8. Survey Questions to Measure “Meaningful Work”
These questions focus on whether employees consider their work to be valuable, both to themselves and to the company. Meaningfulness was outlined in Kahn’s employee engagement theory as the feeling that one’s work is worthwhile, useful, and valuable.
- Driver question: The work I do is meaningful to me.
- “Fit” subdriver question: At work, I have the opportunity to use my strengths every day.
- “Significance” subdriver question: I see how my work contributes to positive outcomes for customers or people I provide services to.
9. Survey Questions to Measure “Organizational Fit”
Organizational fit centers on the idea that an individual not only influences their work environment but is influenced by it. These questions focus on whether employees believe the values of the organization match their own.
- Driver question: [Company name]’s values provide a good fit with the things that I consider important in life.
- “Support” subdriver question: [Company name] really cares about my mental wellbeing.
- “Health” subdriver question: Working here, I feel that I can live a physically healthy lifestyle.
- “Equality” subdriver question: People from all backgrounds are treated fairly at [company name].
- “Response” subdriver question: If I experienced serious misconduct at work, I’m confident [company name] would take action to rectify the situation.
10. Survey Questions to Measure “Peer Relationships”
These questions cover the 10th driver of engagement: The health of an employees’ relationships within the organization. That can cover everything from how employees view their colleagues professionally to whether there are adequate social opportunities within the office.
- Driver question: I can count on my co-workers to help out when needed.
- “Friends” subdriver question: I see [company name] as the kind of place where I could make friends.
- “Quality” subdriver question: My co-workers are committed to doing quality work.
11. Survey Questions to Measure “Recognition”
This segment of the engagement survey reveals how strongly employees believe that their work is valued by the organization. Recognition is a strong component of Hackman and Oldham’s job characteristics model.
- Driver question: If I do great work, I know that it will be recognized.
- “Performance” subdriver question: I get enough feedback to understand if I’m doing my job well.
12. Survey Questions to Measure “Reward”
These questions reveal how satisfied employees are with their total compensation. Equity theory states that employees are motivated when their inputs are matched by outcomes: pay, bonuses, benefits, and recognition from managers. Ensuring your staff feels that their performance is adequately compensated is key.
- Driver question: I am fairly rewarded (e.g., pay, promotion, training) for my contributions to [company name].
- “Process” subdriver question: The processes for determining pay in our organization seem fair and unbiased.
- “Discussion” subdriver question: I can have well-informed and constructive conversations with my manager about pay.
13. Survey Questions to Measure “Strategy”
The penultimate driver covers the degree to which employees understand and agree with a company’s overall strategy. Without the proper tools and resources in place to promote positive workplace communication, it’s easy for strategy scores to decline.
- Driver question: The overall business goals and strategies set by senior leadership are taking [company name] in the right direction.
- “Communication” subdriver question: Our organization does a good job of communicating the goals and strategies set by senior leadership.
- “Mission” subdriver question: I’m inspired by the purpose and mission of our organization.
14. Survey Questions to Measure “Workload”
The final driver examines whether employees feel the amount of work they’re responsible for is reasonable. Psychologists Maslach, Schaufeli, and Leiter cite engagement as the opposite of employee burnout.
- Driver question: The demands of my workload are manageable.
Understanding the drivers of engagement is just the beginning. Learn more about how Workday Peakon Employee Voice provides insights into employee sentiment.
This article has been updated since it was first published in February 2020.