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83 Employee Survey Questions About Culture to Use in Your Next Employee Survey

September 29, 2023

We've all heard of toxic cultures, and unfortunately, many of us have experienced them. These company cultures lead to stress, burnout, and eventually turnover.

But there are ways companies can not only fight toxic cultures, but lower absenteeism, and improve productivity, and increase engagement too.

One way is with a workplace culture survey.

Keep in mind that although employee surveys can be a powerful tool for driving engagement and improving overall company culture, it's critical to ask the right questions.

Here, we'll discuss the discuss the importance of employee surveys, how they can help improve company culture, and give example employee survey questions about culture.

What are Employee Surveys?

Employee surveys are a tool used by organizations to gather employee feedback and insights from their employees about various aspects of their work environment, job satisfaction, and overall employee experience.

These surveys are designed to collect anonymous and honest feedback from employees, allowing organizations to better understand their workforce's needs, concerns, and opinions.

Employee surveys can take various forms, including online questionnaires, paper-based forms, or even in-person interviews in certain situations.

Here are some common topics and metrics covered in employee surveys:

  1. Job Satisfaction: Employees are asked about their overall satisfaction with their job, including factors such as workload, compensation, benefits, and work-life balance.
  2. Engagement: These surveys measure how engaged employees are in their work and with the organization. Questions might assess factors like enthusiasm, commitment, and motivation.
  3. Company Culture: A workplace culture survey may explore culture, values, and the extent to which employees feel their values align with those of the company.
  4. Management and Leadership: Employees can provide feedback on their supervisors and managers, including their communication skills, leadership style, and ability to provide support and development opportunities.
  5. Career Development: Organizations often inquire about how employees perceptions of career growth opportunities within the company and whether employees feel supported in their professional development.
  6. Communication: Employees are asked about the effectiveness of internal communication channels, such as company meetings, newsletters, and intranet platforms.
  7. Wellness and Work-Life Balance: Surveys might assess employees' physical and mental well-being, stress levels, and perceptions of work-life balance.
  8. Diversity and Inclusion: Organizations may use a company culture survey to gauge employees' experiences related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including whether employees feel included and valued in the workplace.
  9. Training and Development: Feedback on training programs and opportunities for skill development is often sought to help organizations improve their employee development strategies.
  10. Feedback and Suggestions: Many surveys include open-ended questions where employees can provide comments and suggestions for improvement.

Surveys are valuable tools for HR departments and organizational leadership because they provide data-driven insights into employee sentiment and can help identify areas that need improvement.

 

RELATED: What is an Employee Engagement Survey? And Why Should You Care?

 

 

Analyzing survey results can lead to strategic changes and initiatives that enhance employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention.

It's important for organizations to ensure that these surveys are conducted confidentially and that employees feel comfortable providing honest feedback without fear of reprisal.

Additionally, organizations should communicate the results of the surveys to employees and take meaningful actions based on the feedback received to demonstrate their commitment to improvement.

 

How Culture Fits into Employee Engagement

Positive company culture plays a critical role in the overall employee experience. In fact, a toxic company culture was cited as the top reason employees quit in 2022. And research has found that 66% of employees believe positive cultures impact their work for the better every day.

Additionally, a healthy work culture is even reportedly 10 times more important to employees than pay.

While the numbers may be surprising, the sentiment really shouldn't be. Our environments directly impact how we feel - whether that's supported, heard, and empowered, or stifled, burned out, and stressed. A positive work environment makes all the difference.

So, having employee survey questions that target company culture is critical for improving employee engagement and the overall employee experience.

 

RELATED: Work Culture: What It Is, Why It Matters, & How to Build It

 

Employee Survey Questions About Culture

Creating effective employee survey questions about culture is essential to understand employee perspectives and make improvements to company culture if necessary.

Depending on your organization's specific focus areas and goals, you can customize and expand upon these questions to gain deeper insights into your company's culture.

Additionally, consider using a mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions to gather both quantitative and qualitative employee feedback.

Here are some company culture survey questions you can use to get workplace culture surveys started:

 

Likert Scale Company Culture Questions

Creating a Likert scale for your workplace culture survey can help you gain objective, measurable data.

Respondents rate their agreement with a statement on a scale from "Strongly Disagree" to "Strongly Agree." This is typically conducted on a 5-point or 7-point scale, allowing a true neutral option in the middle.

Gain a holistic view of your company culture by asking questions that touch on a range of aspects of company culture too. Doing so will help provide actionable steps when determining ways to improve company culture.

 

Overall Culture:

  • I feel a sense of belonging at [Company].
  • I enjoy my colleagues.
  • I feel appreciated and/or valued.
  • I feel empowered in my role.
  • I feel safe to be myself at work.

 

Leadership and Vision:

  • Our leadership team effectively communicates the company's vision and values.
  • I have confidence in our company's leadership.
  • The company's leaders demonstrate a commitment to ethical behavior.
  • Leadership promotes a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
  • I believe in the long-term success of the company.
  • My team leader is accessible.
  • My team leader is approachable.
  • My team leader communicates expectations clearly.
  • I feel supported by my leader.
  • I learn useful skills from my leader.

Communication:

  • Communication within the company is clear and transparent.
  • Information flows freely between different departments and teams.
  • I feel well-informed about company updates and changes.
  • Feedback and suggestions are actively encouraged and considered.
  • There is an open-door policy for addressing concerns or issues.

Teamwork and Collaboration:

  • Collaboration is encouraged and valued in our organization's culture.
  • Team members respect each other's contributions and opinions.
  • Cross-functional collaboration is common and effective.
  • Teamwork is recognized and rewarded.
  • I feel a sense of camaraderie and belonging within my team.

