70 employee engagement survey questions [+free question pack]

It goes without saying that you want your team to be motivated and engaged: engaged employees are less likely to change jobs and more likely to consistently go above and beyond in their roles. (1)

And while you may think you know how your employees are doing, the truth could surprise you — 95% of HR leaders believe that employees are at least somewhat engaged at work, but only 36% of employees report actually being engaged. (2) 

You can prevent this disconnect by having meaningful conversations with your employees and asking them the right employee engagement questions to understand how they’re feeling — and why. 

That’s why we’ve prepared a list of 72 best-practice employee survey questions that will empower you to make work fulfilling for everyone and run truly effective employee engagement surveys.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• What an employee engagement survey is and how often you should run them
• Why surveys are effective at measuring employee engagement
• What makes a good employee engagement assessment question 
• 12 must-have employee engagement survey sample questions to include in your questionnaire
• 8 tips for creating the best employee engagement questions and surveys
• What to do with the results of your employee engagement questionnaire

We’ll also explain how to get the most out of your employee engagement surveys with Leapsome. Let’s get to it. 

1. Leapsome’s Workforce Trends Report, 2023‍
2. Leapsome’s Workforce Trends Report, 2023
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💡 Understand how you can better engage your people 

Get our full pack of best-practice employee engagement survey questions. 

📥 Download it here

What is an employee engagement survey?

An employee engagement survey is a questionnaire that companies use to measure sentiment and engagement levels among their employees. Organizations generally measure an eNPS score (employee net promoter score) as part of this survey to get a sense of engagement levels and predict retention.

Questions used to gauge employee engagement should range across all aspects of work, including work-life balance, manager support, perceived meaningfulness of work, company culture, psychological safety, and more. Keep reading to learn exactly how and when to run employee engagement surveys and get a full list of must-have questions you should include. 

How often should you run employee engagement surveys?

There are different approaches to how frequently engagement surveys should be run. Many companies choose to do an in-depth quarterly survey, but they might utilize shorter "pulse surveys” every month to quickly spot employee sentiment changes. 

In general, you want to avoid overwhelming your employees or creating survey fatigue by sending questionnaires too often, while still gaining a continuous understanding of how your teams are feeling. That’s why pulse surveys with 10-15 quantitative questions are often helpful to close the gap between longer engagement surveys.
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🧐 Find out how your employees are feeling quickly and easily

Leapsome’s pulse survey tool makes it easy to create custom, rapid surveys that get you insights without overwhelming your employees.  

👉 Check it out

Why surveys are an effective way to increase employee engagement

Nurturing employee engagement is essential for people-centric organizations. And this starts by evaluating and understanding your employees’ current levels of engagement.

Our Workforce Trends Report found that just 1 in 3 HR leaders track essential metrics like engagement or turnover. Of those who do, only a third use dedicated surveys. Without measuring engagement and asking questions to understand what drives it, HR and managers alike may overestimate employee engagement and be unprepared when low morale and high turnover happens.

You can prevent this by using employee engagement surveys to gauge your people’s motivation, satisfaction, and frustrations — and pinpoint areas for improvement. Engagement surveys for the workplace measure how engaged your employees are and also uncover drivers of engagement and challenges to engagement within your company.

Asking the right questions and tracking the right engagement metrics can help you boost overall engagement in your organization (among other benefits). What’s more, your HR engagement initiatives will show staff your company cares about its people and the employee experience.

What makes a good engagement survey question

A good engagement survey question aims to assess how committed employees feel towards a company and its mission, as well as how satisfied they are at the job. To gain a clear understanding of how employees feel across how the organization, measure employee engagement, and build a better company culture, it’s important to select questions across various topics:

• Performance & engagement
• Company culture
• Employee development
• Crisis and change management
• Diversity & inclusion
• remote working

When thinking about how to phrase your employee engagement survey questions, there are a few best practices to follow: 

1. Most of your engagement questions should be quantitative and allow people to respond on a clear scale. This way, it'll be much easier to interpret your survey results.
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2. You should also include some qualitative questions to gain more detailed, in-depth input. Then, you can use Leapsome’s natural language processing tool to analyze responses and rapidly understand employee sentiment. 
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3. Make sure that your questions are specific enough to deliver actionable insights. Asking people to respond to a statement like ”My company is a good organization,“ for example, is too broad and won’t provide you with the meaningful information you. Instead, be specific with targeted questions about specific aspects of your organization and the employee experience.
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🏋️‍♀️ Let AI do the heavy lifting on your survey analytics

Leapsome’s AI-powered sentiment analysis and summaries give you in-depth insights on survey responses — fast. 

