Employee Wellness Survey: How Often to Send Them?

The well-being of your employees is a key factor in the success of your business, especially during this labor shortage. After all, your employees enable your company to provide quality customer service. If you don’t prioritize the well-being of your current employees, they will move to competing companies, which is not desirable if you want to grow as an organization. 

In this complex context, how can we create a climate of corporate goodwill? The implementation of employee wellness surveys is an effective way to interact with your teams and get to know them better. By asking your employees to provide feedback, you can create a pleasant and professional work environment for everyone. This improvement will definitely have an impact on the morale of your teams who, in turn, will give the best of themselves to offer your customers an experience that meets their expectations!

Watch now: -> How to Become a Top Employer During this Salary Increase Period? [Free webinar]

However, creating the perfect survey used can be a complex task, especially for people less familiar with it. What should be assessed during this type of survey? How should you formulate your questions? And more importantly: how often should you send your survey? Without further ado, here are 8 tips for writing your employee wellness survey, as well as 50 questions for evaluating employee experience in your company.

Why is it important to send surveys for employees?

In this time of labor shortage, it is important to review your current employee experience practices to position yourself as an employer of choice. In addition to implementing employee satisfaction surveys, it is important to act on the feedback received. To this end, according to the study conducted by Forbes, 58% of companies do not take action after an employee wellness survey. However, these companies would benefit!

According to SHRM, companies that listen to their employees’ feedback have a better retention rate, less absenteeism, better customer service, optimized productivity and better job satisfaction. This proves the importance of regularly sending employee wellness surveys to ensure the well-being of your teams!

Through such surveys, you will be able to: 

• Hold your employees accountable: By asking them for their honest opinions about your processes, you give them a sense of duty and hold them accountable for their career.
• Maximize employee engagement: By taking the time to question employees, you show that you really want to improve their well-being at work. This generates a sense of belonging that optimizes their commitment to your business.
• Ensure the well-being of your teams: Following an employee survey, take concrete action based on the feedback received. This will allow you to improve your employee experience for better job satisfaction and motivation.
• Give your teams the opportunity to work to their full potential: If necessary, rely on feedback to better train your employees. Thus, you will benefit from increased performance while maximizing the happiness of your employees.
• Stand out as an employer: An employer attentive to the needs and comments of its teams will build an excellent reputation. This is a necessary asset to attract talent to your company!
• Continuously improve your company’s customer experience: Employees who are motivated at work and committed to their company will be much more motivated, professional and productive. This will definitely have a positive impact on your customer experience!
• Get a better sense of where your employees are leaving: Through exit interview surveys, learn about the various sources of dissatisfaction in your teams. These valuable feedback will allow you to address significant gaps in your employee experience. In this way, you will optimize the engagement and retention of your staff at work!

Annual surveys VS. Recurring surveys: what are the nuances? 

Of course, not all employee wellness surveys are sent at the same frequency, depending on your organization’s needs! However, it should be noted that the vast majority of businesses send two types of surveys : annual (one-time) and weekly (continuous Pulse). What are the nuances between these two types of frequency? 

Annual surveys: what are they? 

The purpose of an annual employee wellness survey is generally to obtain an overall view of an employee’s feelings, objectives, needs and performance each year. In this type of investigation, you will ask your employees:

• Their satisfaction with their last year in your company;
• What they want to improve in the following year;
• The objectives they set for themselves before the next annual questionnaire;
• And so on and so forth. 

These surveys will allow your colleagues to identify new challenges, assess their performance over the past year, and grow as a team. To a more ad hoc extent, such as an annual assessment or exit interview, it will also allow the company to step back from its internal processes. This is a must-have for creating a sense of trust and cohesion among your various employees!

Pulse surveys (weekly, bi-monthly), what are they? 

For their part, pulse-type employee wellness surveys are often sent out on a weekly basis, making it possible to assess each week your employees’ satisfaction, motivation and commitment to the company. You can evaluate the different metrics that allow you to keep an eye on the well-being of your teams. In these weekly surveys, you will be able to select a variety of questions to periodically measure various elements within your company.  Organizational vision, Net Promoter Employee Score, work motivation, peer relationship, task distribution and more: assess your employees’ daily lives to respond appropriately. For example, following your employee wellness survey, you will be able to measure the evolution of the well-being of your teams over several months. By reacting appropriately, it will decrease the turnover of your employees and maximize their loyalty to your business!