Work-Life Balance:

  • The company promotes a healthy work-life balance.
  • I can manage my workload without excessive stress.
  • There is flexibility in terms of work hours and remote work options.
  • I feel supported in maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
  • The company values psychological safety and employee well-being.

Psychological Safety

  • Are you afraid to be yourself around your peers/superiors?
  • Are you afraid to make mistakes with peers/superiors?
  • Are you afraid to raise problems with your peers/superiors?
  • Do you feel respected by your peers/supervisors?
  • Do you think it is safe to openly identify as LGBTQIA+ at the company?
  • Do you think it’s safe to openly identify as neurodivergent at the company?
  • Do you think it’s safe to openly identify as a religious minority at the company?


RELATED: Diversity Culture: How to Bring Psychological Safety to the Workplace 

Diversity and Inclusion:

  • The company actively promotes diversity and inclusion.
  • I feel respected and included regardless of my background.
  • The organization has diversity initiatives in place.
  • Discrimination and bias are not tolerated in our positive workplace culture.
  • There is equal opportunity for career advancement for all employees.
  • The company values diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • The company makes efforts to support minority or marginalized groups.
  • The company has a diverse leadership team.
  • Inclusive practices are in place to accommodate diverse needs (e.g., religious observances, parental leave).

 

Employee Development:

  • The company invests in employee training and development.
  • I have opportunities for professional growth within the organization.
  • Performance feedback and evaluations are constructive and helpful.
  • The company supports skill-building and learning.
  • I feel that my career goals align with the company's goals.

Job Satisfaction:

  • I am satisfied with my current role and responsibilities.
  • My work is meaningful and aligned with my values.
  • I find my tasks challenging and engaging.
  • I am proud to work for this company.
  • I would recommend this company as a great place to work.

Company Values:

  • I believe in and align with the company's core values.
  • Our actions reflect the stated company values.
  • The company demonstrates a commitment to social responsibility.
  • The company acts with integrity in all its dealings.
  • I feel that I can uphold the company's values in my work.

 

Open-Ended Company Culture Questions

Open ended questions allow employees to express their thoughts and experiences in their own words, providing qualitative data to compliment the quantitative data gained from Likert scale questions.

Open-ended company culture survey questions can also be valuable for gaining more in-depth insights into your company culture.

Here are some open-ended questions you can use to explore company culture:

 

Leadership and Vision:

  • Can you describe a specific instance when you felt inspired by our company's leadership or its vision? What made it impactful for you?
  • How do you think our leadership team can improve their communication with employees regarding the company's vision and values?
  • What do you believe are the most important qualities or behaviors that effective leaders in our organization should possess?

Communication:

  • Can you provide examples of both effective and ineffective communication within our organization? What made them stand out to you?
  • How do you feel about the current channels of communication within the company? Are there any areas where we could enhance transparency or clarity?
  • In your opinion, what steps can the company take to better facilitate feedback and open dialogue among employees?

Teamwork and Collaboration:

  • What are some memorable instances of successful teamwork or collaboration that you've been a part of here?
  • How would you describe the level of trust and respect among your colleagues? Are there any areas where improvement is needed?
  • What suggestions do you have for promoting a culture of collaboration across different departments or teams?

Work-Life Balance:

  • Can you share your experience with maintaining a work-life balance at our company? What practices or policies have been helpful or challenging for you?
  • Are there any specific initiatives or changes you believe could enhance the well-being and work-life balance of employees in our organization?

Diversity and Inclusion:

  • How do you and employees perceive our efforts to promote diversity and inclusion? Are there any specific actions or programs that you believe have been particularly effective?
  • Have you encountered any situations where you felt the company could improve its inclusivity or address diversity-related issues more effectively? Please share your thoughts.

Employee Development:

  • Can you discuss your experience with professional development opportunities within the company? What has been valuable, and what could be improved?
  • What kind of support or resources would you like to see offered by the company to help employees grow in their careers?

 

Job Satisfaction:

  • What aspects of your current role do you find most satisfying, and why?
  • Are there any aspects of your job that you find challenging or dissatisfying? How do you think they could be improved?
  • What additional factors would contribute to your overall job satisfaction and sense of fulfillment in your role?

Company Values:

  • How do you see the company's core values being practiced in day-to-day operations and decision-making?
  • Can you provide examples of situations where our company's values were upheld or not upheld, and the impact it had on the workplace or the organization's reputation?
  • What actions or initiatives could be taken to reinforce our commitment to the company's values?

Conclusion

Workplace culture plays a critical role in employee engagement and overall performance. Monitoring employees' perception of culture through company culture surveys can help companies improve employee retention, efficiency, and lead to better business outcomes overall.

Company culture surveys can help you gather qualitative and quantitative data about your company's culture, allowing you to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Analyzing these responses can provide valuable insights into the perceptions and experiences of your employees, which can inform future company culture initiatives and changes.

 

Start Building a Survey Strategy Today

Building a positive company culture won’t happen overnight. But a company culture survey can be a simple and effective place to start. And if you’re looking for guidance along the way, Terryberry can help.

Terryberry provides solutions to help drive employee satisfaction through effective employee engagement. These solutions include:

Pulse Survey Software:

Be Heard is an employee engagement survey solution that's designed to enhance your employee experience while fueling business performance.

Service Awards and Performance Awards:

Recognize and reward employees based on years of service awards, anniversaries, or performance.

Social Recognition:

Empower your employees and managers to recognize their peers and celebrate successes with an easy-to-use social recognition application.

Feedback and Communication:

Unlock improved feedback and communications with employee and customer feedback solutions.

Wellness Programs: 

We make it easy to run wellness programs and activity challenges that increase engagement, expand corporate health, and build team camaraderie.

Contact Us

Ready to learn more? Schedule a demo with our team to get a hands-on walkthrough of how Terryberry can transform the culture of your workplace.

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