35 Employee engagement survey questions for higher productivity

As a manager, conducting employee engagement surveys can be a great way to help collect insights and track metrics.

You know where to implement change, but you’re not sure where to start. The right tools can help managers understand their team, boost employee engagement, motivate the team towards higher productivity, and even ensure that they have a healthy work-life balance.

In this article, we’ll cover a list of sample questions in various contexts that you can use in your next employee survey. By running these kinds of employee surveys weekly, management is better able to stay up to speed with their teams’ morale, performance, and engagement.

To help you amplify team engagement, we’ve broken down our employee engagement survey questions (and ratable statements) into 10 clear categories.

Employee engagement survey questions

Being clear on how engaged your employees are feeling isn’t always easy. These employee engagement survey questions help to clarify how leaders can ensure their teams are productive, motivated, and feel supported.

1. How would you describe the level of challenge you have at work?

Employee engagement and employee performance are complex to measure. It’s important for your team to strike a balance between being challenged to learn and building their strengths.

Let them know that the management team supports them throughout their work. Creating a safe space for them to fail-forward encourages employees to feel engaged and build a growth mindset.

2. Do you know what you need to do to meet your goals and objectives?

Team productivity and engagement skyrocket when your people know how to set and meet expectations. As a manager, it’s vital that you’re clear on your expectations by defining what work-in-progress means and come to a team-wide definition of “done.”

3. Do you believe your organization is able to reach its objectives?

Communicate important information to your team. This will help them establish a strong connection to their work, a larger sense of engagement, and a broader understanding of how they’ve positively impacted the rest of the organization. 

Knowing how to achieve collective goals amplifies an overall sense of accomplishment, productivity, and employee engagement; it’s a win-win-win situation!

4. Do you have access to the material resources you need to do your work properly (equipment, supplies, etc)?

Whether you’re in an office or working remotely, having the right resources and tools in place has a tremendous impact on employee engagement. The right resources can amplify employee performance and enable an ergonomic experience. Reach out to your team and make sure they have the right tools at their disposal.

5. Do you have access to non-material resources you need to do your work properly (information, training, support, data, knowledge, etc)?

Without the right tools or support, employee engagement can dwindle which can have serious repercussions on the rest of the team. To set your team up for success you should:

• Forecast your employees’ needs when assigning projects
• Ensure your employees have access to the right information
• Connect them to other colleagues who can share insight/resources 

6. Do you feel you have enough freedom to decide how you do your work?

Everyone works differently. Acknowledge a way of working that promotes the right amount of balance for autonomy and collaboration. Giving leeway to your team will result in a strong sense of trust rather than feelings of micromanagement. This way you’ll foster a strong sense of employee engagement within your team rather than a sense of dependency.

Survey questions to garner employee feedback

Learning to understand the value your team places on effective feedback helps their progress, encourages support, and amplifies areas in need of improvement. An engagement survey can help you achieve that by gathering constructive feedback.

7. Are you satisfied with the frequency of feedback from your direct manager?

This survey question helps measure the efficacy of employee feedback loops and what each team member needs when it comes to feedback frequency.

8. Is the feedback you get specific?

Knowing the level of detail that is required from your team will help shape the way you provide employee feedback. This is especially important for remote employees. Learn when it’s appropriate to generalize and when more details are required.

9. Does the feedback you receive help you grow and develop?

Survey data from this question is helpful when it comes to keeping employee feedback actionable and relevant. Your team’s engagement level will increase if they’re given the right tools to hone their skills.

Use our favorite employee feedback examples during your next feedback session.

Employee survey questions about satisfaction

Job satisfaction plays an important role in overall employee engagement. Learn what makes your employees excited to be part of your team by getting honest responses to the following questions.

10. On a scale of 0-10, how reasonable is your workload?

Learn about the role each team member plays within the team, as well as how they’re responding to fulfilling their mandate. Delegate work in a way that plays to their strengths and challenges them appropriately without burning them out. 

11. Do you enjoy the work that you do?

The idea that work needs to be a struggle is outdated. The employee experience can (and should!) be exciting, challenging, and fun. Be open to understanding what drives your team to feel a sense of fulfillment and joy. Employees find greater satisfaction in their work when they truly enjoy what they do.

