Article
10 minutes
Great Employee Listening Session Questions for Meaningful Insights
Global HR
Author
Lorelei Trisca
Published
July 26, 2024
Last Update
August 12, 2024
Table of Contents
Great employee listening session questions
Tips for crafting effective listening session questions
How do you facilitate a listening session? Best practices for creating the right environment for listening sessions
Make every employee’s voice matter with Deel Engage
Employee listening sessions are a critical tool for understanding and addressing employee concerns, enhancing engagement, and fostering a positive workplace culture.
We curated 90 examples of employee listening session questions you can use to gather comprehensive feedback. Additionally, we included best practices for facilitating effective discussions that keep employees engaged and encourage open communication.
Great employee listening session questions
Here’s a list of questions exploring various workplace themes to help you gain high-quality, actionable insights from your people.
Learning and development
The following section focuses on how well your company is helping employees adapt their skill sets to changing times.
- Do you have access to skills training needed for career growth?
- Are leadership development opportunities accessible if desired?
- Is onboarding effective in setting you up for success?
- Does the company invest in emerging talent?
- Are opportunities for continuous learning available?
- Can you get mentoring or coaching if requested?
- Do managers support personalized development plans?
- Does the organization offer tuition reimbursement or learning stipends, if relevant?
- Can you build specialty skills critical for advancement?
- Are professional certifications encouraged and rewarded?
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Job satisfaction
Employees with high job satisfaction drive stronger business performance. The following gauges daily energy, sources of fulfillment, and areas needing support.
- On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you in your current role?
- What are your primary sources of satisfaction or dissatisfaction at work?
- Do you look forward to coming to work the majority of days?
- How energized and engaged do you feel most days?
- Have you had the urge to look for jobs elsewhere recently? Why?
- If a friend asked, would you recommend working here?
- What additional resources or support would meaningfully improve your happiness?
- In your view, is work recognized and valued appropriately by leadership?
- Do you feel able to apply your full talents and creativity?
- Are professional goals achievable here or limited due to constraints?
Management effectiveness
These questions explore perceptions around empowerment levels, alignment practices, and managerial effectiveness.
- How supported and empowered do you feel by your direct supervisor(s)?
- Do managers show genuine care for staff well-being and growth?
- Can you trust leadership decisions made by supervisors?
- Are expectations and priorities clearly defined?
- Is critical feedback delivered supportively?
- Are manager communication style and frequency optimal for you?
- Do leaders embody and reinforce our stated cultural values?
- Is decision-making by managers sufficiently inclusive of staff input?
- Are emerging high-potential leaders being developed effectively through management rotations?
- If you could change one thing about your manager, what would have the biggest impact?
Health, safety, and well-being
These questions help you understand if the existing support systems at work need repair.
- Does the company prioritize employee health, safety, and well-being?
- Do you feel sufficiently supported for work-life balance?
- What additional well-being resources are needed?
- Are mental health and counseling benefits comprehensive if needed?
- Has leadership established reasonable workload expectations?
- Do leaders encourage taking ample time off for renewal?
- Are staff safety training and emergency preparedness sufficient?
- Are healthy food and movement options supported in the workplace?
- What potential employee health risks need addressing?
- Could dependent care benefits be expanded further?
Workplace culture
The following aims to uncover lived culture versus aspirations.
- How would you describe our workplace culture?
- Does leadership actively nurture an inclusive, diverse culture?
- Do your values align with organizational values? Where is there misalignment?
- Does management reinforce cultural values through visible behaviors?
- Is change and risk-taking encouraged or suppressed?
- Do you feel a sense of community, recognition, and belonging?
- Is there sufficient opportunity for employee social connections and events?
- Do leaders hold every team member to consistent conduct standards?
- What behaviors would you like to see more or less of daily?
- If you could transform aspects of the culture overnight, what changes would have a significant impact?
Compensation and benefits
Pay will always be one of the top factors affecting job satisfaction. Is your company paying fairly, according to job capacity and market rates?
- Compared to the market rate, is compensation fair for your role?
- Are raises and bonuses tied clearly to performance?
- How competitive are overall benefits like leave, healthcare, and 401k?
- Does everyone understand compensation structure and principles?
- Are salaries and equity transparent and equitable company-wide?
- Can outstanding achievements lead to special compensation rewards?
