Before we dive into examples and templates, let’s make sure we’re on the same page when it comes to an employee or staff satisfaction survey. What are they exactly, and why are they important?
Employee satisfaction surveys are where you ask your staff how happy and satisfied they are in their job and at your organisation. They help you understand how many of your employees enjoy working for you. Are they satisfied with their benefits? Are their day-to-day needs met? Do they feel respected by their colleagues? Hear straight from the horse’s mouth with anonymous, expert-designed employee surveys.
In a nutshell, employee satisfaction is fundamental for ongoing business success. By regularly measuring satisfaction, you can understand where you’re at, what you’re doing well and where you’re falling short. In fact, it can help your business on a whole range of fronts, such as:
1. Staff retention
Team members that are satisfied are far more likely to continue working for you than those that aren’t. By measuring employee satisfaction, you’ll get a sense of the proportion of your staff that are likely to leave in the weeks and months to come.
2. Productivity and performance
Satisfied employees are not only more productive, but they also produce better work. This means employee satisfaction impacts your bottom line.
3. Word of mouth
Your staff members represent your organisation. They’re brand ambassadors. And if they’re unhappy, they won’t be doing you any favours. On the flipside, truly satisfied employees can be your biggest advocates. Wouldn’t you like to know how many of each you have?
4. Company culture
Company culture significantly impacts staff satisfaction. And when it comes to company culture, it really can be a case of one bad apple. One disgruntled employee can prove toxic, creating a negative working environment. And this can drive your most talented employees away. It’s important that you regularly get feedback on your company culture so you can identify and act on any issues.
5. Employee engagement
While employee satisfaction and engagement are not synonymous, a satisfied employee is more likely to be engaged. So positive employee satisfaction feedback can also be a good indicator of employee engagement. And an engaged employee is worth their weight in gold, since they’re dedicated to helping your organisation achieve its goals.
Let’s look at some practical examples of employee survey questions you could include.
As you can see, these staff survey questions cover a wide array of different topics which all feed into overall satisfaction. And there’s plenty more where that came from. Below we’ve collated several of our most popular templates on this topic.
To start with, there are more general surveys that ask questions about employee satisfaction overall. This type of survey will touch on several different aspects which affect overall satisfaction, from team environment to benefits, to managers’ performance.
But in some situations, you might prefer to focus on one or a couple of aspects of satisfaction. For instance, you can send out a survey that asks about professional development opportunities within your organisation, one that looked at wellbeing or one that focused on team culture. Why not check out the templates below.
Below are just a few examples of expert-designed staff survey questions and surveys from our library.
Building a workplace culture that prioritises belonging and inclusion is the best way to attract diverse and talented people, create a sustainable workforce, and—most importantly—make employees feel supported. SurveyMonkey’s inclusion and belonging survey template can help you understand what you’re doing well and where there’s room for improvement.
If your employees don’t think they’re paid well enough, they may start looking for another opportunity soon.
Find out if your employees feel satisfied with their future plans and how the company is helping them reach their long-term financial goals.
Workplace flexibility, retirement plans, paid leave and other benefits can be key to job satisfaction.
Find out if your choice of health insurance is working for your employees.
Are managers approachable and available? How often do they give feedback to their team members? Do they improve the team’s performance with their contributions?
Find out what your employees think of your investment in training and education and the opportunities for professional development they see in front of them.
How do your staff members perceive diversity, inclusiveness and work culture at your company? Ask them.
Designed by SurveyMonkey and Lean In, this survey measures employees’ attitudes on gender, a fundamental issue of growing importance in the workplace.
Do your employees think they are working with equally skilled and professional peers?