What is an employee engagement survey?

An employee engagement survey is a tool used by organizations to measure the level of engagement, commitment, and motivation of their employees. It typically consists of a series of questions designed to gauge employees’ feelings about their work environment, their role, and the organization as a whole.

What is the purpose of an employee engagement survey?

An employee engagement survey primarily aims to assess an organization’s overall engagement levels. It helps identify strengths and areas for improvement, providing insights into how employees feel about their roles, the work environment, and the company culture.

HR and leadership teams can use the data collected to inform strategies for enhancing employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention.

Complimentary resource: 14 Outstanding Employee Engagement Examples Across Diverse Industries

How are engagement surveys different from other types of surveys?

Understanding the differences between engagement surveys and other types of surveys helps organizations select the right approach for their objectives—whether they aim to gain a broad understanding of engagement, address specific job satisfaction issues, or track trends over time.

Engagement surveys vs. job satisfaction surveys

Engagement surveys assess how emotionally invested and committed employees are to their work and the organization. They explore factors like motivation, connection to company goals, willingness to go above and beyond, and enthusiasm. Thus, they tend to be more comprehensive, covering a wider range of factors contributing to overall engagement, including emotional and psychological elements.

Job satisfaction surveys focus more on employees’ contentment with specific aspects of their job, such as compensation, working conditions, relationships with colleagues, and day-to-day responsibilities. Thus, they are typically narrower, addressing immediate aspects of job contentment rather than broader emotional investment.

Complimentary resource: Craft Effective Job Satisfaction Survey Questions (with 100+ Examples)

Engagement surveys vs. pulse surveys

Engagement surveys are often conducted annually or bi-annually and provide a comprehensive view of employee engagement over a longer period. They aim to provide a deep dive into various factors affecting engagement.

Pulse surveys are shorter and more frequent (e.g., monthly or quarterly) to quickly gauge employee sentiments and attitudes on specific issues or changes within the organization. They aim to monitor ongoing trends, track the impact of recent initiatives, or gather quick feedback on particular topics.

Complimentary resource: 70+ Effective Employee Pulse Survey Questions (+Tips for Analyzing Results)

What are common employee engagement survey topics?

By covering the following topics, organizations can gain a comprehensive understanding of employee engagement and identify specific areas for improvement.

• Job satisfaction: Questions in this area focus on how content employees are with their roles, responsibilities, and overall job experience
• Work-life balance: This topic addresses whether employees feel they have a manageable workload and the ability to maintain a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives
• Management and leadership: Surveys often explore employee perceptions of their managers and the leadership team, including communication effectiveness, support, and trust
• Company culture: This includes how employees perceive the organizational culture, including values, inclusion, diversity, and the overall work environment
• Career development: Questions in this area assess opportunities for growth, learning, and career advancement within the organization
• Recognition and rewards: This topic covers how well employees feel their contributions are recognized and rewarded by the organization
• Team dynamics: Surveys often include questions about the quality of collaboration, communication, and relationships within teams
• Alignment with organizational goals: This examines how well employees understand and align with the company’s mission, vision, and strategic objectives
• Communication: Questions here assess the effectiveness of internal communication, including how well employees feel informed about company news, changes, and expectations
• Employee wellbeing: This topic explores how employees feel about their physical and mental well-being at work, including stress levels and access to wellness programs
• Engagement and motivation: Surveys typically include questions that measure the level of engagement and motivation employees feel towards their work and the organization

Complimentary resource: 45 Actions for a Healthy Work Environment Today

What types of questions are included in an employee engagement survey?

Employee engagement surveys typically include a mix of quantitative and qualitative questions.

Questions might range from Likert-scale items (e.g., “On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with your current role?”) to open-ended questions (e.g., “What changes would improve your work experience?”).

What are the benefits of employee engagement surveys?

By understanding and effectively utilizing employee engagement surveys, organizations can create a more engaged, motivated, and productive workforce, ultimately leading to better business outcomes.

Identifying areas for improvement

Employee engagement surveys provide valuable insights into how employees feel about their roles, work environment, and the organization. Employee feedback helps identify areas where the organization can improve to increase satisfaction and productivity.

Boosting talent retention

Employee engagement surveys can contribute to talent retention by identifying factors that drive employee satisfaction and engagement.

Addressing issues such as a lack of career development opportunities, poor management practices, or inadequate work-life balance can help organizations create a more supportive and motivating work environment.

