Staff Survey Questions: 60 Examples by Topic, with a Template

What are staff survey questions?

Staff survey questions are the statements and questions an organisation asks employees to understand how they feel about their work, their managers, communication and the workplace. Most are short statements rated on an agreement scale, supported by a few open questions, so results can be compared between teams and tracked over time.

The same questions are often called employee survey questions. Whatever you call them, the aim is to gather honest feedback you can act on, rather than to collect opinions for their own sake.

Why do staff survey questions matter?

Staff survey questions matter because they turn general impressions into evidence. Well-chosen questions show where engagement is falling, which teams need support and which messages are not landing. Without them, leaders tend to rely on anecdote, and problems surface only when people leave or performance drops.

The case for listening is strong. Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026 report found that global employee engagement fell to 20% in 2025, its lowest level since 2020. A regular staff survey will not fix engagement on its own, but it tells you where to start.

How many questions should a staff survey include?

A full annual staff survey usually works best with around 25 to 40 questions, which most employees can complete in 10 to 15 minutes. A pulse survey should be much shorter, typically 5 to 15 questions. Fewer, sharper questions generally produce better response rates and more honest answers than long questionnaires.

Choose the length to suit the purpose. An annual survey gives a broad baseline across every theme. Short pulse surveys between annual surveys track a few priority measures, or check how a specific change has landed. Our article on measuring employee sentiment in real time explains how the two fit together.

What types of staff survey questions are there?

Most staff surveys combine four types of question: agreement statements rated on a five-point scale, a 0 to 10 recommendation question, multiple-choice questions, and a small number of open-text questions. Rating scales make results easy to compare and track; open questions explain why people answered as they did.

• Agreement scale (Likert): a statement such as "I receive the information I need to do my job well", rated from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Use the same five-point scale throughout.
• Recommendation (eNPS): "How likely are you to recommend working here to a friend?" on a 0 to 10 scale. Useful as a single headline measure.
• Multiple choice: for factual questions, such as which channel employees use for company news.
• Open text: for suggestions and context. Two or three open questions are usually enough.

60 staff survey questions by topic

The 60 staff survey questions below are grouped into ten themes. Most are written as statements for a five-point agreement scale. Pick the themes that matter most to your organisation this year rather than using every question, and keep the wording identical from one survey to the next so you can compare results.

Engagement and motivation

Engagement questions measure how committed people feel to their work and the organisation. Repeat them in every survey so you can track the trend.

1. I would recommend this organisation as a good place to work.
2. I feel motivated to go beyond what is expected of me.
3. I see myself still working here in two years' time.
4. I am proud to tell people where I work.
5. My work gives me a sense of personal accomplishment.
6. On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend working here to a friend?

Leadership and management

These questions separate views of senior leadership from views of the line manager, because the fixes are different.

7. I have confidence in the decisions made by senior leaders.
8. Senior leaders explain the reasons behind major decisions.
9. My manager gives me regular, useful feedback.
10. My manager treats me fairly and with respect.
11. I feel comfortable raising concerns with my manager.
12. My manager supports my development.

Internal communication

Communication questions show whether information reaches people in time to act on it, and which channels they rely on.

13. I receive the information I need to do my job well.
14. I hear about changes that affect me before they happen, not after.
15. I know where to find company news and policies.
16. Important messages reach me through a channel I actually check.
17. I understand the organisation's goals and how my work contributes to them.
18. Which channel do you rely on most for company updates? (multiple choice)

Wellbeing and workload

Wellbeing questions highlight pressure points early. Keep them neutral and avoid asking for personal health details.

19. My workload is manageable most of the time.
20. I am able to balance my work and personal commitments.
21. I feel safe at work, physically and psychologically.
22. I know where to get support if I am struggling.
23. I rarely feel I have to work outside my normal hours to keep up.
24. The organisation takes employee wellbeing seriously.

Recognition and reward

Recognition questions show whether good work is noticed, which is often a stronger driver of engagement than pay alone.

25. I receive recognition when I do good work.
26. I feel my contribution is valued by my team.
27. I believe I am paid fairly for the work I do.
28. The benefits on offer meet my needs.
29. Recognition here is fair and consistent across teams.
30. In the last month, someone thanked me for my work.

