In today’s highly competitive business world, the collective efforts of its employees define the success of any company.
Recognizing the crucial role that employees play, more and more organizations are turning to employee recognition as a major motivator, driving engagement, employee retention, and productivity.
But how can companies measure the effectiveness of their recognition efforts? This is where employee recognition survey questions come in, offering valuable insights into the impact of recognition programs and paving the way for continuous improvement.
“People work for money but go the extra mile for recognition, praise and rewards.” ~Dale Carnegie, Leadership Training Guru
Companies with employee recognition programs report 14% higher productivity and employee engagement than companies with no recognition programs in place.
That may not sound like a high number overall, but keep in mind that a lack of employee engagement directly impacts your retention numbers. That 14% could get really expensive if you had to replace 14 of your 100 employees each year because they didn’t feel appreciated for their talents.
Are you ready to unleash the full potential of your superstar staff with personal and meaningful recognition?
Discover the invaluable impact of employee recognition survey questions and join the ranks of successful companies that understand the importance of appreciating their most valuable asset.
By embracing employee recognition survey questions, you can tap into the valuable feedback from your employees, enabling you to fine-tune your recognition initiatives and cultivate a company culture that nurtures and celebrates the contributions and successes of each team member.
So, whether you’re a manager looking to improve the employee morale within your team, or an HR professional looking to upgrade your employee experience and revamp your company’s entire recognition program, feel free to borrow some of our favorite questions for your 2023 employee recognition surveys.
What is an employee recognition survey?
Employee recognition surveys are a great tool for collecting feedback from your employees about the efficacy of the company’s employee recognition efforts.
These questionnaires gauge how satisfied your employees are with the frequency and types of recognition they receive for their hard work.
They’re also perfect for identifying gaps and areas where you may be lacking a bit and need to make some improvements to keep employees engaged and motivated.
What types of questions should go into an employee recognition survey?
When creating an employee recognition survey, it’s important to include different types of questions that cover the different elements of their recognition experience in the workplace.
These questions could focus on:
- How often recognition is received
- How personal it feels to them
- The different types of recognition they’re receiving
- How they feel recognition affects their motivation and job satisfaction
It’s also a great idea to include questions where employees can provide specific examples or suggestions for improving the company’s recognition process. This helps ensure a clear understanding of their experiences, allows them the opportunity to express their needs, and helps you to make the improvements that truly resonate with your workforce.
How To Use An Employee Recognition Survey?
To get the most bang for your buck from your employee recognition survey, take a minute to look at it from a higher-level overview.
Nailing down the who, what, where, when, and why behind your survey ensures you reach the right audience with the right questions so you get the best employee feedback.
Who
Who is your target audience? Are you polling individual departments or is your survey intended to go out company-wide?
What
What do you want to know? Getting clear on what you need to know helps you to create straightforward survey questions and gain feedback with maximum value.
Where
Where will your employees find the survey? You’ll want to be sure it’s accessible for everyone intended, whether they’re working in-person or remotely. Maybe an email blast with a link to the survey on your intranet site or you could partner with a third-party service to handle it all for you.
When
When do you send the recognition pulse survey to your employees? And when is the last day for them to provide feedback? Planning the distribution and deadline ensures you allow employees enough time to complete the survey but also creates a minor sense of urgency for their feedback.
Why
Why are you asking these questions? What is the purpose of the survey and how will the responses drive actionable change? Are you looking to come up with new ways to say thank you to your employees? Are you trying to upgrade your recognition program? These are the kind of questions you should be asking yourself so that the survey results do not go unused.
Employee Recognition Survey Questions: Multiple Choice
Multiple-choice survey questions are great for scaled questions or ones with limited answer options and need no personalized feedback.
They’re also helpful for calculating the responses to know how many employees choose each answer, then turning that data into measurable employee satisfaction metrics.
1) Which setting do you prefer to receive recognition?
- One on One – Quality time allocated with Leadership to discuss career goals, ideas, and promotional aspirations
- Team – A small gathering with your immediate team to recognize you among your peers and team leaders
- Department – A setting where members of the management team brag you up for your accomplishments in front of the whole department
- Company-wide – A feature in the company newsletter or an all-employee email sent out for everyone to read
2) How comfortable are you with public recognition?
