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Surveys are a great way to learn more about your employees, but you need to keep them simple and fun to increase employee engagement.

We all know filling out questionnaires can be exhausting, especially if they’re long and winding. That means your employees may not exactly rejoice when you send one to fill in, even if the survey is designed to improve their working conditions.

Managers need employee feedback to encourage retention and plan for your company's future, however. So what do you do?

This guide will take you through some ideas that will make surveys a fun and engaging exercise for your employees, plus give you sample questions to ask so you can start seeing results right away.

Break the ice

The office environment can get tense, especially when there are tasks to complete and deadlines to meet. That pressure can make it difficult for employees to want to open up, especially during meetings. 

Icebreakers allow you to bridge any gaps between you or your leadership team and your workers. These fun questions will make the survey feel a lot less serious and encourage your employees to open up – even just a little bit.

Here are some icebreakers you can include in a survey so respondents feel a little more at ease:

1. What would your name be if you had the chance to be a superhero?
2. If your life was a movie, what would be the title?
3. If you could spend a day in the plot of any book, what book would you choose?
4. Would you rather eat pizza for a year or get a free ticket to eat any amount of pizza for 24 hours?
5. If you could invite one person to your dream vacation, who would it be?
6. If you could teleport to any country, where would you go first?
7. If you could play just one song for the rest of your life, what song would that be?
8. Which movies have you watched more than once?
9. What's the best advice someone has ever given you?
10. What's your favorite inspirational quote?

Whether you meet your employees virtually or in person, icebreakers can set the tone for friendly conversations with your workers. They show your employees that you care about them as people, and will help encourage honest feedback when it comes to any tougher questions.. 

Ask about hobbies and interests 

Employees have lives beyond what they do at work, and what they do with their free time is part of who they are. Asking about their hobbies and interests shows you are invested in them as people, not just workers who help your company earn. 

Here are some survey questions to consider:

1. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
2. What's your favorite music genre?
3. What's the best movie you've watched more than once?
4. Would you rather play outdoor or indoor games?
5. Who is your favorite author?
6. What does the perfect movie look like to you?
7. What song can you sing word for word?
8. What's one hobby you can do all day without getting tired?
9. What's your favorite childhood game?
10. Which fictional character would you like to hang out with?

Your employees’ responses will teach you a lot about who they are as human beings, but they come with bonus perks: They may help you discover and improve skills your team has that might come in handy at work, for example. They’ll also help you plan for rewards your employees will truly appreciate and enjoy.

Questions about the company

Every company has a backstory, plus a set mission, vision, and list of goals. You likely teach these items when you onboard a new hire, but how much do they know or retain about your organization? Survey questions about your company and its culture are one way to find out. 

You might ask:

1. Can you describe our company's culture in one sentence?
2. If there was one thing you wish the company could change, what would it be?
3. Who's your favorite colleague and why?
4. What do you love most about working in this company?
5. Would you recommend our company to a friend? Why or why not?
6. How comfortable do you feel sharing your problems with team leaders?
7. Can you describe your team in one word?
8. On a scale of 1-10, can you rate the company's support system for employees?
9.  What can the company do to improve the relationship between team leaders and members?

Using a survey encourages engagement, and this questionnaire will also be an opportunity for workers to give their opinions about the company without feeling pressured. It might be best to make surveys like this anonymous so respondents will feel even freer to be honest with you.

Ask about wellness and wellness

Let's face it. Working for most of the day can be stressful and tiresome – especially if there are few breaks and a heavy workload. This can eventually lead to your workers burnout, which severely reduces their productivity at work. 

Sending a survey can help you gauge whether the issue is pervasive or impacting just one or two employees, enabling you to provide solutions before things get too bad. 

Here are some ideas for questions related to health and wellness:

1. Do you think work stress affects other aspects of your life?
2. How often do you go for medical examinations? 
3. What wellness programs would you like to see in the company?
4. On a scale of 1-10, can you rate how vital wellness and fitness are to you?
5. How often do you feel the company should organize wellness offerings at work?
6. Do you have any medical conditions?
7. Does your job allow you to make time for physical fitness?
8. Do you feel anxious at work?
9. Do your duties make it difficult to make time for your family?
10. Do you eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner while at work?

Responses from this survey will help ensure you have the right solutions and support in place to assist any employees that need it. It also helps you build better reward and recognition programs for your employees, because you’ll be able to tell which health-related items should be prioritized. 

Keep your employees engaged with Crewhu

If you're looking for that perfect platform that will help you conduct fun surveys to generate meaningful feedback from your employees and increase retention, Crewhu is here to help. 

We help you collect valuable feedback to better understand your employees and customers. We do this through engaging surveys, automated rewards, and so much more to keep your team engaged and satisfied in their roles. 

Book a demo today to learn how we can transform your surveys – and your company culture.