What is an employee pulse survey?

An employee pulse survey is a brief, frequent survey used to measure employees' overall satisfaction, engagement, and well-being within an organization. It helps HR teams to quickly gauge the workforce’s mood and identify areas for improvement.

Unlike traditional, comprehensive employee surveys conducted annually or bi-annually, pulse surveys are concise and carried out more regularly–often monthly, quarterly, or even weekly.

What is the purpose of an employee pulse survey?

The primary purpose of an employee pulse survey is to provide real-time insights into employee sentiment and engagement levels. By regularly capturing employee feedback, organizations can quickly identify issues before they escalate, track trends over time, and implement timely interventions to improve the workplace environment and overall employee satisfaction.

Employee pulse surveys can improve engagement by providing a platform for employees to voice their opinions and feel heard. When organizations act on feedback, they demonstrate a commitment to employee well-being and foster a positive work culture.

What are the key components of an effective employee pulse survey?

An effective employee pulse survey includes clear, concise questions covering various aspects of the employee experience. Key components include:

• Engagement: Questions about motivation, commitment, and job satisfaction
• Communication: Questions about the clarity and effectiveness of internal communication
• Well-being: Questions addressing work-life balance, stress levels, and mental health
• Feedback: Opportunities for open-ended responses and suggestions for improvement
• Actionability: Questions that lead to specific, actionable insights

What can employee pulse surveys measure?

You can use pulse surveys to understand how workers feel about a specific topic, such as:

• A large company change, such as an acquisition or merger
• Hybrid and remote work arrangements
• Benefits
• Sense of belonging
• Perception of relationship with managers
• Well-being
• Alignment with company culture

Some key metrics you can track are:

• Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)
• Workplace satisfaction metrics
• Growth and development metrics

What are the differences between pulse surveys and engagement surveys?

Both types of surveys are crucial for maintaining a healthy, engaged workforce. Pulse surveys provide ongoing, immediate insights that help address issues quickly. In contrast, engagement surveys offer a comprehensive understanding of the workforce, guiding long-term strategy and improvement efforts.

Frequency and timing

Pulse surveys are conducted frequently, often monthly or quarterly, to provide a real-time snapshot of employee sentiment.

Engagement surveys are conducted less frequently, usually annually or bi-annually, providing a comprehensive view of employee engagement over time.

Scope and detail

Pulse surveys are shorter in length and typically focus on a few key questions to gauge immediate feelings and concerns.

Engagement surveys are longer and more detailed, covering various aspects of the work environment, job satisfaction, leadership, and company culture.

Objectives

Pulse surveys aim to identify current issues, track changes in employee mood, and quickly address emerging problems.

Engagement surveys seek to understand overall employee engagement, identify long-term trends, and develop strategic initiatives to improve engagement.

Flexibility

Pulse surveys are highly adaptable to address specific, timely topics or events within the organization.

Engagement surveys are less flexible due to their comprehensive nature but provide a deep dive into multiple areas of employee experience.

Feedback cycle

Pulse surveys allow for rapid feedback and quick actions based on current employee sentiment.

Engagement surveys provide a thorough analysis of engagement factors, leading to more strategic, long-term actions and initiatives.

What are the benefits of using employee pulse surveys?

The main benefits of adding employee pulse surveys to your feedback system include:

• They increase employee engagement: Improve employee satisfaction, champion your employees’ voice, and understand their motivational triggers
• They offer more relevant feedback: Get a real-time look into how things are going, track trends over time, measure how effective your initiatives are, and use them as an early warning system
• They are more agile than traditional surveying methods: Quickly assess your organization’s mood when facing unexpected change and uncertainty.
• They promote a happier, more positive culture: Nurture a feedback culture within the company, remind employees that management values their input, and encourage open communication
• They have higher response rates: Since they’re shorter and quicker to complete, employees are more likely to answer them than a comprehensive annual survey
• They keep you in touch with sentiment: Sentiments can shift throughout the year, and you can lose touch with your employees’ perspectives if you limit your check-ins to once a year

What are the benefits of using employee pulse surveys in a remote work environment?