12. Does your direct manager care about your well-being?

Often what makes work enjoyable for many is their relationship with their peers and their manager. It’s crucial for a management team to understand how respect is measured and how to establish a mutual sense of respect within your team to improve employee engagement. It’s also vitally important to check in and ensure that employees have a healthy work-life balance.

13. Are your responsibilities clear?

When assigning tasks and projects, be transparent about expectations. In addition, provide clear guidelines when it comes to roles and responsibilities, and what they need to succeed.

When work distribution gets complicated, this often results in disengaged employees, siloed teams, and feelings of frustration. Avoid this by keeping communication open, brief, and actionable.

Check in on the organizational culture

Employee engagement survey questions on your organization’s culture can guide leadership in helping employees feel aligned with the company’s mission, the team’s mission, values, and company culture. Clear company goals can help keep the team moving in the same direction.

14. Generally speaking, how would you rate your level of happiness at work?

It’s important that employees have a sense of connection to the work that they do and enjoy their work environment. Being curious and excited about projects fuels employee engagement and creates electric energy in the workplace.

15. Am I inspired by the purpose and mission of my organization?

Teams who feel aligned with their purpose, goals, and mission are more committed to their work. They’re also more invested in their roles. This survey question helps amplify employee happiness and workplace engagement by understanding how well people connect to their company culture. 

16. Do the leaders of my organization communicate a vision that motivates me?

If your teams aren’t aware of the main purpose and vision of your organization it can lead to feelings of detachment in their day-to-day work. Make objectives clear and draw correlations between how they impact the bigger picture and contribute to organizational changes. Pulse surveys help ensure your team feels aligned to the bigger picture and boost employee engagement.

17. On a scale from 0-10, how likely are you to recommend your organization as a good place to work?

Employees determine how they feel about the company culture as it relates to the people they work with, the managers who support them, and their work environment. Understanding if your team feels well supported will help build trust and fulfillment in their work. When you know how they feel you can develop helpful strategies in one-on-one meetings to further expand on their experience.

Valuable survey questions about remote working

When not physically in the office, an employee engagement survey can help management learn more about the impact that remote work environments have on their team.

18. Does your work environment allow you to work distraction-free when you need to?

Ensure that your team has distraction-free zones available to them. This will avoid your employees from feeling disengaged and will have a significant impact on their performance and well-being.

19. Are you satisfied with the level of comfort in your physical workplace?

Well-being at work plays an important role when it comes to productivity and motivation. Making sure teams have an ergonomic space can improve wellness in the workplace.

20. Do you feel supported by your organization if you need to make use of flexible working arrangements?

Be clear on when your team should be available during the work week and build a stable framework for remote meetings to establish a sense of routine. Learn your team’s behaviors and encourage them to take breaks. Maintaining a work-life balance is key.

21.  Do you think someone would say or do something if you felt distressed at work?

Empathize with employees who feel overworked and overwhelmed. Often, they may not be the first to come forward and admit to this. Ensure that each team member feels a level of approachability with you as their manager and with each other. Encouraging support within a team is essential, especially during tough times.

Important employee morale survey questions

Your team is invaluable to your organization and to each other. Recognize them for their strengths and their progress. Encourage them to celebrate and highlight each other’s workplace wins, no matter how big or small.

22. How would you rate the frequency at which you receive recognition?

Acknowledge that employees have different needs when it comes to being recognized for their work. This can come in many forms. Establish consistent recognition with your team outside of your regular one-on-one meetings and encourage employees to highlight each other’s work. This is a great way to help employees feel valued.

23. Is recognition given in a timely fashion?

It’s normal to have a tendency to provide recognition during designated review periods or feedback sessions. However, providing real-time feedback and recognition is highly impactful and inspires employees to feel more engaged and motivated. 

24. Is recognition meaningful when you receive it?

When you recognize your team, make sure you’re acknowledging their experiences so they feel appreciated. Take the time to learn about what will resonate with them by being specific when describing their positive impact.

25. Does your organization encourage employees to recognize each other?

When employees feel seen and valued, they’re likely to feel more aligned with the company goals. Let employees know the importance of paying it forward by encouraging them to support one another. This facilitates teamwork, builds trust, and allows your people to know that they add value in their own ways.

