Great Questions to Gauge Employee Engagement

3-5 Minutes to Read

To be a successful company, you first have to have happy employees. This means your work environment must be comforting, your attitude toward employees must be welcoming, and all members of management must act and communicate respectfully.

Your average employee will not go out of their way to give you feedback about the company. Many employees fear the backlash of "complaining." This makes it difficult for employers to gauge employee engagement.

One great tool to get this vital information is to conduct an employee survey. This will give your employees a chance to provide you with important information about your company. This article will briefly explain employee engagement, the factors of employee engagement, and some questions you should be sure to include in your survey.

female employee answering question

What is Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement indicates an employee's commitment to a company or business. Those with high employee engagement will likely stay with your company and give their best efforts to ensure its success. It goes without saying that for a company to thrive, its employee engagement must be high.

What Factors Contribute to Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement is often affected by certain factors within the company. One of the major contributing factors to employee engagement is leadership style. A company cannot hope to have high employee engagement if the managers are not treating them like team members. This also means that managers must work and interact with a passion for the company. Other factors that could raise or lower employee engagement are technology/tools for tasks, relationships with co-workers, company reputation, and salary.

Some great Questions to Include in your Employee Engagement Survey

An employee engagement survey will help your company determine if they are lacking in any areas contributing to employee engagement. These surveys measure the commitment levels and overall satisfaction of employees. With about 50 questions, the survey will have a mixture of numerical ranking, multiple-choice, and free-response questions.

Here are some ideas for questions that you can incorporate into your employee engagement survey.

  • Ask about their day

    This shows employees that they are essential by asking some questions about their typical workday. This will help them open up during the rest of the survey.

  • Ask if they like their colleagues

    The people who are working around your company make a significant impact on employee engagement. This means management as well. One rotten egg in the mix could drop employee engagement drastically.

  • Ask how they feel they are treated

    An employee treated with respect and dignity will love coming to work every day. It is imperative to ask this question to gauge employee engagement.

Smiling businesswoman taking interview of a job applicant
  • Ask if they feel part of a team or just an employee

    A company should feel like a team, not individuals working together. When one feels part of the team, they genuinely feel like they have a role in the company. This will give them purpose in their workdays and high engagement.

  • Ask if they feel like their salary is enough

    Employees who feel they are not compensated fairly will have low employee engagement. While you should not hand out raises to every employee who wants one, you should re-evaluate the pay scales regularly to ensure that your company is competitive within your industry. Another question is if they feel there is room for advancement within the company. Employees who feel they have a chance for promotion will work harder and produce higher quality work.

  • Ask if they would recommend this job to others

    An employee who loves working for you and has high employee engagement will want to share this experience with others. They will also have a specific desire to help the company grow. If the answer is no, investigate further and find the flaws within your company.

  • Ask if they find pride or satisfaction in working for your company

    Employees with high levels of engagement find great pleasure in completing their tasks. This question can also be worded to determine if they feel their job contributes to personal growth. This question is an excellent indicator of who you have working within your company.

  • Ask if they feel safe at work

    Whether it is a fear of termination, harassment, or physical harm, it is crucial to know how your employees feel at your company. Any employee feeling fear while at work will not have high employee engagement and will not be a long-term employee.

  • Ask if they know the company's values

    Employees who are not engaged with their job are there for the paycheck. They will not know your company's mission, values, or goals. Those highly engaged will know precisely who they are working for and what that company is trying to accomplish.

  • Ask about their 5-year or 10-year plan

    This can tell you a lot about an employee's engagement. If they say they see themselves at your company in the future, they are most likely happy with their job.

It is vital to word these questions in multiple ways and with neutral wording. You do not want to frame them in a way that could confuse or sway them in any direction. This survey could predict the success or failure of your company. Therefore, you want 100% honest responses. Offering incentives or making the survey anonymous could help encourage your employees to take it and treat it with the utmost importance.

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