👉 Learn more 

12 quick must-have employee engagement survey sample questions

Use this ‘TL;DR’ section if you’re looking to put together a brief employee engagement questionnaire right now. The following are essential employee engagement survey questions you can ask to gauge company-wide sentiment. They concentrate on key performance drivers like employee satisfaction, company culture, and personal and professional development opportunities to help you understand how your people feel.

Use them as a starting point to create customized staff engagement survey questions that perfectly fit your business. 

1. I would recommend [company] as a great place to work
2. I believe there are good career opportunities for me at [company]
3. The overall strategy set by the management is taking [company] in the right direction
4. I genuinely identify with the values of [company]
5. I’m inspired by the purpose and mission of [company]
6. [Company] effectively communicates the goals and strategy set by the management
7. [Company] cares about my well-being
8. I have access to the equipment and tools I need to do my job well
9. I know what is expected of me to be successful in my role
10. The information I need to do my job well is readily available
11. My manager promotes an open and constructive way to deal with problems and challenging issues
12. I am given enough freedom to decide how to do my work

A comprehensive list of employee engagement survey questions

A survey is only as good as its questions. At Leapsome, we ensure that our employee engagement surveys are backed by scientific research, driven by best practices, and verified by experts. 

We’ve created a question pack with clear, meaningful prompts across 23 categories and 5 key topics, so you can get a nuanced understanding of the factors that drive engagement. 

You can customize the individual questions as well as pick and choose across the different categories to tailor the survey to your company’s unique needs.

We’ve included several quantitative questions that will help you spot trends for improvement. Survey participants can assign a score from 1 to 10 for each statement, with 10 being the most favorable outcome. We’ve also mixed in open-ended questions that go deeper and provide additional context.
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📥 Download the survey questions template here.

💡 Understand how you can better engage your people 

Get our full pack of best-practice employee engagement survey questions. 

📥 Download it here

General performance & engagement questionnaire

Our Workforce Trends Report found that while most employees (90%) report good mental health at work, those who don’t mostly attribute that to job responsibilities and workload. The following employee survey questions will provide clear answers on how your employees feel about the company and their workload, helping you to understand where employees might be struggling and anticipate retention issues.

By asking alignment-focused questions, you’ll also gain a better understanding of how well you’re communicating your strategy, involving the team, and how much they believe in the company’s mission.

Ask employees to rate how strongly they agree/disagree with the following statements.
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Engagement

1. I would recommend [company] as a great place to work

2. I see myself still working at [company] in 2 years
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Accomplishment

3. Most days, I feel a sense of accomplishment from what I do

4. I have the opportunity to do challenging things at work
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Goal alignment 

5. I know what is expected of me to be successful in my role

6. I know how my work supports the goals of [company]
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Strategy

7. The overall strategy set by the management is taking [company] in the right direction

8. [Company] effectively communicates the goals and strategy set by the management

9. I’m inspired by the purpose and mission of [company]
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Workload

10. I find my workload manageable

11. I believe my workload is reasonable for my role‍

12. I am able to arrange time out from work when I need to
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Company culture questionnaire

Company culture encompasses everything about the way things are done in your company. It includes the work environment, wellness, communication, team structures, psychological safety, fulfillment at work, and much more. Working to improve organizational culture isn’t a one-and-done deal — it’s a continuous process. 

