Employee engagement is a key driver of performance, turnover and company outcomes. Surveys provide a formal approach to gathering useful information from employees and assist leaders in making the right decisions that can improve the working environment. When these surveys are linked to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) KPIs, they also reveal opportunities for increasing engagement through inclusiveness.
Key takeaways:
- Employee engagement surveys provide valuable insights into managerial effectiveness, turnover risks, and innovation potential.
- Incorporating DEI-focused questions helps identify areas where inclusivity can boost engagement and reduce turnover.
- Clear, actionable feedback from surveys can guide leadership in creating a more supportive and efficient work environment.
- Surveys are most effective when paired with real efforts to address employee concerns and improve DEI outcomes.
- Tools like Diversio’s AI-powered Recommendation Engine offer data-driven strategies to enhance both engagement and inclusivity.
What insights can employee engagement surveys reveal?
Employee engagement surveys assist organizations in identifying various factors that influence business performance. Here are some critical areas these surveys can shed light on:
Managerial effectiveness
Surveys enable the employees to express how much they feel supported by their managers. Responses tend to highlight the lack of communication, the approach to management, and the resources that are available to the team which can greatly affect the team’s efficiency.
Predicting turnover
Employee dissatisfaction with various aspects of the job such as promotion opportunities or work-life balance are usually good indicators of turnover intentions. The survey data can be used to determine which employees are at risk of leaving so that retention strategies can be implemented.
Productivity and innovation
Employees who are engaged are more likely to work harder and come up with new ideas. Surveys can also elicit information on whether employees feel they can come to the table with their ideas and if they have what they need to do their work effectively.
Inclusivity and belonging
DEI questions can be integrated into engagement surveys to determine whether employees from diverse backgrounds feel welcomed and appreciated in the workplace. These insights inform the process of creating a more inclusive culture, thereby decreasing levels of disengagement and turnover.
The connection between employee engagement and DEI
When the employees are included and their opinions are considered, they become more engaged and this is good for business. Employees are more likely to stay engaged and committed when they see clear, fair actions—like equal pay, chances for promotions, and respect from leadership. Reducing bias in hiring, promotions, and daily encounters actively increases employee engagement because it signals that they are being treated fairly and that their efforts are valued. These real, visible efforts make people want to stick around and put more effort into their work, rather than just relying on surface-level DEI messaging that’s often more about branding or reputation management. Employees respond to meaningful actions, not just words or promises aimed at improving the company’s public image.
Diversio’s DEI-focused training modules can make a difference by improving the employee experience and helping organizations build a culture of inclusion. [Link to Diversio’s trainings page]
15 employee engagement survey questions to improve your bottom line
Here are key questions that really matter and help improve business outcomes:
1. Do you feel your work has a direct impact on the company’s success?
Understanding this gives insight into whether employees see purpose in their work, which is critical for engagement and productivity.
2. Do you feel that leadership communicates clear goals and expectations?
Clarity from leadership drives alignment and efficiency, reducing confusion and fostering better execution.
3. Do you feel comfortable being yourself at work without fear of judgment or discrimination?
Psychological safety and belonging are core to employee satisfaction and productivity, directly tied to DEI initiatives.
4. Do you feel your contributions are recognized and appreciated?
Recognition is directly tied to retention and effort—unrecognized employees are disengaged employees.
5. How likely are you to stay with the company for the next year?
This question directly predicts turnover and helps leadership focus on retention strategies.
6. Do you have the tools and resources needed to perform your job effectively?
Resource gaps immediately impact performance, making this a critical question for operational efficiency.
7. Do team members support each other when challenges arise?
Assessing team support during difficulties highlights the strength of collaboration and unity in the team.
8. Do you feel comfortable sharing your ideas with your team?
This question gauges psychological safety within the team, which is critical for innovation and open communication.
9. Do you feel included in decisions that affect your work?
Employees who feel excluded disengage. Inclusion in decision-making leads to ownership and improved outcomes.
10. Have you experienced or witnessed any behavior in the workplace that you believe was biased or discriminatory?
This provides direct insight into whether bias is present in the workplace and helps HR address any harmful behaviors that affect inclusivity and morale.
11. How comfortable do you feel raising concerns or ideas to your manager?
Psychological safety is essential for innovation. If employees are afraid to speak up, the company misses out on valuable input.
12. Do you believe the company is committed to diversity and inclusion, and does that commitment impact your daily work experience?