For example, an HR survey could be scheduled every week to ask your teams about their satisfaction with their organization and their work team. This personalized survey will be sent automatically every week to save you valuable time. An employer who cares about the well-being of its employees is what will maximize the loyalty and productivity of your staff!

Employee wellness surveys: how often to send them? Is there a winning formula?

It is best to combine both types of surveys, just as InputKit’s solution offers you! This will give you an overview of your teams’ annual evolution, while having a weekly dialogue with your teams to see if everything is going well internally. 

According to Qlearsite’s study, companies that listen to their employees generate an average of 46% more revenue. Why? Because their teams are ready to give their best for a company that treats them with empathy and respect!

Moreover, as mentioned above, InputKit offers the possibility to use these two types of employee wellness surveys. With such a combo, you will definitely position yourself as an employer of choice within your industry!

The steps to create good employee surveys

1. Determine what you want to evaluate

Of course, the first step for your employee wellness survey is to determine what you want to evaluate within your company. Why do you want to survey your teams? Are there specific issues or issues you want to address? Do you simply want to keep your staff motivated? This step is crucial, since the purpose of your survey will directly influence the frequency as well as the different points to be addressed.

Here are thirteen typical elements to be evaluated in a employee wellness survey:

• Overall employee satisfaction;
• Employees’ commitment to your company;
• The relationship with managers;
• Recognition at work;
• Personal growth;
• The relationship with colleagues;
• Well-being at work;
• Alignment with the company;
• Happiness at work;
• Employee satisfaction with the tasks performed;
• Your organizational culture;
• Your internal processes (communication, relationship with colleagues);
• The performance of employees.

Remember that your questions are closely related to what you want to evaluate. By setting specific improvement goals, you can gather relevant and value-added information for your company’s employee experience. Keep this advice in mind when writing your employee wellness survey!

2. Identify the types of questions to ask to collect specific data

Now that you’ve determined your goals, it’s time to think about the questions you want to ask. However, each type of question does not have the same wording or objective. 

In order to balance your survey and obtain accurate data, you must carefully discern the nuance between each type of question.

Here is a brief description of the types of questions to help you write your employee wellness survey:

• Closed-ended questions: This type of question is usually answered by “Yes” or “No”.  For example, ask “Are you satisfied with your working conditions?” and then suggest two answers (Yes / No). These questions will allow you to know your employees’ overall satisfaction with a particular element.
• Multiple choice questions: This type of closed-ended question is answered by a check-list. For example, ask “What could be improved in our company?”, then suggest a list of check-off items. With these questions, you will be able to know the specific flaws and strengths of your employee experience.
• Open-ended questions: At the end of these types of questions, readers have the opportunity to write their own answers. For example, ask “How do you think we could improve our employee experience?”, then leave a blank text box for the reader to answer your question. This will provide you with valuable information about your staff’s exact needs in terms of employee experience.
• Scaled questions: These questions end with answers in numerical scales. For example, ask, “On the proposed scale, how satisfied are you with the company’s initiatives?”, then propose a numerical scale from one to five. These questions will help you translate your staff’s responses into specific indicators to better assess your employee experience.

Remember the nuances between each type of question when building your employee wellness survey. In this way, you will receive specific and relevant feedback that will allow you to improve your employee experience according to the concrete needs of your staff!

3. Determine the order of questions

When it comes to employee wellness surveys, it is crucial to determine the order of your questions. To optimize your response rate, be sure to organize your questions so that the survey is understandable and orderly for your respondents. This way, you will be able to capture their attention until your last question!

Here are three crucial tips to determine the order of your questions:

• Group your questions according to the element to be evaluated;
• Use short questions at the beginning;
• Keep the questions long or open for the end.

To help you, here is an example of a employee wellness survey with a logical order of questions:

1. Closed question: Are you motivated by the duties of your position?
2. List question: In the following list, what training have you been offered in recent months?
3. Scale question: On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with the career opportunities offered by our company?
4. Open-ended question: How do you think the company could improve its career opportunities for employees?