- Would an expanded family leave policy add value to work-life management?
- Is flexibility for remote work or custom schedules supported?
- What benefit offerings should be reevaluated in the future?
- Are retirement readiness resources sufficient?
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Personal growth
Finally, we assess barriers and enablers for realizing career growth and potential.
- Do you have clear opportunities for career development and advancement?
- Can you access stretch assignments or projects desired for growth?
- Are individual mentors available as needed for guidance?
- Does your role allow you to expand skills, influence, and impact over time?
- Do leaders support experimentation with innovative ideas or approaches?
- Can you pursue personalized training and experiential learning aligned to your interests?
- Is continuing education or tuition reimbursement offered if relevant?
- Are achievements and exceptional contributions formally recognized?
- What additional opportunities would be most meaningful for realizing your potential?
- If you succeed in developing new capabilities, is career progression achievable here?
Facilities and equipment
Are you optimizing the physical work environment? Upcoming questions investigate if current environments empower or impair.
- Do you have the proper tools and tech needed for your role?
- Are equipment and devices kept up to date?
- Does the physical workspace support productivity and well-being?
- Is sufficient informal space available for focus work or meetings?
- Are noise levels, lighting, and temperature optimal in your area?
- What upgrades are needed in your physical environment?
- Are there enough conference rooms and shared resources accessible when needed?
- Can you easily connect devices or access networks as required?
- Are refreshments or other support readily available during the workday?
- (For remote staff): Is the stipend enough for ergonomic home office needs?
Innovation and change
The following questions explore whether your employee perceives your organization as capable of change.
- Does our organization seem receptive to new ideas from all levels?
- Can you experiment and take smart risks without repercussions?
- How agile and adaptive are we to market changes?
- Does leadership act on employee suggestions for improvement?
- Are processes streamlined to accelerate innovation cycles?
- What obstacles exist to bringing new ideas or products to market?
- Does management provide adequate resources for testing innovations?
- Are innovators recognized for their contributions?
- Are employee ideas shared across departments?
- Do leaders exemplify adaptability themselves?
Tips for crafting effective listening session questions
Use open-ended questions
Asking open-ended questions allows employees to elaborate and share context beyond just a “yes” or “no.” You will source richer, qualitative feedback.
Good example: What challenges have you faced in your day-to-day work?
Bad example: Do you feel challenged in your work?
Seeking to innovate talent practices, PayPal India’s VP Jayanthi Vaidyanathan used open-ended questions to uncover needs. The company asked all levels questions like:
- What obstacles do you face?
- How can we build an optimal culture?
Questions like these revealed dissatisfaction with career growth. Paypal responded by offering new mentorships and rotational assignments.
Ask simply-worded questions
Your survey will not yield meaningful insights if it is filled with wordy questions or subtleties that only a handful will understand.
Write the questions in clear, simple language, avoiding complex vocabulary and industry jargon. The phrasing should translate clearly across diverse roles, backgrounds, and education levels, or you’ll miss out on valuable information.
Good example: What aspects of our product design process work well?
Bad example: Comment on efficacious elements of ideation sessions.
Don’t suggest answers
Phrasing key questions in a leading or suggestive manner invalidates results by encouraging employees to respond in pre-determined ways. Maintain a neutral tone that doesn’t reveal desired answers.
Good example: What kind of training would help you in your role?
Bad example: Don’t you think more training would be helpful?
Treat criticism constructively
Frame questions that let participants share both positive and critical feedback freely. Welcome all perspectives by avoiding phrasing that skews towards positive or negative.
Good example: What parts of the product release process work well, and what parts could be improved?
Bad example: Tell me what needs to be fixed in the release process.
How do you facilitate a listening session? Best practices for creating the right environment for listening sessions
Facilitating a listening session involves creating a safe, open, and respectful environment where participants feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns. Here are the top best practices for creating the right environment for listening sessions:
Establish a safe and inclusive space
Create ground rules: Start the session by establishing ground rules for respectful communication and confidentiality. Emphasize the importance of listening without judgment and maintaining confidentiality of what is shared.
Promote inclusivity: Encourage participation from everyone, ensuring that all voices are heard. Make it clear that all opinions are valued, and there will be no retaliation for sharing honest feedback.
