Pulse survey examples

by Kailash

Pulse survey examples

Do you know that only 36% of employees worldwide are engaged in their jobs?

This highlights the pressing need for organizations to prioritize employee feedback and engagement. Pulse surveys have emerged as a popular solution, enabling organizations to measure and improve various aspects of the employee experience, such as job satisfaction, work-life balance, communication effectiveness, and recognition.

One of the key advantages of pulse surveys is their flexibility and adaptability. Unlike traditional annual surveys, pulse surveys can be conducted more frequently, often on a monthly or quarterly basis, allowing organizations to stay attuned to employee sentiments in real time.

This timeliness helps identify emerging issues, address concerns promptly, and seize opportunities for positive change.

Let’s explore different pulse survey examples that showcase different question types and topics organizations can use to gather actionable feedback from their employees. From measuring job satisfaction to assessing managerial support, we will delve into a range of areas that can significantly impact employee engagement.

These examples will not only inspire organizations to design their employee pulse surveys effectively but also provide insights into best practices for crafting compelling and relevant questions.

Table of contents:

What is a pulse survey template?

A pulse survey template is a pre-designed questionnaire or set of questions that organizations can use as a framework to conduct their pulse surveys. These templates typically include a series of questions covering various aspects of employee experience, engagement, satisfaction, and company culture.

The purpose of using a template is to streamline the survey creation process and ensure consistent data collection across different survey rounds.

A pulse survey template usually consists of the following components:

Introduction: This section provides an overview of the survey's purpose, assures participants of confidentiality, and emphasizes the importance of their honest feedback.

Demographic information: Pulse survey templates often include questions about demographics, such as age, gender, department, and job level. This data helps in analyzing responses based on different employee segments.

Open-ended questions: These questions allow employees to provide detailed, qualitative feedback. Open-ended questions are valuable for capturing insights, suggestions, or concerns that may not be covered by the predefined options.

Comment boxes: Pulse survey templates often include comment boxes after each section or at the end of the survey to give employees an opportunity to provide additional feedback or elaborate on their responses.

When using a pulse survey template, organizations can modify and customize the questions to align with their unique goals and context. It's important to ensure that the template's questions are clear, concise, and relevant to the specific objectives of the survey.

Organizations can also adapt and evolve the template over time based on feedback and changing organizational needs.

By utilizing a pulse survey template, organizations can save time and effort in survey design, ensure consistency across survey rounds, and obtain standardized data that can be compared and analyzed effectively to drive meaningful insights and actionable outcomes.

What type of survey questions should you ask employees?

When crafting survey questions for employees, it's crucial to consider the specific objectives of the survey and the desired insights. By using a combination of question types, organizations can gather comprehensive feedback from employees.

Here are some types of survey questions commonly used to show company values and gather employee feedback:

Likert scale questions

These questions measure the intensity of agreement or disagreement on a scale, typically ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Likert scale questions help assess employee perceptions, attitudes, and levels of agreement on various topics, such as job satisfaction, work-life balance, or even leadership team effectiveness.

Multiple-choice questions

Multiple-choice questions provide predefined response options, allowing employees to select the most appropriate answer. These questions are useful for capturing specific opinions, preferences, or demographic information. For example, you can take survey questions to ask them about preferred communication channels or inquire about a department or role.

Subjective questions

Subjective questions allow employees to provide detailed, qualitative responses. They offer an opportunity for employees to express their thoughts, suggestions, or concerns in their own words.

These questions are valuable for gaining deeper insights and uncovering aspects that may not be captured by closed-ended questions alone.

Ranking questions

Ranking questions ask employees to prioritize or rank a set of options based on their preferences or importance. This type of question is effective for understanding employee priorities, identifying key areas of focus, or evaluating potential improvements.

Demographic questions

Including demographic questions helps gather information about employees' backgrounds and characteristics. Demographic data such as age, gender, tenure, or department can provide insights into how different groups of employees feel and perceive certain aspects of the workplace.

Net promoter score (NPS) questions

NPS questions measure the likelihood of employees' positive company culture and recommend the organization as a great place to work. The scale typically ranges from 0 to 10, categorizing respondents as promoters, passives, or detractors. NPS questions help gauge overall employee satisfaction and loyalty.

Behavioral questions

Behavioral questions inquire about specific actions, behaviors, or experiences. For instance, you can ask employees about their engagement in training programs, utilization of certain resources, or participation in company events.

Behavioral questions provide insights into actual employee behaviors and can be useful for evaluating the effectiveness of organizational initiatives.

Examples of best practices of employee pulse surveys

Implementing best practices for pulse surveys ensures that organizations can effectively collect and utilize employee feedback.

Here are some well-researched best practices for conducting pulse surveys:

Clearly define objectives: Clearly articulate the purpose and objectives of the pulse survey. Identify the specific areas of interest or challenges that the pulse survey results aim to address. This clarity ensures that the survey questions are aligned with the intended outcomes.

Keep surveys short and frequent: Pulse surveys are designed to be brief and conducted frequently to capture real-time feedback. Keep the survey length concise, typically with 10-15 questions, to minimize respondent burden and increase participation rates.

Conducting surveys at regular intervals, such as monthly or quarterly, helps track progress and detect trends over time.

Ensure anonymity and confidentiality: Emphasize the anonymity and confidentiality of survey responses. Assure employees that their feedback will be aggregated and reported in a way that protects their identity. This encourages honest and candid responses, fostering trust and increasing the likelihood of accurate feedback.