Remember: it is important that your employee wellness survey follow a funnel shape to keep your readers on their toes. Start with short, closed-ended questions, then build on them as you move towards longer, more complex questions. Finally, end your employee wellness survey with an open-ended question to give your employees the opportunity to express themselves more freely on the topics covered. Such a structure will allow your employees to become familiar with your survey before having to answer more nuanced questions. This will definitely optimize your response rate for better results!

4. Write your employee wellness survey according to best practices

Now that you know your questions and the order in which to ask them, it’s time to write your employee wellness survey. To achieve this, it is important to respect best practices in this area. After all, a survey that is too long, poorly worded, messy or outdated is likely to discourage your respondents!

Here are eight best practices to keep in mind when writing your employee satisfaction survey:

• Write short, simple and precise questions;
• Rate only one item per question;
• Avoid biased formulations;
• Ensure the clarity of the language used;
• The ability to respond anonymously;
• Ensure open-ended questions can be left blank if the employee has nothing to write;
• Confirm that the survey takes a maximum of 10 minutes to complete;
• At the end of the survey, thank the employee for their answers and assure them that their feedback will help you improve.

5.  Review your employee wellness survey before sending it

Before proceeding with a final sending, you still need to review your survey. This will help you avoid redundant questions, outdated wording, or even spelling mistakes that may still be there.

In order to achieve this, we advise you to take some time off to distance yourself from the questionnaire used. Wait a few hours, or even a full day, then review your questions with a clear mind. Validate:

• Does the survey’s structure make sense?
  
• Are the questions asked relevant?
• Is the questions’ wording simple, clear and precise?
• Is the spelling correct?
• Will the items assessed improve the employee experience in a meaningful way?
• Is the completion time reasonable?

Once your survey seems ready, it is possible to solicit an external opinion. To do this, validate your employee wellness survey with a coworker. With their advice, you may be able to identify gaps that have escaped you, or even benefit from new ideas to improve your investigation. Definitely, this is a tip to keep in mind before the final sending of your employee wellness survey!

6. Determine how often your employee wellness survey will be sent

You must now schedule your employee wellness survey. However, this step forces you to question the frequency of sending such a survey. After all, the item assessed during your survey will have a big impact on its frequency!

To help you, here are some ways to find out how often to send your surveys to your co-workers:

• Weekly/bi-monthly: If results vary by week or if the item needs to be continually evaluated. Example: employee satisfaction, employee motivation, employee engagement, working conditions, relationship with employees.
• Once a year: If the results are used to determine a fixed annual target or to obtain responses that are not influenced by the frequency of the questionnaire. Examples: annual assessment, overall employee satisfaction with the current year.
• Single use: If the survey is sent under unique circumstances. Example: organization of an event, satisfaction with a training course, exit interview. 

Keep in mind that these tips can change depending on your specific business needs! 

7. Email the survey to your employees

Your employee wellness survey are created, structured and revised. Now it’s time to send them to collect valuable feedback. However, how can you improve this process to optimize the response rate of your surveys for staff?

Take the time to customize the introductory message to your employee wellness survey. This small intention will allow your employees to contextualize your investigation, in addition to attracting their attention. In addition, it is always more pleasant to have a human interaction rather than a generalized message! 

To this end, first take the time to schedule your survey to be sent. With a solution like InputKit, you can even schedule your employee wellness survey to be emailed completely automatically. This is a must to save several hours of management!

Next, write your email as follows:

• Optimize the subject line of your message;
• Personalize your message with the employee’s name;
• Sign your email with your name; 
• Write a clear and concise message to explain the purpose of the investigation;
• Include the approximate completion time of the questionnaire used to encourage the reader to complete it;
• Thank the employee for their time and emphasize that their answers will be used to improve their work experience;
• At the end of the email, include a call to action (CTA) leading to your employee wellness survey;
• Include an easily accessible point of contact in case of a technical problem when completing your survey.

8. Gather data to improve your employee experience

Once your employee wellness survey are sent, it is now time to collect your survey results. Using a centralized solution like InputKit, take advantage of an automated data collector to convert your survey responses into established metrics. This data will then give you a better overview of the strengths and weaknesses of your employee experience in order to respond appropriately. 

Once your results are achieved, take action: share new measures internally to address employee dissatisfaction. Better working conditions, recognition between colleagues, improved organizational culture, optimized communication, free training: there are many ways to improve your employee experience based on feedback. By being proactive, you will show your teams that you care about their well-being. This is a must-do to improve employee retention while setting you apart as an employer!