- Love it
- Like it
- From time to time
- Not very
- Not at all
3) What kinds of employee recognition gifts do you like?
- Wellness gifts
- Gift cards
- Time off
- Experiential rewards
- Self-care package or gift box
- Tech gear
- Company swag
- Live event tickets
- Desk gadgets
- Choose your own from a catalog of options
4) How satisfied are you with the frequency that employee recognition is shown to you?
- Extremely happy with the milestones and achievements we celebrate
- It’s pretty good – I’ve worked in places that do nothing at all
- It’s ok but could stand an upgrade
- Could be shown a lot more often
- We have employee recognition here??
5) How often do you show appreciation to your peers?
- Daily
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Now and then
- Never
Employee Recognition Survey Questions: Short Answer
Mix it up with some short answer survey questions so your employees can express themselves in more detail.
These open-ended questions allow them to offer individual responses based on their unique perspectives and recognition preferences. Using a 1-10 rating scale for some of them can help you to quantify the answers, adding to the measurable data mentioned above for your improvement metrics.
1) Do you personally feel that recognition is a priority for our organization?
2) Are you regularly recognized by anyone outside of your direct team members or group?
3) Using a scale of 1 to 10, how valued do you feel in your role by your peers? Please explain your rating.
4) Using a scale of 1 to 10, how valued do you feel by your immediate Leadership Team? Please explain your rating.
5) How often do you feel recognized for your skills and talents at work?
6) Do you believe that you receive enough recognition for your achievements and hard work?
7) Do you feel that our organization fairly distributes recognition to deserving employees?
8) Have there been any specific accomplishments or achievements you believe you should have been recognized for but weren’t?
9) Do you have any suggestions for milestones, achievements, or special occasions that we should be recognizing more than we currently are?
10) Has the recognition you’ve received while working here felt genuine and meaningful to you?
11) Do you enjoy having opportunities to give recognition to your colleagues and peers?
12) Have you been shown the employee recognition programs we have available for offering peer-to-peer recognition?
13) Is there enough variety of employee recognition options available to you? If not, what suggestions do you have that we could add?
14) Do you feel that employee recognition is fairly and evenly distributed within our organization?
15) Do you feel that you are authentically and effectively acknowledged for your achievements by your direct manager?
16) Do you feel our employee recognition reward program is directly connected to accomplishments and employee performance?
17) Have we adequately communicated the options and criteria for our employee recognition programs?
18) Using a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the importance of receiving public recognition in the workplace to you? (e.g., intranet shout-outs, newsletter features, message board announcements, etc.). Please explain your rating.
19) Has the recognition you’ve received (and witnessed) since working here felt connected to the company values?
20) Have you ever witnessed a colleague being undeservingly recognized?
21) Do you ever think about looking for another job because you don’t feel supported or recognized in your role?
22) Do our employee recognition programs positively promote engagement with your colleagues and support your professional development goals? Please explain if they do or what’s missing for you if they don’t.
23) Based on our overall recognition process, how likely are you to recommend working here to a friend or family member?
24) Do you feel that our employee recognition incentives are effective in motivating our employees?
25) Do you have any suggestions for improving employee recognition within our organization?
Conclusion
Your employees are the first line of defense, your most valuable asset, and ultimately, determine the success of your organization. So remember…
“To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace.” ~Doug Conant, Former President and CEO of the Campbell Soup Company
At the end of the day, an employee recognition survey can help managers and team leaders recover valuable information and deliver insights about the issues that matter in their organization. They can also receive direct feedback from their staff to better tailor their employee recognition program to their individual employees.
Employee Recognition Survey Questions: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many employee recognition survey questions should I include?
A: The number of employee recognition survey questions you ask depends on how much information you need to collect. If you’re clear on what you need to know, you can ideally get great results with about 25 questions, as long as you ask the right 25 questions.
Q: What are the next steps once you receive your employee recognition survey results?
A: Once you receive your employee recognition survey results, the next steps are to evaluate the responses, identify your gaps, and take action to make adjustments in those areas.
Q: How do you survey employees about recognition?
A: To survey employees about recognition, you first need to know what you need to know. Create a survey with questions that will give you feedback in those areas then send out an email with a link to the survey and a deadline for responding.
