Employee engagement is more than a buzzword—it’s the fuel that drives a company forward. When people feel connected to their work and team, they’re doing more than clocking in for a paycheck—they’re building something bigger, driven by purpose and passion.
But engagement doesn’t happen by chance. It takes effort to cultivate in any workplace environment, whether your team is in-person, remote, or hybrid. Without proactive strategies to keep employees connected, motivation can fade, and employees may feel left out. In fact, only 37% of remote employees say they feel genuinely involved with their colleagues during the workday, a reminder that a strong employee-centric culture is key to keeping teams motivated.
So, how do you ensure that your staff members—wherever they work—stay invested in their roles? Employee engagement survey questions are a great place to start.
What is an employee engagement survey?
Employee engagement surveys measure how staff members feel about their work, team, and organization. They typically include questions about their job satisfaction, company culture, and work-life balance, often with a mix of multiple-choice and open-ended responses.
Employee engagement surveys differ from employee feedback surveys, which usually focus on specific issues (such as a recent company event or a product launch). In contrast, engagement surveys give management a broader understanding of how employees feel about their jobs and the workplace in general.
More than just collecting feedback, employee engagement surveys allow companies to take action based on the results. By understanding what helps or hinders team engagement, management can make better decisions to improve morale, foster productivity, and strengthen employee retention.
Why implement employee engagement surveys?
Employee satisfaction should be a top priority for all organizations, whether remote or in-office. Happy and engaged employees tend to be more innovative, committed, and loyal, contributing to overall business success. Among the reasons to use employee experience surveys, businesses can:
Improve outcomes
Employee dedication and how a business performs go hand in hand. Devoted employees are more likely to go above and beyond in their work, helping increase productivity. They’re also more inclined to stay with the company, reducing turnover and the costs associated with hiring and training new staff.
Engaged teams are more innovative, offering fresh ideas and solutions that drive business growth. Research shows that approximately 80% of highly engaged employees perceive their organizations as fostering cultures of innovation, compared to only 50% of less engaged employees.
Collect feedback at scale
Surveys are an easy way to see the big picture by collecting feedback from all departments. Whether you have a small local team or a large workforce across different countries, employee surveys help gather data from everyone, giving you a clear picture of the company’s engagement levels. This scale of feedback would be much harder to collect through one-on-one conversations or informal check-ins.
Take informed action to improve company culture
Survey questions help find areas that need improvement. Whether it's unclear communication or limited growth opportunities, these questions can help you spot problems you might not see. Once problems are identified, companies can take steps to improve the workplace—whether that’s enhancing communication, offering leadership training, or providing more opportunities for employees to develop their skills.
Examples of employee engagement survey questions
Below are examples of common employee engagement survey questions, organized into key areas that cover job fulfillment, leadership confidence, and alignment with company values. These categories provide a clearer picture of what’s working—and what’s not—when it comes to keeping employees motivated and committed.
Think of these questions as a starting point to customize for your team based on your company’s culture and goals. Remember, the more you understand what drives your people, the stronger and more engaged your workplace will be.
Employee satisfaction
These questions assess how employees feel about their roles, recognition, and work-life balance—factors that directly impact motivation and retention:
- How satisfied are you with your current job and responsibilities?
- Do you feel valued and recognized for your work?
- Are you happy with the work-life balance provided by the company?
Leadership and management
Effective leadership plays a crucial role in engagement. These questions help gauge how employees perceive managerial support, feedback, and decision-making:
- Do you feel supported by your manager in achieving your goals?
- Does your manager provide constructive feedback and guidance?
- How confident are you in the leadership’s ability to make sound decisions?
Company confidence
A sense of stability and shared purpose can strengthen engagement. These questions explore employees’ confidence in the company’s future and how well they connect with its mission:
- Do you feel secure in the long-term stability of the company?
- How confident are you in the company’s commitment to employee well-being?
- How aligned do you feel with the company’s mission and values?
General open-ended questions
Open-ended questions like these give deeper insights into employees' personal experiences and motivations:
- Do you believe you have good career opportunities at this company?
- Are you inspired by the purpose and mission of this company?
- Do you feel excited about coming to work?
Health and well-being of workers
Work-life balance and workload management are indispensable to preventing burnout. These questions assess whether employees feel supported in maintaining their well-being:
- How satisfied are you with your work-life balance?
- Are you able to disconnect from work at the end of the day?
- Do you feel that your workload is manageable enough to maintain your well-being?
Employee engagement survey best practices
The most effective employee engagement surveys offer a clear picture of how connected your team feels to the company. Here are five best practices to get the most valuable insights from yours:
1. Communicate about the survey effectively
Be sure to explain the purpose of the survey to your team so they understand why it’s important and how their responses will be used. Clear communication helps encourage honest answers and shows employees their input is valued.
2. Run surveys periodically
Employee engagement is not a one-time check. How staff members feel can and does fluctuate over time based on factors like leadership changes, company growth, or external influences like the economy. Running surveys periodically—quarterly or bi-annually—helps you track trends over time and allows you to take timely action to address issues before they become bigger problems.
3. Protect anonymity
Employees are more likely to share their honest opinions if they feel their responses won’t be traced back to them. Always assure workers that their responses are anonymous (unless they choose to share their identity) to create a safe space for open feedback.
4. Avoid overwhelming employees with overly long surveys
While gathering thorough data is important, overly long surveys can lead to fatigue. Keep surveys short and to the point, focusing only on the most critical areas of engagement. Aim for a length that will take no longer than 10–15 minutes to complete.
5. Keep questions concise and to the point
Ambiguous or complicated questions can confuse employees and skew the survey results. Keeping questions simple helps maintain focus and makes it easier for employees to provide clear and thoughtful answers. Consider using rating scales or multiple-choice questions for a more straightforward analysis.
Streamline administration to support employee engagement
Tracking engagement, running surveys, and managing administrative tasks across different time zones can be overwhelming—especially for remote teams. With Oyster’s global employment platform, you can seamlessly handle payroll, benefits, and compliance all in one place.
Oyster is specifically designed to help companies manage their remote workforce while ensuring that employees have the tools and resources they need to stay engaged. In addition, our Total Rewards solution provides insights and expert guidance for making informed decisions and creating competitive offers tailored to local markets.
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FAQs
What are the different types of feedback surveys?
There are different types of feedback surveys, each used to gather specific information about employee performance, engagement, and satisfaction. Here are five examples:
- 360-degree feedback surveys gather feedback from an employee’s peers and managers to provide a complete view of their performance, strengths, and areas for improvement.
- Onboarding surveys capture feedback from new hires about their experience during the hiring and onboarding process, helping organizations refine the employee transition period.
- Exit surveys help gather insights into why an employee is departing a company and identify areas that need improvement to retain future employees.
- Performance feedback surveys focus on an individual employee’s performance, often as part of performance appraisals or during regular feedback sessions.
- Pulse surveys focus on specific aspects of the employee experience and provide quick insights into ongoing sentiments or reactions.
About Oyster
Oyster is a global employment platform designed to enable visionary HR leaders to find, engage, pay, manage, develop, and take care of a thriving distributed workforce. Oyster lets growing companies give valued international team members the experience they deserve, without the usual headaches and expense.
Oyster enables hiring anywhere in the world—with reliable, compliant payroll, and great local benefits and perks.
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