Are Your Employees Happy? Ask These 10 Questions and Find Out.

Successful business owners know how important it is to have a happy, engaged and fulfilled staff. Your employees are representatives of your brand and keeping them satisfied should be a top priority for you. 

The 10 questions listed in this employee satisfaction survey will give you an intimate look into how your organization treats and caters to each team member. Your goal should be to create a troop of employees that are excited and committed to staying with your company for years to come.

Our Employee Satisfaction Survey: 

1. What are 3 things you love about your job?

Chances are, if you ask your employee if they like their job, they’re gonna say, “Yeah.” You can’t really learn anything from that answer. Rather than ask if they’re happy in general, try to be a little more specific.

By asking for a list of examples, you’re giving your employee the opportunity to very specifically let you know what you, as an employer, are doing right. After you complete all employee satisfaction reviews, take the responses and try to understand what makes your staff the happiest.

2. Does your schedule work for or against you? 

This question allows you to understand your employee on a more personal level. Maybe they have children they have to get ready for school so their 8:00 am start time isn’t ideal. Or perhaps their commute home every day at 5:00 pm is extremely stressful because they’re stuck in heavy traffic.  

Compassionately listen to your staff’s responses and try to work with their unique schedules. If reasonable, allow the parent to come in at 9:00 am so they can leave at 5:00 pm. The commuter employee can then come in at 8:00 am and miss traffic when they leave at 4:00 pm.  

3. Are you happy with your position and duties?

If an employee is either too bored or too overwhelmed with their job duties, their work performance will be greatly affected. Don’t allow your employee to get away with a yes or no response. Press them for details so you can better gauge their overall happiness levels.

Brainstorm the staff’s responses with your managerial team. If creative, you can strategize a plan that keeps your entire staff satisfied and happy with their daily duties.

4. When was the last time you received praise? 

Ask your employees about the last time they received a compliment from their manager. This question will give helpful insight into your supervisor’s positive reinforcement style. It will also help you to understand if your employee feels like their exceptional work is appreciated and recognized.

In a recent study, “43% of employees polled said they quit their jobs due to a lack of recognition for their efforts.”   

5. When was the last time you received criticism?

Like the preceding question, this will help you understand how often criticism is doled out. Constructive criticism is, “The process of offering valid and well-reasoned opinions about the work of others, usually involving both positive and negative comments, in a friendly manner rather than an oppositional one.”  

You want to encourage constructive criticism that meets the above criteria in order to improve and grow. However, if your employee feels like they’re being overly criticized or unfairly singled out, you need to address the issue at once.   

6. What position within the company is most appealing? 

In a perfect world, each employee will name their current position as their dream job. If your staff is being honest with you, this answer won’t be the most popular response. This question will allow you to get a sense of your employee’s long term goals and aspirations.

You may not realize that professionals already on your payroll are perfectly suited to fulfill other roles within your organization. Give them an incentive to stay and grow within the company. Have them write out a promotion proposal of what they will need to accomplish to get a shot at their dream job.

7. What are ways we can improve our benefits package?

42% of employees say improving their benefits package is one thing their employers could do to keep them in their jobs. In order to reduce your turnover rate, use this employee satisfaction survey to allow your staff to submit additions or revisions to the benefits you offer. 

You may be able to keep your staff happy and grateful by offering to pay for their memberships to a local gym. Perhaps giving them an extra paid day off on their birthday would increase their satisfaction. Listen to all of the responses and consider incorporating the more popular ones into your benefits package.    

8. Do you hang out with your coworkers outside of work?

As a business owner, you should encourage interoffice relationships. With this question, you’re going to learn if your staff really likes working with one another. Since some full-time employees spend more time with their colleagues than their families and friends, it’s critical for your staff to enjoy working together.

Schedule team building activities or bonding happy hours to get your employees relating to one another on a personal level. They don’t have to become best friends, but getting to know each other outside of the office will create respectful and compassionate relationships.   

9. What are 3 adjectives to describe your workspace?

Depending on their word choices, you can deduce whether or not your staff likes their working environment. Let your team know that there are no wrong answers and that the purpose is to create the most comfortable workplace possible.

If multiple employees use the word, “cramped,” brainstorm with them on ways you can open up the space to create more room. If the word, “dark,” keeps popping up, invest in some affordable desk or office lamps. Ask for ideas to spruce up the office and make it a group effort to create the ideal space.       

10. If you were CEO, what would you do different? 

Given access to all decision making, what would they do differently? By asking this question, you’re showing your staff that you respect their opinions. You can gain insider knowledge as to how they think the company is run.   

This exercise will allow you to see your company from a different perspective. Employees that are involved with the day to day operations can also be a great resource for fresh ideas and feedback.   

Keep your employees happy with this Employee Satisfaction Survey! 

This recommended employee satisfaction survey is designed to give you an overall look into how happy your staff is. At the same time, you’ll be able to gather popular answers to initiate changes and improvements that’ll keep them happy.