How to Design Effective Employee Survey Questions

Open-Ended vs. Multiple-Choice Questions

Choosing between open-ended and multiple-choice questions depends on the type of feedback you seek:

• Open-ended questions allow employees to express thoughts freely. These are great for uncovering new ideas but can be harder to analyze at scale. Examples include:
  • “What is one thing we could improve to enhance your experience at work?”
  • “Describe a recent challenge you faced and how you overcame it.”
  • “What motivates you to perform your best at work?”
  • “How do you feel about the level of communication within the company?”
  • “If you could change one thing about your role, what would it be and why?”
  • “What support or resources do you need to be more successful in your position?”
• Multiple-choice questions provide structured responses, making data analysis easier. These are useful for gathering quantifiable insights. Examples include:
  • “How satisfied are you with your current role? (Very satisfied, Somewhat satisfied, Neutral, Somewhat dissatisfied, Very dissatisfied)”
  • “Which benefits do you find most valuable? (Select all that apply)”

For best results, use a mix of both types of questions in your survey.

Avoiding Bias in Survey Questions

Biased questions can lead to inaccurate or skewed responses. To ensure neutrality:

• Avoid leading questions: Instead of “How much do you love our new policy?”, ask “What are your thoughts on the new policy?”
• Provide balanced answer choices: Ensure multiple-choice options reflect a full range of opinions, including neutral responses.
• Use clear, neutral language: Keep wording simple and direct to avoid misinterpretation.
• Avoid double-barreled questions: Instead of “Do you find our training programs effective and engaging?”, break it into two separate questions.
• Steer clear of loaded questions: Instead of “How much do you support our excellent leadership team?”, ask “How would you describe the effectiveness of our leadership team?”
• Ensure anonymity when necessary: Employees may respond more honestly if they know their answers are confidential.

For a deeper dive into avoiding bias, check out this guide from Harvard Business Review.

Keeping Survey Questions Concise

Long, complicated questions can lead to survey fatigue and lower response rates. Best practices include:

• Use simple language: Avoid jargon or overly technical terms.
• Keep questions focused: Each question should target one specific topic.
• Limit the survey length: Aim for 10-15 minutes max to respect employees’ time.

Conclusion

Designing effective employee survey questions involves balancing open-ended and multiple-choice formats, avoiding bias, and keeping questions concise. By following these best practices, organizations can gather meaningful feedback that drives real improvements.

Recognize’s survey system makes it easy to design effective employee surveys and reward participation. Stay tuned for more insights on optimizing your employee feedback strategy!