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Employee engagement survey questions: a bank of 60, by theme
Employee engagement survey questions you can use today: sixty of them across twelve themes, each one a statement on a seven-point scale or an open question. Filter by theme, copy the set, or download the CSV.
- EngagementI would recommend this company as a great place to work.7-point scale
- EngagementI rarely think about looking for a job at another company.7-point scale
- EngagementI see myself still working here in two years.7-point scale
- EngagementMy work gives me a sense of accomplishment.7-point scale
- EngagementWhat would make you more likely to stay?open text
- ManagerMy manager gives me feedback that helps me improve.7-point scale
- ManagerMy manager keeps me informed about what is happening.7-point scale
- ManagerMy manager cares about me as a person.7-point scale
- ManagerMy manager makes decisions in a timely way.7-point scale
- ManagerWhat is one thing your manager could do differently?open text
- EnablementI have the tools and resources I need to do my job well.7-point scale
- EnablementI know what is expected of me at work.7-point scale
- EnablementThe processes here let me get work done without needless steps.7-point scale
- EnablementI can get the information I need to do my work.7-point scale
- EnablementWhat slows your work down the most?open text
- AlignmentI understand how my work contributes to the company's goals.7-point scale
- AlignmentThe company's priorities are clear to me.7-point scale
- AlignmentDecisions here are consistent with what leadership says matters.7-point scale
- AlignmentMy team's goals connect to the company's goals.7-point scale
- AlignmentWhich company goal is least clear to you?open text
- GrowthI have good opportunities to learn and grow here.7-point scale
- GrowthI can see a path to the next step in my career at this company.7-point scale
- GrowthI get the chance to use my strengths every day.7-point scale
- GrowthI had a conversation about my development in the last six months.7-point scale
- GrowthWhat skill would you like to build in the next year?open text
- RecognitionI receive recognition when I do good work.7-point scale
- RecognitionPeople here say thank you for help.7-point scale
- RecognitionRecognition here goes to the people who earn it.7-point scale
- RecognitionMy contributions are visible to the people who matter for my career.7-point scale
- RecognitionWho did something recently that deserves thanks?open text
- WellbeingMy workload is reasonable.7-point scale
- WellbeingI can disconnect from work outside working hours.7-point scale
- WellbeingI feel comfortable taking time off when I need it.7-point scale
- WellbeingThe pace of work here is sustainable for me.7-point scale
- WellbeingWhat would improve your balance between work and life?open text
- TeamworkI can count on my teammates when I need help.7-point scale
- TeamworkMy team resolves disagreements in a constructive way.7-point scale
- TeamworkPeople on my team share information openly.7-point scale
- TeamworkI feel safe to raise a concern or a mistake on my team.7-point scale
- TeamworkWhat does your team do well that other teams should copy?open text
- CommunicationI hear about important changes before they affect my work.7-point scale
- CommunicationLeadership explains the reasons behind decisions.7-point scale
- CommunicationI know where to find the answer to a question about the company.7-point scale
- CommunicationThe all-hands meetings tell me what I need to know.7-point scale
- CommunicationWhat question would you ask leadership at the next all-hands?open text
- Company confidenceI have confidence in the direction the company is taking.7-point scale
- Company confidenceLeadership makes the decisions that move the company forward.7-point scale
- Company confidenceI believe the company will do well over the next year.7-point scale
- Company confidenceThe company lives up to the values it states.7-point scale
- Company confidenceWhat worries you most about the company's future?open text
- OnboardingMy first week gave me what I needed to start contributing.7-point scale
- OnboardingI knew who to ask when I had a question in my first month.7-point scale
- OnboardingThe role I do matches the role I was hired for.7-point scale
- OnboardingI had the accounts and the equipment I needed on my first day.7-point scale
- OnboardingWhat should the next new hire get that you did not?open text
- ExitI would consider returning to this company in the future.7-point scale
- ExitI would recommend this company to a friend looking for a job.7-point scale
- ExitMy manager supported my development while I was here.7-point scale
- ExitThe reasons I am leaving were raised before I decided to leave.7-point scale
- ExitWhat is the main reason you decided to leave?open text
How to use it
- Pick a theme, or keep all twelve. The chips filter the bank. Engagement, manager, enablement, and alignment are the core of an annual survey; onboarding and exit are for one moment.
- Read the answer type. A scale question takes a seven-point agree scale, from Strongly disagree to Strongly agree. An open question takes text, and the answers take longer to read.
- Copy or download. Copy puts the shown questions on the clipboard, one per line. The CSV holds the theme, the answer type, and the question, ready for a survey tool or a spreadsheet.
- Keep the set short. Twenty scale questions and three open ones take ten minutes. A survey that takes longer gets fewer answers, and the last questions get the worst ones.
How to choose employee engagement survey questions
A good engagement survey asks about the things a company can change. A question about the manager, the tools, the goals, or the workload points at an action. A question about happiness does not. Each theme in this bank names one lever, and each question in it is a statement a person can agree or disagree with.
Keep the wording plain and the statement single. A question that asks two things at once (clear goals and fair pay) gets an answer that means neither. Keep the scale the same across the survey, so the themes compare with each other and the second survey compares with the first.
Scale questions and open questions
A scale question gives a number you can track over time and across teams. An open question gives a reason. A survey needs both: the numbers say where to look, and the text says what people see there. Three open questions are enough; the answers to the first one tell you most of what the others would.
The seven-point scale, from Strongly disagree to Strongly agree with a neutral middle, is the one OrgOrg's engagement survey uses. It gives more room than five points without the false precision of ten.
Confidentiality changes the answers
People answer a manager question honestly when they know the manager cannot see who said what. State the rule before the survey opens: the minimum number of responses a report needs, who sees company results, and who sees the text answers. A rule that moves after the survey closes is the last survey people answer honestly.
A small team is the hard case. With three responses, a manager can guess. Set the minimum at three or more, and roll a small team up into its department.
The same job, kept up to date for you
OrgOrg's Engagement Surveys app does this inside your workspace, with the people directory behind it. Free for teams of up to five.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the best employee engagement survey questions?
- The ones that point at a lever the company can pull: the manager, the tools and processes, the clarity of goals, growth, recognition, and workload. The recommend question (I would recommend this company as a great place to work) is the one most surveys share, because it tracks the whole experience in one number.
- How many questions should an employee survey have?
- About twenty scale questions and three open ones, which take ten minutes. OrgOrg's default engagement survey asks nineteen statements across five themes and three open questions. A pulse survey asks five or fewer, more often.
- What scale should the questions use?
- A seven-point agree scale from Strongly disagree to Strongly agree, with a neutral middle. Keep the same scale for every statement, so the themes compare with each other and one survey compares with the next.
- Are the questions free to use?
- Yes. Copy them, download the CSV, and change the wording to fit your company. No sign-in and no attribution is needed. OrgOrg's Engagement Surveys app runs the same kind of survey with confidential responses and an audience from your directory, free for teams of up to five.