Watch now: -> How to Become a Top Employer During this Salary Increase Period? [Free webinar]

Some ideas for questions to include in an employee wellness survey

Now that you know the importance of employee wellness surveys, it’s time to write the perfect survey. However, this can be a complex task, especially when it is a first draft.

What questions to ask your employees to learn more about the various spheres that impact their job satisfaction? To help you, here are 26 examples of questions to ask in an employee wellness survey.

Relationship with Manager

• My manager cares about my well-being.
• I feel that my manager is communicating honestly with me.
• My manager keeps me informed of what’s happening in our organization.

Job recognition

• I receive quality recognition in my organization.
• If I do a great job, I know it will be recognized.
• I am satisfied with the frequency with which I am recognized for my work.

Workplace feedback

• The feedback I receive helps me grow and develop.
• Are you satisfied with the feedback frequency received by your manager?
• My organization takes into consideration suggestions from team members.

Personal growth

• On a scale of one to five, are you satisfied with your level of autonomy at work?
• I see how my work contributes to my organization’s objectives.
• Everyday, I have the opportunity to do my best in my role. 

Relationships with colleagues

• I feel safe being myself with my colleagues.
• On a scale of one to five, how confident are you in your colleagues?
• On a scale of one to five, how satisfied are you with the frequency with which you communicate with your colleagues at work?

Well-being at work

• On a scale of one to five, how reasonable is your workload?
• Generally speaking, I feel good on a daily basis.

Business alignment

• Does your team work in accordance with the organization’s values?
• On a scale of 1 to 5, to what extent are organizational values reflected in how people behave at work?
• Is the organization’s long-term vision clear to you?

Happiness at work

• Most of the time, I feel a sense of accomplishment in what I do.
• My work is fulfilling.
• Do you have the ability to take time off when you need it?

Job satisfaction

• When I take into account my responsibilities, skills and experience, I think I am paid fairly.
• My work environment allows me to work without distraction when I need it.
• At work, I know what is expected of me.

How InputKit Employee Experience Solution can help

Do you want to simplify the management of your employee wellness surveys? If so, InputKit’s employee experience solution is for you!

With InputKit’s one-time surveys, depending on your objectives, you can learn more about your employees’ needs. These fully customized and automated surveys are the perfect opportunity to improve your employee experience while saving valuable management time. Onboarding surveys for new employees, exit interview surveys, one-time surveys for the organization of group activities: take advantage of our many templates to gather as much information as possible in record time. This is definitely a tool of choice to help you write your employee wellness surveys!

With our Pulse surveys, you will be able to assess the commitment, motivation and satisfaction of your teams at work. This will allow you to gather valuable information to better understand the feelings of your employees and act accordingly. This proactivity will allow you to establish a human and trusting relationship with your staff. This is a must for you to stand out as an employer of choice!

In addition, did you know that our solution allows you to transform the responses of your customer satisfaction surveys into performance indicators? Thanks to our centralized dashboard, you will be able to see at a glance the quality of the services offered by your staff members. This way, you can ensure your employees are performing well and take action if necessary!

In addition, our solution automatically invites your satisfied customers to leave a positive online review. In that sense, in order to motivate your teams, what better way to share positive feedback from satisfied customers? With InputKit, you can regularly highlight the successes of your staff in order to show your appreciation and that of your customers. This is a great asset to optimize the motivation and commitment of your teams at work!

Schedule my free InputKit demo now to optimize my employee experience

How to write perfect employee wellness surveys? How often should you send them? Rely on our valuable guidance to help you stand out as an employer!

Determine what you want to evaluate and then think about the questions you want to ask. Structure your surveys to capture the attention of your respondents to the end, and then write your survey using best practices. Review everything, then schedule your survey to be sent based on your business needs. Finally, based on feedback, put in place concrete and relevant measures to improve your organization’s employee experience.

Now that you know everything about employee wellness surveys, do you need a centralized solution to automate their sending? If this is the case, we suggest that you schedule a free and personalized demo of InputKit at the time of your choice. Our solution automates the sending of your surveys, in addition to benefiting from numerous examples of internal questionnaires for your company. Our team will be delighted to participate in your success as an employer!