should I include in an employee satisfaction survey?
Your survey should ask enough questions to get a good picture of employee satisfaction without being so long that employees lose interest. A general guideline is between 30 and 60 questions or a survey that takes no more than 20 to 30 minutes to complete. The type of questions you ask is more important than how many questions you include. They should match your requirements and the information you need. Consider specific areas you know are a concern and focus several questions around those issues.
Related:
- White Paper – Work Happiness & WellBeing: Why Collecting Credible Employee Feedback is Key
- How to Develop a Culture of Wellness in the Workplace
- How Industry 4.0 Can Boost Employee Satisfaction — and Your Bottom Line