This gets to the heart of whether DEI is a lived value or just talk, directly impacting morale, engagement, and retention.
13. How well do different departments or teams collaborate within the company?
Cross-departmental collaboration is essential for organizational efficiency and problem-solving.
14. Do you feel the company takes employee feedback seriously and acts on it?
Without action on feedback, engagement efforts collapse. Employees need to know that their input leads to real change.
15. How confident are you that the company will grow and succeed in the next five years?
This measures employee belief in the company’s future, which affects long-term commitment and productivity.
Conducting engagement surveys effectively
A successful employee engagement survey involves more than simply asking the right questions. The timing of survey distribution, the design of questions, and the method for collecting feedback have a major impact on the results.
Timing
Survey timing matters. Ideally, surveys should take place multiple times each year, preferably in conjunction with business cycles or following important organizational changes, to keep feedback relevant.
Anonymity
Anonymity is important for genuine feedback. Employees are more inclined to give real answers if they sense that their responses won’t lead to undesirable outcomes.
Length and structure
Make sure surveys are brief, so they don’t seem too much to handle. However, they should be long enough to collect meaningful data. A combination of question types provides you with insights that are both qualitative and quantitative.
Question types
Selecting the appropriate question types is important for obtaining insights that lead to action. Here’s a breakdown of common question types, along with their pros and cons:
Open-ended questions
Example: “What could the company do better to support your professional development?”
Pros:
- Provides detailed, in-depth feedback.
- Encourages employees to share unique insights and perspectives.
Cons:
- Difficult to analyze on a large scale.
- May require more time from employees to answer thoughtfully.
Closed-ended questions
Example: “Do you feel your contributions are valued by your team?” (Yes/No)
Pros:
- Easy to quantify and analyze.
- Provides clear-cut answers.
Cons:
- Lacks nuance.
- May miss underlying issues or feelings.
Rating scale questions
Example: “On a scale of 1 to 10, how supported do you feel by your manager?”
Pros:
- Quantifiable data makes it easy to track trends over time.
- Allows for more nuanced responses than closed-ended questions.
Cons:
- Can sometimes oversimplify complex issues.
- Respondents may interpret the scale differently.
Likert scale questions
Example: “I feel that the company values my work.” (Strongly agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, Strongly Disagree)
Pros:
- Measures attitudes and feelings across a spectrum.
- Helps identify patterns in employee sentiment.
Cons:
- Can lead to neutral or non-committal responses.
- Responses might cluster around the midpoint.
How to interpret survey data to drive business outcomes
The survey data should be used as the basis for most of the business key decisions. The results can be analyzed to identify trends that suggest where attention is required, whether it is managerial performance, employee turnover, or diversity and inclusion. For instance, poor performance on questions related to inclusion may indicate that DEI efforts need to be improved, which will in turn increase employee engagement and productivity.
The Employee Engagement Pulse Survey offered by Diversio allows organizations to collect and analyze engagement information in real-time and in line with both engagement and DEI goals. These insights help leadership in making right decisions that enhance the performance of the organization.
AI-powered insights for deeper employee engagement analysis
Many organizations struggle to gather meaningful data and insights due to a lack of effective tools, which can create barriers to understanding employee engagement and the impact of inclusion efforts. The Recommendation EngineTM powered by AI at Diversio addresses this problem by evaluating recent data and offering pragmatic recommendations that fit the organization’s culture. Companies can use this information to make better decisions and build a more inclusive and engaging work environment.
Instead of depending on broad benchmarks or static assessments, businesses can get deep, data-driven insights into how to increase engagement and make the workplace more welcoming. A focused strategy like this supports the lasting success of inclusion initiatives. Here, AI helps leadership teams make smart, important decisions that can change the atmosphere at work and improve the quality of life for employees.
Conclusion: From data to action
Employee engagement is one of the most potent levers that can be used to increase company results. When implemented effectively, employee engagement surveys offer a clear channel for assessing employee sentiment, planning and implementing DEI efforts, and driving organizational development.
Engagement surveys are effective only if companies are willing to take the data and do something with it. It is not just about making managers more effective in what they do or about being able to forecast employee attrition; it is about creating a culture that is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the employees all the time.
With the help of the Diversio’s Employee Engagement Pulse Survey and the AI Recommendation Engine, organizations can turn insights into effective actions. A more engaged and welcoming team emerges, paving the way for long-term business success. Find out more by booking a demo.