Employee development survey questions

An employee engagement strategy is most effective when employees feel their career path gives them an opportunity for growth and learning. The right employee survey questions can help you zero in on if their work is putting them on the right path for their professional development.

26. Do you have a development plan aimed at improving your employees’ skills?

Individual professional growth is unique to each team member. Support your team by curating thoughtful career development plans that take into consideration the skills, strengths, and areas of improvement of each team member.

27. Is there someone at work who helps you grow and develop?

Often employees are most engaged when they feel they are being guided by someone they trust and, on some level, admire. Get to know your employees and help them find appropriate professional mentors whom they can learn from.

28. How would you rate the way your organization makes use of your strengths?

Thriving employees feel a sense of fulfillment toward their team. They want to feel as though they’re adding value. Give them opportunities to share their areas of expertise with the wider organization; doing so will challenge their perspective, take them out of their comfort zones, expand upon their leadership skills, and help their professional growth.

Providing them with professional development opportunities can also help them develop new skills.

29. Are you appropriately involved in decisions that affect your work?

When employees understand the context in which they work, it becomes much easier for them to feel motivated toward larger objectives. Make sure that you’re being transparent with your team and show them that you believe in their skills by involving them in meetings where they could provide more input, a different perspective, and explore their strengths.

Significant survey questions about relationships with managers

Having a healthy relationship with your team matters both professionally and personally as employees need to feel supported to succeed. These questions help refine relationships to ensure they’re built on trust, communication, and mutual respect. Great managers are ones that are in tune with their employees’ needs.

30.  Is my direct manager someone I can trust?

Having trust in the workplace is essential to leading a team successfully. Trust can be established in different ways for different employees. It starts with learning more about your team and demonstrating a genuine interest in who they are. Be transparent and clear with employees when it comes to their work, growth, and any feedback you provide.

Our research shows that 86% of employees using Officevibe trust their direct manager.

31. On a scale of 0-10, how satisfied are you with how frequently you communicate with your direct manager?

Whether you’re working remotely or in person, it’s important to establish frequent one-on-one conversations, and feedback loops. Be mindful of your employees’ preferred methods of communication; make an effort to use these as you get to know one another and build your relationship. Many employees need frequent communication, while others prefer their check-ins to be more spaced out.

We put together a series of one-on-one meeting agenda templates for different situations to help guide your conversations.

32. How would you rate your direct manager’s management skills?

As your team grows and they continue to nail their objectives, managers must also learn how to take care of their own development. Keeping an open ear to your team’s feedback will help you learn what your own strengths are and how you can equally improve upon your existing skills.

Employees’ relationships survey questions

A helpful way to learn about how well your team is working together is to prompt employees to reflect on how they feel about collaborating with their colleagues. Strong team dynamics facilitate productivity and engagement, improve employee satisfaction, and contribute to a positive workplace culture.

33. Do you feel like you are part of a team?

Do employees sense that they carry the weight of projects on their shoulders? Or do they feel they can rely on their team for support? Discover their perspective to learn how to help build your team’s dynamic and encourage employee engagement.

34. Do you and your peers collaborate well together?

A sense of collaboration allows teammates to understand that they can trust each other. As a result, employees feel more inclined to reach out to one another for help, celebrate wins together, and learn about their collective growth.

35. Do you feel as though your peers are committed to doing quality work?

A strong baseline of expectations motivates teammates to collaborate effectively and achieve their goals. Be clear about how you expect employees to work with each other and be open about their individual strengths. By shedding light on their potential, they’ll play to each other’s strengths and keep each other motivated. 

Make your employee engagement survey data work for you

Uncovering helpful survey data starts with being inquisitive and open about the results you get from employee surveys. Officevibe empowers managers to ask important employee engagement survey questions, review data, and take strategic actions to achieve their goals. 

In addition to one-on-one meetings, employee surveys can help empower HR professionals and leadership teams to learn from their colleagues on a continuous basis by asking the right survey questions. 

The data you collect from your employee engagement surveys is a treasure trove of insight into how you can improve the overall employee experience. Let Officevibe help you tap into your team’s full potential.

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