Get Your Questions Answered With Our HR Survey Guide

One of the best ways we can connect with others is by being great listeners, and that goes for work settings, too! Building employee relationships is key to healthy company culture and can even improve company revenue by as much as 400%. To show your workforce that you respect them, care about their work satisfaction, and want their trust, gathering employee feedback should be a big part of your HR strategy. 

Getting feedback is a great way for human resources to get a better idea of how engaged employees are, as well as take the pulse of your company culture and work environment. How do you get that feedback, exactly? If you want easy-to-gather, high-quality, actionable feedback, use HR surveys.

Why use HR surveys?

By using surveys, you can determine where your company is at right now and how employees see that culture. What’s working well for your teams? Are there certain procedures or policies that are too restrictive? Are there different benefits employees are looking for that the company could provide? 

Garter, for example, conducted a survey where 43% of respondents said that flexible working hours helped them achieve more productivity. If you were to survey your employees on flexible work environments, you may find that your workforce is even more likely to increase productivity! At its core, an HR survey makes understanding the needs of your employees much easier and can guide decision-making for the future of your company.

Surveys also help ways in which your company can improve. Leaders and managers in your organization are always pulling the best from employees and trying to help everyone develop and improve; employees can also help their company and management do the same. Maybe certain workflows could be improved, or perhaps employees feel like they don’t receive enough feedback themselves. You may have employees who want more learning opportunities! Whatever the case, all organizations, like people, have room to improve, and an HR survey is a simple solution to find out what your company may be missing.

If you want to increase employee satisfaction (plus engagement, retention, performance, and more), then you must show that you care about the wellbeing of your employees, too. An HR survey can go a long way, but only if you actually act on the feedback that they provide. Don’t forget: employees are 80% more likely to report emotional wellbeing when engaged in honest feedback, collaboration, and mutual respect within teams. HR surveys help you start that conversation and increase company-wide communication and respect.

Types of HR Survey Questions

An HR questionnaire can focus on all sorts of topics, but here are some of the basic question domains that human resources should include for a well-rounded survey.

Recruitment Questions

HR is almost entirely responsible for hiring great employees and making sure that the hiring and onboarding process goes smoothly. These interactions are an employee’s first impressions of your company, so how HR specialists handle these responsibilities can affect the quality of talent you attract. Recruitment questions could be:

• Why do you want to work for this company?
• How would you rate the application process on a scale of 1-10?
• Would you recommend this company to a friend if they were looking for a job?
• Are there any red flags that make you hesitate to take this job?
• What feedback do you have on the recruitment process?

Employee Benefits

Your workforce is bound to have an opinion or two on their employee benefits. To see if those benefits are positively or negatively impacting their lives, you can ask questions like:

• Are there any benefits we don’t offer that you would like to have?
• Rate the open enrollment process for benefits on a scale of 1-10.
• Which three benefits do you need the most?
• Which three benefits are the least important to you?
• Do you feel like you understand your benefits?
• Do you take advantage of the benefits offered by the company?

Employee Engagement and Satisfaction

Employee engagement and satisfaction are one of the most telling indicators of employee wellness and their current experience at work. Engagement shows how much employees care about their efforts at work, if they are adequately challenged and supported, and how likely they are to stick around. Consider questions like:

• How often are you excited about the projects you are working on?
• What do you like least about your work day?
• Do you believe your role at work contributes to the company?
• What are your biggest motivators at work?
• Do you have opportunities to develop yourself at work?

Employee Performance

Managers play a big role in gauging someone’s work performance, but self-evaluations are useful, too. These are especially useful when compared to a manager’s assessment. Some common questions for employee performance include:

• What challenges have you dealt with at work? How did you overcome them?
• What success are you most proud of this year?
• Do you have the resources and support you need to complete your tasks?
• What are your long-term career goals over the next 3 years?

Work Culture

Our work cultures are shaped by so many factors, like an organization’s values, policies, and benefits — and employees like to have a say in your company customs. You may see your culture one way but may be surprised at what employee feedback reveals about the actual culture of your workplace. Some questions to consider here include:

• Do you feel like you can be yourself at work?
• Have you seen any examples of company values being used at work?
• If an uncomfortable situation arises, do you know who to contact for help?
• How does [the company] define success?
• Do you feel respected by your leaders and co-workers?

Work-life Wellness

Employee wellness is a rewarding part of the HR efforts at your company. Ensuring people’s needs are met and that everyone has access to the tools they need to succeed can put your company lightyears ahead of the competition. Some relevant questions include:

• Do you have the flexibility needed to be your most productive?
• Do you feel like your work life is separate enough from your personal life?
• What benefits would help improve your work-life wellness?
• How much money do you spend on fuel to commute to work each week?
• How does your healthcare plan compare to similar companies?

Leadership Effectiveness

Leadership and HR effectiveness survey questions are all about offering the right support and ensuring a safe workplace. Culture and improvement start at the top, so determine how employees feel about management to see what is working and what is not. Useful questions include:

• How effective is the training you receive from your supervisor?
• Do you feel comfortable approaching your manager with concerns, complaints, or questions?
• How realistic are the expectations of management in your department?
• How have you felt supported this year by your supervisor or the human resource department?

Prioritize Employee Wellness with Wellhub

Once the surveys have been completed, you have to “put your money where your mouth is” and make the adjustments that will serve your workforce best. To retain your top talent, attract the best people to your organization, and add greater work-life wellness to your employees’ lives, you can use Wellhub to promote a healthy work environment.

Wellhub allows organizations to empower their workforce with access to all kinds of gyms and studios, plus some amazing wellness apps to round out your wellbeing. Whether your employees need help managing stress from work or want a more flexible wellness program, talk to a Wellbeing Specialist to learn about options for your company today!

References:

• Atlassian. Team Strengths Special Report. Atlassian. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://www.atlassian.com/practices/open/research
• Employee Survey: Satisfaction with HR Department. SHRM. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/hr-forms/pages/hr-satisfaction-survey.aspx
• Goasduff, L. (2021, June 9). Flexible working hours enable remote workers to increase productivity. Gartner. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/digital-workers-say-flexibility-is-key-to-their-productivity
• HR survey templates and questions. SurveyMonkey. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/hr-survey-templates/
• Jotform. (2023, January 26). 20 Essential Human Resources (HR) survey questions. The Jotform Blog. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://www.jotform.com/blog/hr-survey-questions/
• Laker, B. (2022, November 9). Culture is a company’s single most powerful advantage. here’s why. Forbes. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminlaker/2021/04/23/culture-is-a-companys-single-most-powerful-advantage-heres-why/?sh=22950683679e