These employee engagement questions will point you in the right direction.
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Work environment

13. My workplace is free from distractions, and I find it easy to focus on my work 

14. I can easily find space for collaboration and conversations with others
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Open communication

15. At [company], we value open and honest communication

16. My manager cares about my opinion

17. My co-workers are open to opinions different from their own
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Manager support

18. My manager provides me with the support I need to complete my work

19. My manager genuinely cares about my well-being

20. My manager is a great role model for me and other employees
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Organizational fit

21. I genuinely identify with the values of [company]

22. [Company] cares about my well-being
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Psychological safety

23. Members of my team can bring up problems and tough issues

24. My manager promotes an open and constructive way to deal with problems and challenging issues

25. It is easy to ask other team members for help

26. No one on my team would deliberately act in a way that undermines my efforts

27. It is safe to take a risk on my team

28. Employees at [company] can voice their opinions without fear of retribution or rejection

29. Open-ended/Qualitative: What can we do to make this a more psychologically safe workplace?
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Meaningful work

30. The work I do is meaningful to me.

31. My work allows me to do what I do best every day.

32. I make a difference in my team.

Employee development questionnaire

Employee perks (like wellness stipends, flexible working, and meal vouchers) might motivate your employees in the short term. But if you don’t invest in their career development, they’re unlikely to be engaged — and contribute to your business growth — in the long term.

Employee survey questions around professional growth, autonomy, enablement, recognition, feedback, and pay are key to getting actionable insights into this area.
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Autonomy & enablement

33. I am given enough freedom to decide how to do my work

34. The information I need to do my job well is readily available

35. I have access to the equipment and tools I need to do my job well
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Professional growth

36. My job at [company] enables me to learn and develop new skills

37. I believe there are good career opportunities for me at [company]

38. My manager or mentor at [company] actively supports my development

39. Open-ended/Qualitative: What can we do to better support your development?
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Teamwork

40. I feel I am part of a team.

41. I can count on my co-workers to help me out when needed.

42. We hold ourselves and our co-workers accountable for great results.
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Recognition & feedback

43. If I do good work, I know it will be recognized.

44. I get enough feedback on how well I’m doing my job.
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Reward

45. I am fairly rewarded (e.g., pay, promotion, training) for my contributions to [company].

46. The process for calculating salary in our organization seems fair and unbiased.

47. I can have well-informed and constructive conversations with my manager about salary.
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💡 Empower employees with Leapsome’s powerful survey tools

Find your people’s top drivers and understand what actions to take to build a happier and more engaged team.

👉 Find out more

Diversity & inclusion questionnaire

Employees expect companies to do the work necessary to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). Performative actions aren’t enough — today’s teams want to see real efforts to decrease bias and improve equity in the workplace. 

Find out how your team feels about your company’s approach to DEIB and learn how you can be more inclusive by asking employees to rate or answer the following questions. 
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Striving for diversity

48. [Company] does a good job of fostering a diverse and inclusive environment.

49. [Company] seeks to recruit from diverse sources.

50. The management at [company] is visibly committed to diversity.

51. Open-ended/qualitative: What can we do to make this company a more diverse and inclusive place?
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Equal opportunities

52. People from all backgrounds have equal opportunities to succeed at [company].

53. At [company], there is a belief that people can significantly improve their talents and abilities.
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Giving voice

54. People of all cultures and backgrounds are respected at [company].

55. [Company] makes sure that the opinions and input of individuals from different backgrounds are heard.

56. Diverse perspectives are included in decision-making.
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Inclusion

57. My uniqueness is recognized and valued.

58. I am an essential member of my workgroup.

59. I feel like I belong at my company.

60. I have colleagues and leaders with backgrounds similar to mine.

61. My workplace accommodates my unique needs.

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Remote work questionnaire

Hybrid and remote working models have become much more frequent, with over a third of US employees having the option to work exclusively from home. But it can be hard to engage remote employees and get a feel for how they’re doing if you never see them in person. 

That’s why taking the time to send regular surveys on employee engagement is especially important for remote and hybrid teams. Include the following questions.
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Productivity and teamwork

62. I feel productive while working remotely.

63. I feel connected to my team when working remotely

64. Working remotely does not have a negative impact on teamwork.
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Support and wellbeing

65. I can maintain a good work-life balance while working remotely.

66. I feel as though remote work is better for my general wellbeing than in-person. 

67. My manager is regularly checking in with me (work-related and personally) while working remotely.

68. Open-ended/Qualitative: What further support do you need while working remotely?
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Resources

69. I have the right equipment (e.g., desk, internet access, quiet space) and tools to effectively work remotely.

70. Open-ended/Qualitative: What are your suggestions for what [company] could do differently or improve your remote work situation right now?