Engaged employees are more likely to stay with the organization, reducing turnover and retaining valuable talent.

Enhancing productivity and performance

Engaged employees are typically more productive and committed to their work.

The results of an employee engagement survey can provide actionable insights that help improve team performance. By identifying areas where employees feel disengaged, managers can implement targeted interventions such as additional training, recognition programs, or changes in management practices.

Sharing survey results with the team and involving them in creating action plans fosters a sense of ownership and accountability, leading to higher engagement and better performance.

Driving organizational change

HR and leadership teams can use the feedback gathered from employee engagement surveys to drive meaningful organizational change.

For example, after an engagement survey revealed low satisfaction with career development opportunities, a company introduced a mentorship program and expanded training resources to support employee growth.

Building trust and accountability

Regularly conducting and acting on engagement surveys builds trust between employees and management. It shows that leadership values employee feedback and is committed to improving, fostering a sense of accountability within the organization.

Supporting remote work initiatives

Employee engagement surveys can help identify remote employees' specific needs and challenges.

Questions can focus on remote work satisfaction, communication effectiveness, resource access, and feelings of isolation.

The insights gained can guide the development of policies and practices that support remote employees, such as flexible work hours, virtual team-building activities, and enhanced communication tools.

Promoting open communication

Engagement surveys allow employees to voice their opinions, concerns, and suggestions, promoting a culture of open communication and transparency within the organization.

How often should organizations conduct employee engagement surveys?

The frequency of conducting employee engagement surveys can vary depending on the organization’s needs.

The general recommendation is to conduct engagement surveys annually or biannually. Some companies also opt for quarterly pulse surveys, which are shorter and more frequent, to continuously monitor engagement levels and address issues promptly.

What is a good response rate for an employee engagement survey? And how to achieve it

A good response rate for an employee engagement survey typically falls between 60% and 80%. Achieving a response rate within this range generally indicates that most employees are engaged enough to provide feedback, which is crucial for obtaining accurate and actionable insights.

However, the ideal response rate can vary depending on the organization’s size, culture, and previous engagement levels.

• 60%-70%: Considered acceptable, providing a good sample size for analysis
• 70%-80%: Seen as a strong response rate, indicating high interest and participation
• Above 80%: Excellent, showing exceptional engagement and commitment to the survey process

How to achieve a high response rate for your surveys

Follow these tips to achieve a high response rate for your engagement surveys:

• Clearly explain why your organization conducts the survey and how you will use the results to benefit the employees and the organization
• Highlight the impact of previous surveys, showing employees that their feedback leads to tangible changes
• Make the survey accessible on various devices (desktop, mobile, tablet) to accommodate all employees
• Send out the survey during a period that is not overly busy for your employees—avoid end-of-quarter or other high-stress times
• Send follow-up reminders to employees who haven’t completed the survey yet—personalizing reminders or having managers reinforce the importance can boost response rates
• Have senior leaders or managers communicate the importance of the survey—when employees see that leadership values their input, they may be more inclined to participate
• After the survey, share a summary of the results with the employees and outline the steps the organization will take in response—this builds trust and shows that their input is valued

How can technology enhance the administration and analysis of employee engagement surveys?

Technology can greatly enhance the administration and analysis of employee engagement surveys by providing user-friendly platforms for survey distribution, data collection, and analysis.

Online survey tools can automate the process, making it easier to reach a large and dispersed workforce.

Advanced analytics and reporting features can help identify trends and patterns in the data, enabling more informed decision-making.

Additionally, integrating survey results with other HR systems can provide a comprehensive view of employee engagement and its impact on organizational outcomes.

Automate your engagement surveys and boost engagement with Deel Engage

Employee engagement surveys help you listen to and understand your employees’ voices, allowing you to improve the employee experience and keep employees satisfied, engaged, and productive.

Taking action according to your findings and communicating with your employees is critical to a successful surveying strategy. Deel Engage ’s specialized tools will help you achieve this:

• Set up recurring surveys with open-ended or rating questions
• Define the target audience of your surveys according to specific groups (team, department, location), hire date, or more
• Send reminders to employees via email or your internal communication tool
• Use the Slack plug-in to collect data where your employees spend a lot of time
• Use feedback analytics to understand the most pressing issues shared by your employees
• Deel HR, our truly global HRIS solution, is always included for free

‍Automate your survey processes with Deel Engage and unlock powerful analytics today.