Growth and development

Development questions are a useful early signal of retention risk, especially among newer and high-performing staff.

31. I have opportunities to learn and grow here.
32. I can see a clear path for progression in this organisation.
33. I have had a meaningful conversation about my career in the last six months.
34. I have access to the training I need.
35. My skills are put to good use in my current role.
36. The organisation invests in developing its people.

Culture and inclusion

Culture questions test whether stated values match everyday experience for every group of employees.

37. People here are treated with respect, regardless of their background.
38. I feel I belong in this organisation.
39. I can be myself at work.
40. Different perspectives are welcomed in my team.
41. I believe action would be taken if I reported inappropriate behaviour.
42. The organisation's values reflect how people actually behave.

Teamwork and collaboration

These questions show how well teams work together, within and across departments.

43. My team works well together.
44. I can rely on colleagues in other departments when I need their help.
45. Information is shared openly within my team.
46. Disagreements in my team are resolved constructively.
47. I have the right tools to collaborate with colleagues, wherever they work.
48. Team meetings are a good use of my time.

Tools, resources and change

Practical questions about tools and change often produce the quickest improvements after a survey.

49. I have the equipment and systems I need to do my job.
50. Processes here help rather than hinder my work.
51. Recent changes were explained clearly before they were introduced.
52. I was given enough support to adapt to recent changes.
53. I believe action will be taken as a result of this survey.
54. I know who to contact when a system or process is not working.

Open-ended questions

Open questions explain the scores. Use two or three at most, so the survey stays quick to complete.

55. What is one thing we should start doing to make this a better place to work?
56. What is one thing we should stop doing?
57. What do you value most about working here?
58. If you could change one thing about how we communicate, what would it be?
59. Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
60. What would make you more likely to stay with the organisation?

Staff survey template

Use the structure below as a starting template for a 30-question annual staff survey. Copy it into your survey tool, choose three questions from each theme, and adjust the wording to suit your organisation.

How do you write good staff survey questions?

Good staff survey questions are short, specific and neutral, and each one asks about a single thing. Write them as statements employees can rate, avoid jargon and leading wording, and only ask about topics you are prepared to act on. Test the draft with a small group before launch to catch confusing wording.

• One idea per question. "My manager gives me feedback and supports my development" asks two things. Split it.
• Stay neutral. "How much do you enjoy our new office?" assumes the answer. "The office environment helps me do my best work" does not.
• Be specific. "Communication is good" is hard to act on. "I hear about changes before they happen" points to a fix.
• Keep the scale consistent. Switching between scales confuses respondents and makes results harder to compare.
• Protect anonymity. Do not report results for groups so small that individuals could be identified.

How do you get more employees to respond?

Response rates rise when employees can see the survey easily, trust that it is confidential and believe something will change. Explain the purpose before launch, keep it short, deliver it where people actually work, send reminders, and share what happened as a result of the last survey. Visible action is the strongest driver.

Delivery matters more than many organisations expect. A survey link buried in a busy inbox is easy to miss, particularly for frontline staff. Sending the survey as a desktop alert puts it directly on employees' screens, the Heed mobile app reaches staff who work away from a desk, and a short note in the employee newsletter can explain why it matters. Plan survey launches and results updates as part of your internal communication plan so they do not clash with other announcements.

What should you do after a staff survey?

After a staff survey, share a summary of the results with employees within a few weeks, pick two or three priorities rather than trying to fix everything, and agree owners and dates for each action. Then report progress during the year and use short pulse surveys to check whether the changes are working.

For a fuller approach to acting on feedback year-round, see our guide to building a voice of the employee programme, and our article on using well-being surveys.

Running staff surveys with Heed

Heed is all-in-one internal communication software that reaches employees across desktop, mobile and digital signage. Heed Survey delivers surveys directly to employees' screens through desktop notifications, rather than relying on an email link. The survey builder supports multiple choice, ratings, text, file uploads and images, with conditional paths and branching, and surveys are responsive and multi-language, so the same survey works for a pulse check or a deep-dive.

Heed supports true on-premises deployment or regional cloud hosting with region selection for data residency, integrates with Active Directory, SSO and SAML, and is ISO 27001 certified, which suits organisations that need to keep employee feedback within their own controls. Learn more about Heed for internal communications, or book a demo to see a staff survey delivered on screen.