How to use this template

This is a complete, ready-to-adapt question set. Copy the sections you need into whatever tool you use, whether that's a dedicated survey platform, a plain form, or paper for a team without reliable device access. Cut anything that doesn't match this cycle's goals. A short survey people finish beats a long one that sits half-answered.

Keep the instruction block below close to word for word. How you frame confidentiality at the start of a survey measurably affects how honestly people answer everything after it.

If you can't commit to sharing results and at least one visible action afterward, hold off on sending this. Response rates drop in later cycles at organizations that ask the same questions year after year and never show what changed as a result.

Opening instructions block

"This survey takes about [X] minutes to complete. Your individual answers are [anonymous / confidential and reviewed only by X]. Results will be reported in group form, and any group smaller than [X] people will be combined with a related group so no one's answers can be identified. There are no right answers; we're asking because we want an accurate picture, not a flattering one."

Fill in the bracketed placeholders honestly. If you can't actually guarantee anonymity for a team of three, say "confidential" instead. An overstated privacy promise that people don't believe produces worse data than an accurate, more modest one.

Core engagement questions

  • "My work here has meaning beyond a paycheck." (5-point agree/disagree)
  • "I can see a path for growth here, even if it isn't a promotion."
  • "My manager supports me in doing my best work."
  • "I trust the people on my team."
  • "I have the resources I need to do my job well."
  • "I feel recognized for good work."
  • "I understand how my work connects to the organization's goals."
  • "I plan to be working here a year from now." (agree/disagree; a practical proxy for retention risk, not a promise)

Closing questions

  • "On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this organization as a place to work?" This is the standard eNPS phrasing: 0 to 6 are detractors, 7 to 8 are passive, 9 to 10 are promoters.
  • "What's one thing that would make your work better?" (open text, optional)
  • "Department" and "time in role" are useful optional segmenting fields, but only where team sizes are large enough that answers can't be traced back to one person. Otherwise drop them, or use broad bands such as "0-1 years," "1-3 years," and "3+ years" instead of exact tenure.

Timing, length, and cadence

  • This full set runs about 10 to 12 minutes for most respondents. For a shorter quarterly pulse, trim to the core engagement questions alone and skip the closing demographic fields. Save the full version, with more room for open text, for an annual deep dive.
  • Avoid launching during a known busy stretch: end of quarter, right after a reorganization, or right before a holiday. Scores and response rates both drop for reasons that have nothing to do with actual engagement.
  • Before launch, estimate what response rate you'll need for the results to be worth acting on. Smaller teams need a higher percentage to reach a usable sample than larger ones do.

Before you send it: check your response rate math

Decide upfront what counts as invited. If you're emailing 40 people and 3 addresses bounce, decide whether your denominator is 40 or 37 before you launch, and use the same basis next cycle so your rate is comparable over time.

Decide how you'll treat partial completions before responses start coming in. Someone who answers the core engagement questions but skips the closing eNPS question still gave you usable data on the questions they finished. Counting them as a non-response will understate your real rate.

Run the numbers with the response rate calculator once invitations go out, so you know early whether you're on track for a sample worth acting on rather than finding out after the survey closes.