Satisfied employees are engaged employees. That’s just a fact. And engaged employees are easier to retain, more productive, and deliver better-quality work, all of which benefits the organization.
In this new and still evolving business milieu, employee engagement must be a top priority. And a chief way to boost engagement is through engagement surveys. But what should go into them? Keep reading for key employee engagement survey questions and why you should ask them – and more.
Employee Engagement
Employee engagement can generally be described as the emotional connection a person feels toward their employer. Such connection, or lack thereof, tends to inform their performance and level of on-the-job effort.
The Importance of Employee Engagement
As we say, you do want employees who are engaged. Let’s list a few benefits of such engagement.
- More production. A Gallup study indicates that workplace teams that feel connected are 21 percent more productive. Engaged employees tend to work harder, quickly, and with heightened enthusiasm.
- Better retention. Employees who are engaged tend to be more loyal to the organization. Moreover, reduced turnover costs come along with improved retention.
- More revenue. An Aon report shows that each five-point hike in workforce engagement results in a 3 percent revenue increase.
- Satisfied customers. Engaged employees are happier, and such happiness tends to spill over to customer service. Engaged employees tend to go the extra mile when interacting with customers. This, of course, leads to better organizational performance.
- Less absenteeism. If absenteeism is increasing at your organization, it may be due to creeping disengagement and dissatisfaction. This is something for you to work on.
- Improved work quality. Engaged employees care more about the work they produce. They’re more dedicated and efficient and seek ways to improve even more.
- Employees work harder. Because they’re engaged, these employees feel more connected to their workplace, and thus work harder. Check this out: a Dale Carnegie study found that engaged employees outperform others by a whopping 202 percent.
- A better culture. Engaged employees bring verve and good cheer to their workplace, and such good vibes are infectious.
- More innovation. Engaged employees are more creative and are always coming up with ideas about doing something better.
Employee Engagement Surveys
Evaluating employee engagement is important because doing so helps you gauge employees’ motivation, commitment, passion, and sense of purpose for their work and organization.
But such surveys must be crafted deliberately, and with the inclusion of certain questions, including:
- How are you feeling about work today? With a focus on the present, this question provides a snapshot of an employee’s current attitude.
- Would you recommend this company to a friend? Word of mouth is everything, in terms of an organization’s rep and ability to recruit.
- Are you excited when coming to work? Excitement is infectious. So, whether an employee feels such emotion – or not – is important for you to know.
- Are you proud to be employed here? Employees represent your brand, so you want to know if they take pride in doing so.
- Are you happy with your pay and benefits? While a paycheck isn’t everything, employees who feel they’re underpaid are more apt to express unhappiness in the workplace.
- Do you like working with your team? If employees are happy, they’ll ultimately express that to team members. Team engagement tends to be infectious.
- Do you consider your work here meaningful? You want affirmative answers since those employees work harder and are happier.
- Are you inspired by our vision and values? You want to know whether employees connect with your goals and mission.
- Do you feel recognized? Recognition happens to be the No. 1 driver of employee engagement.
- Do you feel like your supervisor is dedicated to your success? Showing an interest in each employee’s work and objectives is key to building a supportive culture.
There you have it: key employee engagement questions and why to ask them. One thing for certain is that employee engagement is critical to your success. Don’t be left behind.
