9 questions that should be in every employee engagement survey

Is your team really as engaged, productive and effective as they could be? An employee engagement survey can help you find out, but only if you ask the right questions. According to Neal Woolrich, HR Advisory Group Director with Gartner, here are nine questions every employee engagement survey should include.

Business, geopolitical and economic disruptions affect employee engagement and productivity.

The COVID-19 pandemic created lasting change in work trends, impacting employee experience, engagement and productivity.

Along with current economic headwinds which add new concerns, employees are seeking more personal value and purpose at work.

Formal annual or biannual employee engagement surveys often rely on sentiment-based survey questions, such as “Do you receive enough recognition?” or “Does your manager care about you as a person?” While responses reveal some of what employees feel, these questions can be ineffective at surfacing whether employees remain engaged and productive through disruption, or feel motivated to exert discretionary effort.

Drivers of engagement and performance

If your organisation is using an employee engagement survey to gauge the impact of changing work trends, it’s important to keep a constant eye on the following drivers of employee engagement:

1. Organisational trust:

The extent to which employees trust their organisation is a great barometer to measure employee engagement and productivity levels. Employees who feel that organisational trust is shown also tend to have elevated levels of engagement.

The survey questions should help you understand whether employees believe that your organisation values its people and will do all it can to ensure their wellbeing.

2. Commitment to co-workers:

Employees should be able to collaborate with one another effectively, even as they endure disruption in both their work and home environments. Evaluating this can help you understand whether your employees are continuing to actively collaborate with their team members — facilitating better work — and whether they and their team value each other’s support.

3. The right capabilities:

It’s especially important to measure capability, especially during periods of change. This can consist of an employee’s comprehension, agility, network, direction and expectations. Use your survey to determine whether your employees are aware of (and can tap into) the tools, information and people that can help them navigate changes arising out of disruption.