In a remote work environment, employee pulse surveys offer several benefits:

• Maintaining connection: They help bridge the gap between remote employees and the organization, ensuring that remote workers feel connected and valued
• Identifying remote-specific issues: Surveys can uncover challenges unique to remote work, such as isolation, communication barriers, or workspace concerns
• Flexibility: Remote employees can complete surveys at their convenience, ensuring higher response rates
• Continuous feedback: Regular surveys help monitor remote employees’ well-being and engagement, allowing for timely support and intervention

What are some possible disadvantages of pulse surveys?

Possible disadvantages of pulse surveys include:

• They can lose effectiveness: Surveying too often can be discouraging, especially if you don’t back your surveying efforts with an action plan
• They can trigger a lack of trust: If there is poor communication and lack of action, it can make employees feel like you’re working against them instead of in their favor
• They don’t provide comprehensive insights: Pulse surveys that focus on one issue at a time don’t allow companies to get the bigger picture—address this by using them together with more comprehensive (bi-)annual surveys

How often should employee pulse surveys be conducted? And how long should they be?

Pulse surveys should be short and easy to answer. The length of a pulse depends on how often you survey your employees.

Employee pulse surveys are typically conducted more frequently than traditional annual surveys, often on a monthly, bi-weekly, or even weekly basis. The frequency depends on the organization’s size, culture, and specific needs. Regular intervals help maintain a steady stream of feedback, allowing for prompt action and continuous improvement.

The shorter the cadence (or frequency), the shorter the survey should be:

• If you send a weekly pulse survey, target 3-5 questions—keeping the survey very short avoids survey fatigue
• If you send a bi-weekly pulse survey, target up to 7 questions—this allows for a bit more depth while still respecting employees’ time
• If you send a monthly pulse survey, target up to 10 questions—this frequency strikes a balance between capturing timely feedback and allowing for more comprehensive insights.

Tip: The shorter the survey, the more likely employees are to complete it. Aim to keep surveys concise and focused.

Example: Weekly pulse survey length and topics

• Satisfaction with work-life balance
• Frequency of manager communication
• Comfort in providing feedback to the team
• Open-ended question on current challenges
• Likelihood to recommend the workplace (eNPS)

Example: Monthly pulse survey length and topics

• Satisfaction with the job role
• Clarity of company goals
• Access to necessary resources
• Recognition of contributions
• Opportunities for professional growth
• Inclusion and diversity sentiment
• Overall job satisfaction
• Open-ended question on recent accomplishments
• Feedback on team collaboration
• Manager support and communication

Complimentary resource: Find the most relevant pulse survey questions in our extensive guide.

What is a good response rate for a pulse survey? And how to achieve it

Depending on company size, target the following participation rates:

• Small companies (less than 100 employees): 75%
• Medium companies (less than 500 employees): 70%
• Large companies (over 500 employees): 65%

Tip: Higher participation rates reflect greater employee engagement.

How can organizations ensure high response rates for employee pulse surveys?

To ensure high response rates, organizations can:

• Keep surveys short: Limit surveys to 5-10 questions to avoid overwhelming employees
• Communicate purpose: Clearly explain the survey’s purpose and how you will use the feedback
• Ensure anonymity: Guarantee anonymity to encourage honest responses
• Follow up: Share survey results and action plans with employees to show that their feedback is valued and acted upon
• Use multiple channels: Distribute surveys through various channels, such as email, intranet, or mobile apps, to reach all employees

How can organizations effectively analyze and act on employee pulse survey results?

Organizations can foster a more engaged, satisfied, and productive workforce by understanding and addressing the nuances of employee pulse surveys.

Follow these steps to effectively analyze and act on survey results:

• Segment your data: Segment data by department, location, or other relevant criteria to identify specific issues
• Perform a thematic analysis: Identify common themes and trends in open-ended responses.
• Action plans: Develop and implement action plans based on survey findings
• Communicate the results: Share key insights and planned actions with employees to maintain transparency and trust
• Monitor progress: Regularly track and measure the impact of implemented changes through follow-up surveys or other metrics

Automate your pulse surveys and boost engagement with Deel Engage

Employee pulse surveys help you listen to and understand your employees’ voices, allowing you to improve employee experience and keep employees happy, 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 survey according to specific group belonging (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.