Employee Satisfaction Survey Questions: How to Conduct and What to Ask?

The Employee Satisfaction Survey shows us how satisfied the employees are with their work. The "heard" opinion of employees will help solve existing problems in the team, reveal hidden ones, and also relieve tension between the management and ordinary employees.

With the correct satisfaction survey, you will learn a lot of what people have in their mind and will be able to predict decisions that employees themselves have not yet made.

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Content

1. How often should you conduct employee satisfaction surveys?
2. How are the results of the employee satisfaction questionnaire calculated and compared?
3. Should you anonymize your employee satisfaction survey?
4. The main reasons why the employee is not satisfied
5. Important notes in employee satisfaction survey
6. Conclusions: Employee Satisfaction Survey Questions
7. FAQ

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How often should you conduct employee satisfaction surveys?

Do you need the most objective result? Do them regularly, but at least once a quarter.

Why is it so much less effective to conduct a survey once a year?

Over such a long period in the "working" life of an employee, various changes can occur, including a change in position in the company or even dismissal. Of course, the level of satisfaction during transition periods, intermediate stages can and will differ. Therefore, the frequency of the survey once a year is practically nothing: the employee will analyze only the last weeks and conclude. In addition, the "comments" field is more likely to be completed taking into account only current topical issues.

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How are the results of the employee satisfaction questionnaire calculated and compared?

The template that we use contains 15 questions that imply answer options (from categorically "no" (strongly disagree) to absolutely "yes" (completely agree) and 2 questions with text answer options - we just offer them to respond to employees in detail, in a free form.

We calculate the level of employee satisfaction:

1. We count the total number of answers “yes” and “rather yes than no” for 15 multiple-choice questions.

2. We use the formula "Number of answers" yes "/ 15 * 100%"

3. We analyze comments and questions with detailed answers.

For example: an employee of the WebDev department answered 11 questions out of 15 in the affirmative (rather yes (rather agree) or yes (strongly agree)).

11/15 * 100% = 73%

A similar scheme can be used to assess the level of satisfaction in a department when all the results of employees of a particular department are added up and divided by the number of people.

How to evaluate results:
- 80-100%: the employee/department is very satisfied with the work in the company
- 60-80%: in general, the employee/department is satisfied with the work in the company, but there are certain nuances and controversial points
- 40-60%: the employee/department is not sufficiently satisfied with the work in the company, several issues require detailed operational consideration
- Up to 40%: the employee/department is not satisfied with the work in the company, a particular employee may be considering dismissal, or there are noticeable disagreements in the team, difficulties in interacting with management, etc.

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Should you anonymize your employee satisfaction survey?

Yes. Undoubtedly, the answers will be more truthful, the comments more valuable, more specific. This opens up new possibilities for understanding the problems.

Do not think that employees will start dumping only negative feedback. By understanding the freedom of response, staff can add constructive comments and ideas. Ultimately, this will have a positive impact on the corporate culture.

P.S. more people participate in anonymous polls.

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The main reasons why the employee is not satisfied

There are three main reasons why an employee does not feel a sense of job satisfaction:

‍1. Feeling unnecessary - the feeling that a person's work in a company is not important, has no real benefit. Understanding that personal success at work depends on the decisions of another employee/manager. The employees accept that their activity, ideas, and results do not matter.

‍2. Anonymity - few or no one knows about the employee's work, is not interested, does not notice results.

‍3. Motivational factor. Wages, bonuses, incentives are disproportionate, there is no correlation depending on the efficiency and effectiveness of labor                        

Important notes in employee satisfaction survey

A noticeable number of responses “extremely dissatisfied” may indicate an attempt to attract attention, an employee's resentment about working moments in the company. The lack of answers “rather not satisfied” or “categorically not satisfied” may indicate imprudence, distrust, a desire to demonstrate socially desirable opinions. In such cases, responses “rather dissatisfied” may indicate pronounced problem areas.

If the job satisfaction questionnaire contains the bulk of neutral answers “Undecided,” this may indicate a low employee engagement, a lack of desire to waste time on a survey due to distrust. Also, the person may not have trust in this satisfaction survey or have insufficient information about the goals, anonymity, and security of the satisfaction survey.

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Conclusions: Employee Satisfaction Survey Questions

As a result of the satisfaction survey, a visual report with data in the "heat map" format appears. The report can be viewed as a whole and specifically by the employee, department and by area. The digital format shows the situation in general for the company, where areas requiring attention are immediately noticeable.

The comments of the employees, their explanations, and suggestions are possible to consider  within each department for each person. By supplementing their responses with comments, employees show engagement in the survey process and do not expect all of their ideas to be implemented. However, knowing of ideas for each employee will make them feel heard, which, in turn, will further motivate.

‍Download template Satisfaction questionnaire

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FAQ:

How do I create an employee satisfaction survey? 

One of the key aspects of an employee satisfaction survey is about making it anonymous. It ensures more truthful and objective answers on the part of reviewees. Moreover, divide the survey into segments representing employee satisfaction. These can be linked to the quality of management, company culture, and employee engagement. Finally, carefully select questions that will represent the needs of your business. 

What are 2 questions every company should include in their employee satisfaction survey? 

It is safe to say that every employee satisfaction survey should have questions linked to the company culture, for instance: “Are you satisfied with our company’s culture?” And a question linked to the quality of management, for example: “Does our management team meet your professional needs?” These two questions offer a general grasp of employee satisfaction in the company. 

How to present employee satisfaction survey results?

When communicating the survey results, start with thanking all the participants. The next step is about showing the initial overview of the results. Then, analyze the results with the leadership and later proceed to the detailed results. If the survey presents team-level results, discuss such with a team. Finally, don’t forget to be objective, imply a positive attitude, and base any given feedback on facts and evidence. 

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What is an employee satisfaction survey?

An employee satisfaction survey is an assessment tool used by managers and leadership to receive feedback on metrics representing employee satisfaction. Companies often use different rating scales and divide the surveys into sections addressing a segment like engagement, management, and company culture.