Use a mix of question types: Utilize a mix of question types to gather both quantitative and qualitative feedback. This includes Likert scale questions to measure agreement, multiple-choice questions for specific responses, and open-ended questions for in-depth insights.

The combination provides a comprehensive understanding of employee perceptions.

Focus on actionable insights: Frame survey questions with a focus on collecting feedback that can lead to actionable insights. Ask questions that enable organizations to identify specific areas for improvement, make informed decisions, and take action to address employee concerns. This demonstrates a commitment to using survey results to drive meaningful change.

Communicate survey results and actions: Share survey results and communicate the actions taken based on the feedback received. Transparently sharing the outcomes with employees demonstrates that their input is valued and helps build trust.

Regularly update employees on progress, initiatives, and improvements resulting from their feedback.

Encourage employee involvement: Involve employees in the pulse survey process by seeking their input on survey topics and questions. This engagement helps ensure that the survey is relevant and meaningful to employees, increasing their motivation to participate.

Encourage feedback on the survey itself to continuously improve the survey experience.

Act on feedback and follow-up: Act promptly on survey feedback by implementing necessary changes and improvements. Communicate the actions taken to address employee concerns and follow up on any outstanding issues.

Demonstrating that employee feedback leads to tangible outcomes reinforces the value of the employee pulse survey process.

Continuously evolve and adapt: Regularly review and update survey questions and processes based on feedback and evolving organizational needs. Analyze trends, identify emerging topics, and revise the survey accordingly.

This iterative approach ensures the pulse survey remains relevant and effective over time.

These practices enable organizations to proactively address challenges, improve employee engagement, and move internal communications to drive positive organizational change.

Examples of pulse feedback

Pulse feedback is a valuable tool for gathering quick, frequent, and actionable insights from employees.

It helps organizations stay informed about employee sentiments, identify emerging issues, and make timely adjustments to improve the work environment.

Here are some examples of pulse feedback questions that can be used to capture employee insights:

  1. Do you feel that communication within the organization is effective and transparent?
  2. Are you provided with timely and relevant information to perform your job effectively?
  3. Do you feel that there are sufficient opportunities for collaboration and teamwork?
  4. How would you rate the support you receive from your immediate manager/supervisor?
  5. Do you feel that your manager provides clear expectations and guidance?


These examples cover a range of topics that are commonly included in pulse feedback surveys. However, it's important to tailor the questions to suit your organization's unique needs and goals.

Additionally, consider the pulse survey's frequency and keep the questions concise and focused to maximize participation and obtain actionable insights.

How to frame employee pulse survey questions that boost engagement metrics?

When framing pulse survey questions to boost engagement metrics, it's important to focus on creating questions that are concise, relevant, and actionable.

Here are some research-backed strategies to help you design effective employee pulse survey questions that enhance employee engagement:

Use clear and understandable language

Ensure that your questions are easy to comprehend, avoiding jargon or complex terminology. Use simple language to make it easier for employees to interpret and respond to the questions accurately.

Focus on specific engagement factors

Identify key factors that impact engagement within your organization and develop questions that directly address those factors.

For example, questions related to job satisfaction, professional development, growth opportunities, work-life balance, or recognition and rewards can provide valuable insights into engagement levels.

Include positive and negative statements

Incorporate both positive and negative statements in your survey questions to capture a balanced view of employee perceptions. This prevents response bias and allows you to identify areas of strength and improvement.

For example, you can ask employees to rate their level of agreement with statements like "I feel recognized for my contributions" and "I have the resources I need to perform my job effectively."

Keep the survey short and time-efficient

A pulse survey is meant to be brief and focused to encourage higher participation rates. Limit the number of questions to the most essential ones that provide actionable insights.

Long surveys can lead to survey fatigue and reduced engagement, so prioritize brevity while ensuring you capture critical information.

Include opportunities for qualitative feedback

While quantitative data is valuable for analysis, including open-ended questions or comment boxes allows employees to provide qualitative feedback.

This gives them an opportunity to provide additional context, share suggestions, or raise concerns that may not be captured by closed-ended questions.

Test and refine the questions

Pilot-test your survey questions with a small group of employees to assess clarity, relevance, and overall survey experience. Gather feedback on the questions and make necessary revisions before deploying the survey on a larger scale.

Demonstrate action and follow-up

To enhance engagement, it is essential to communicate that employee feedback is valued and acted upon. Regularly share survey results, communicate the actions taken based on feedback, and provide updates on ongoing initiatives.

This reinforces the notion that the survey is a meaningful tool for driving positive change.

By implementing these strategies, organizations can develop pulse survey questions that effectively measure and improve employee engagement.

Remember to adapt the questions to your organization's specific needs and goals, while ensuring they align with industry best practices and respect employee confidentiality.

It is important to keep the pulse survey concise, ensuring that it can be completed quickly by employees, while still capturing valuable insights for analysis and action.

When selecting and crafting survey questions, it is important to ensure they are clear, concise, and relevant to the survey's objectives. Avoid leading or biased questions that may influence respondents' answers.

Additionally, consider the length of the survey and strive for a balanced mix of question types to capture both quantitative and qualitative data.

Lastly, pilot testing the survey questions with a small group of employees can help identify any potential issues or areas for improvement before launching the survey on a larger scale.