When was the last time you hired someone based on their resume and were wowed by their ability to use buzzwords? Or, when did you promote someone into a management role because they had been there the longest, even though they didn’t have the leadership skills to excel?
If you’ve done either of these things, you’re not alone. In fact, the two traits above are some of the most common reasons why employees are hired and promoted. Unfortunately, they don’t always result in the best hiring and promotion decisions, leading to employee attrition.
To understand why employees are hired and promoted, we asked 1,000 employees about the most common traits they’ve seen in new hires and managers. Then, we paired this data with insights from HR experts to see if employees were right about what makes a good employee.
1. Do you have the tools to perform your job effectively?
One of the most common reasons employees leave their jobs is because they feel unsupported. This could mean that they don’t feel they have the tools they need to do their job effectively.
In today’s digital world, there are countless tools and technologies that can help employees be more productive and efficient. From project management software, through cold email automation tools, to communication tools, it’s important to make sure your team has access to the tools they need to be successful.
If not, find out what tools they think would be helpful and work with your IT team to get them what they need.
2. Do you feel you have the opportunity to advance in your career?
Employees who feel they are stuck in their current role are much more likely to leave your company than those who feel they have opportunities to advance. In fact, 45% of employees who don’t feel they have career advancement opportunities will start looking for a new job.
If your employees are not satisfied with their opportunities for career advancement, you may want to consider implementing a career development program. This can help you retain top talent and give your employees the tools they need to grow in their careers.
3. Do you feel you are being compensated fairly?
No matter what your employees say about their salaries, it’s important to get a sense of how they feel about their compensation. The question of fairness is a great way to get feedback on this topic. Even if you are unable to adjust employee salaries, you can look for other ways to make up for it, such as offering additional benefits or perks.
4. Do you feel your workload is manageable?
Feeling overwhelmed by work is a quick way to cause burnout in your employees. While some employees may take on extra work by choice, others may feel forced to do so to impress their managers or to avoid being seen as unproductive.
If employees feel like they have too much on their plate, they may become stressed and unhappy with their jobs. On the other hand, if they feel like they don’t have enough work, they may become bored and unengaged.
This question will help you gauge how well you’re distributing work among your team and identify any potential issues.
5. Do you feel that your manager is doing a good job?
Employees can have very different experiences of a company based on their relationship with their manager.
The people who are closest to a manager are the most likely to leave. So, it’s important to get a sense of how your managers are doing, and how they are perceived by their direct reports.
You can also use this question to gauge how your managers are doing in the eyes of their team. If you have a manager who is not well-liked or respected by their team, it is likely to be impacting their work, and the work of the team.
You can use the feedback from this question to identify any issues with individual managers, and to help you to put in place plans to improve their performance.
6. Do you feel your work is appreciated by the company?
We all want to feel valued, and your employees are no exception. If they don’t feel like their work is appreciated, they’re more likely to look for a new job.
Ask your employees how appreciated they feel and use their anonymous employee feedback to make changes. If you’re not already, make sure you’re recognizing and rewarding your employees for their hard work.
You can also show your appreciation by asking your employees for feedback and then taking action on what you learn. Employees who see that their feedback is making a difference are more likely to be engaged and satisfied. Some companies even extend appreciation programs into structured rewards or referral initiatives — using tools like ReferralCandy not only to incentivize customers but also to create employee-facing referral programs that reward staff for bringing in new hires or clients. This kind of system shows employees that their contributions directly add value and that they’ll be recognized for it.
7. Do you feel you have a good work-life balance?
An employee’s ability to maintain a healthy work-life balance is a key factor in how happy they are with their job. People who feel overworked or who don’t have time to spend on activities outside of their job are more likely to feel stressed and burned out.
Use this question to gauge how employees feel about their work-life balance. If you find that a significant number of employees don’t feel they have a good work-life balance, you may need to take steps to reduce workloads or offer more flexible work options.
8. Do you feel that you are part of a team?
Employees who feel like part of a team are more likely to be engaged and satisfied with their jobs. You can ask this question to get a sense of how your employees view their relationships with their coworkers.
If you find that employees don’t feel like part of a team, you can take steps to improve teamwork and collaboration in your workplace. This could include team-building activities, cross-departmental projects, or other initiatives that help employees get to know each other and work together more effectively.
9. Do you feel the company culture is a good fit for you?
Company culture is a major factor in employee happiness. After all, most people spend at least 40 hours per week at work, and it’s much easier to enjoy that time if you fit in with the people and the environment.
It’s also important to note that a “good” company culture can mean different things to different people. Some people might prefer a more relaxed work environment, while others might like a more structured one. Some people might enjoy a fast-paced, high-stress environment, while others might prefer a more laid-back atmosphere.
By asking employees whether they feel the company culture is a good fit for them, you can get a sense of how well they’re adjusting to the environment and if they feel comfortable at work.
10. On a scale of 1-10 how likely are you to recommend our company to a friend?
This question is a great way to gauge how your employees feel about a specific aspect of your business. The “on a scale of 1-10” question can be used in a variety of ways, such as:
• How likely are you to recommend our company to a friend?
• How valued do you feel as an employee at our company?
• How satisfied are you with your current work-life balance?
This type of question is easy for employees to answer and provides clear, specific feedback for you to analyze.
Net promoter score (NPS) questions are essential for any customer satisfaction survey, but they can also be useful for employee surveys. NPS questions help you gauge overall satisfaction and loyalty, and they’re a great way to kick off your survey.
Simply ask, “How likely are you to recommend our company to a friend?” and provide a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most likely. You can also ask an open-ended version of the question to get more detailed feedback.
11. What is the one thing we could do better as a company?
This is a great question to ask at the end of your survey. It gives employees an open-ended opportunity to provide feedback on something that wasn’t already covered in the survey.
Managers can use this feedback to address areas where employees see room for improvement. It can also help create a more open and transparent dialogue between employees and leadership.
Conclusion
Gathering feedback from employees is key to improving your company’s culture and environment. By using the employee satisfaction survey questions above, you can begin to gather the data you need to make improvements that will help you to attract and retain top talent.
For more on collecting employee feedback, check out our guide to employee satisfaction surveys next.
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