Set clear objectives and expectations
Clarify the purpose: Explain the goals of the session and what you hope to achieve, such as gathering feedback, understanding concerns, or generating ideas. Being transparent about the purpose helps set the right tone.
Outline the agenda: Provide an overview of the session’s structure, including time frames for different activities. This helps participants know what to expect and feel more comfortable.
Use active listening techniques
Paraphrase and summarize: Show that you are actively listening by paraphrasing or summarizing participants' key points. This demonstrates understanding and ensures clarity.
Non-verbal cues: Maintain eye contact, nod, and use other non-verbal signals to show you are engaged and attentive. Avoid distractions such as checking your phone or looking away.
Encourage open and honest communication
Ask open-ended questions: Use open-ended questions to encourage deeper discussion and avoid yes/no answers. For example, “Can you tell me more about your experience with…?”
Allow for pauses: Give participants time to think and respond without rushing them. Silence can be powerful in allowing people to gather their thoughts and share more meaningful insights.
Provide follow-up and action plans
Summarize key takeaways: At the end of the session, summarize the main points and confirm that you have understood the feedback correctly. This ensures that participants feel heard and acknowledged.
Outline next steps: Explain how the company will use the feedback and the next steps. Follow through on any actions promised and keep participants informed about progress and changes based on their input.
Make every employee’s voice matter with Deel Engage
Effective listening starts with the right tools to amplify every voice. Make employee perspectives matter by centralizing listening sessions in one place.
With Deel Engage dedicated meeting plug-in, you will:
- Collaborate to shape the agenda ahead of time so all feel heard
- Capture action items and notes centrally so no insights get lost
- Send pulse questions ahead of meetings to regularly check in on engagement, culture fit, development barriers, and more
- Access insights over time with meeting history and progress tracking
Don’t let scattershot meetings and buried notes sabotage your culture. Book a demo now.
FAQs
What is an employee listening session?
An employee listening session is a structured meeting or series of meetings in which employees are invited to share their thoughts, concerns, feedback, and suggestions about various aspects of their work environment, company policies, management practices, or other relevant topics.
The primary purpose of these sessions is to:
- Gather honest and open feedback from employees
- Understand their experiences
- Identify areas for improvement within the organization
These sessions aim to foster a culture of transparency, trust, and continuous improvement.
What are the benefits of employee listening sessions?
Listening sessions provide employees with a venue to share candid perspectives, allowing organizations to better understand their needs and strengthen company culture.
Key benefits include:
- Enhanced communication: Facilitate open and honest dialogue between employees and management, breaking down communication barriers
- Increased employee engagement: Show employees that their opinions matter, leading to higher levels of engagement and satisfaction
- Improved morale: Addressing employee concerns and acting on feedback can boost morale and create a more positive work environment
- Better decision-making: Provide management with valuable insights and diverse perspectives to inform more effective and employee-centric decisions
- Stronger trust: Build trust between employees and management by demonstrating a commitment to listening and addressing employee needs
How long should a listening session be?
Aim for listening sessions of 60 minutes or less so participants can remain actively engaged without fatigue.
How do you structure a listening session?
You effectively structure a listening session by:
- Establishing ground rules
- Posing open-ended questions to participants
- Capturing detailed notes
- Analyzing patterns in the feedback for a deeper understanding
What is the difference between a focus group and a listening session?
A focus group is a structured and facilitated discussion for gathering detailed insights on specific topics or products. It typically involves 6-12 participants, led by a moderator who follows a predefined set of questions or topics. This qualitative research method seeks to understand opinions, attitudes, perceptions, and reactions from a targeted demographic, allowing participants to interact and react to each other’s comments. The goal is to gain an in-depth understanding that can inform product development, marketing strategies, and other targeted initiatives.
In contrast, a listening session focuses on gathering general feedback and understanding the overall sentiments, experiences, and concerns of participants. While still facilitated, listening sessions are often less structured than focus groups and aim to create a safe space for open dialogue. These sessions capture a wide range of perspectives and are particularly valuable for understanding the broader employee or community climate. Listening sessions can help identify overarching issues and themes that may not surface in more structured research methods.
About the author
Lorelei Trisca is a content marketing manager passionate about everything AI and the future of work. She is always on the hunt for the latest HR trends, fresh statistics, and academic and real-life best practices. She aims to spread the word about creating better employee experiences and helping others grow in their careers.