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💡 Understand how you can better engage your people 

Get our full pack of best-practice employee engagement survey questions. 

📥 Download it here

8 tips for creating employee engagement surveys

1. Employee engagement and satisfaction surveys should be anonymous. Your employees must know that their privacy is protected to feel comfortable responding. Otherwise, you risk insincere responses — or no responses at all.
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2. While protecting anonymity, you may still want to track which departments or role types are most responsive. This can help you understand how to get everyone involved and pick up on potential issues.
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3. Use dedicated employee engagement software that guarantees survey anonymity, specifically one that allows you to set a survey anonymity threshold  — for instance, a minimum number of responses needed to show a team-specific response in your analytics. That means you won’t be able to work out how individuals responded.  Leapsome, for example, has a built-in anonymity threshold of three, but you can customize it to protect employee privacy at any team size. 
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4. One-off surveys can be relevant to address specific situations. But in general, you should invest in recurring surveys to track changes over time and show that your commitment to employee satisfaction isn’t just a one-time effort. Just be sure to avoid bombarding your employees with overly frequent questionnaires. 
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5. To avoid survey fatigue, we recommend sending out longer surveys less frequently — you may want to consider a quarterly or annual employee engagement survey. It’s best to be consistent and decide how regularly you’ll send them upfront, rather than constantly changing survey frequency. 
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6. Don’t overwhelm your team with a survey that’s too extensive. Only include the most important questions, rotate employee engagement questions across surveys, and consider “smart sampling” — meaning that not every participant is asked the same questions.
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7. Fill in the gaps between your employee engagement surveys with pulse surveys. Pulse surveys are usually shorter, more frequent, and don’t include as many questions. They can give you fast insights on employee engagement drivers and whether your engagement strategies are working.
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8. Follow up on your surveys. Use an employee engagement survey tool like Leapsome so employees can leave comments along with the quantitative responses, if they want to give a sense of why they feel a certain way. Leapsome also lets you ask anonymous follow-up questions based on specific survey responses. Once you have the responses, you can run them through an AI-powered sentiment analysis to get actionable insights.

💪 Empower employees with Leapsome’s Surveys module

Our comprehensive survey tools will help you find your people’s top engagement drivers and analyze the data to build a happier and more engaged team.
‍👉 Learn more

What to do with employee engagement survey results?

Your questionnaires won’t do much to improve employee satisfaction if they are not used to create and action employee engagement ideas that improve company culture. Employees want to see their feedback turned into results. 

That’s why you need to know how to measure employee engagement questions and how to define a course of action based on the results of your surveys. Dedicated survey tools such as Leapsome provide in-depth analytics and help you to formulate clear, actionable post-survey steps.

Leapsome’s AI-powered analytics and intuitive visualizations let you develop concrete actions to improve employee engagement, increase performance and satisfaction, and reduce turnover and absenteeism. This data will also help you decide which employee engagement model is best for your team and its needs. 

Additionally, you can use the results of your survey to measure eNPS (your Employee Net Promoter Score), benchmarking your results against other companies and seeing where you stand in comparison.

💡 Pro tip: Conducting a survey is just one step towards engaging your team. For a complete guide on what to do after you get your survey results back, follow our employee engagement action plan.

Get the most out of your engagement surveys with Leapsome

Now that you have a comprehensive list of questions to ask about employee engagement, it’s time to figure out how to make your engagement initiatives as meaningful and impactful as possible. That’s where Leapsome can help. 

Our Surveys module lets HR and people ops leaders not only collect meaningful feedback through customizable anonymous questionnaires but also quickly uncover valuable insights and suggested actions through machine-learning-driven sentiment analysis. 

Plus, our platform helps you find links between performance and engagement. That way, you can pinpoint what drives engagement levels among your team and uncover what you need to do to help your people feel more supported, promote employee development, and improve retention levels. 

Then, you can use Leapsome’s Learning module and Competency Framework to invest in your employees’ professional development and give them the support they need to feel more engaged in your organization and motivated to grow. 

By using Leapsome, you’ll show your people that you truly care about improving their employee experience, making teams engaged and excited to form part of your workplace. 
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🌱 An all-in-one tool for employee engagement and growth

Leapsome’s comprehensive platform helps you connect with your people and give them the support they need to thrive. 

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