Workplace culture surveys can provide an invaluable insight into the way your employees see your workplace. They involve asking a series of questions to employees and managers about their day to day life working in the organisation.
The results can help you to transform your workplace culture in a positive way and remedy any cultural issues you may have.
To help you get the process started, we’ve included some of the essential questions you should cover in your workplace culture survey below…
What is a workplace culture survey?
A workplace culture survey is a questionnaire used by organisations to collect opinions from its employees. These questions are designed to assess the workplace and everyday working life of the people within it.
An organisation’s culture and values statement is one thing. What the employees within the business actually experience is often another. Culture assessment surveys are a way to gauge a real understanding of how employees perceive the culture to be and what can be improved to enhance an employee’s working life.
How to write an effective workplace culture survey
It’s crucial to remember that not all surveys reveal the truth. There are many examples of surveys showing a high satisfaction in staff, for a strike to then occur.
To get the most out of workplace culture surveys, it’s important to consider the following:
- Anonymity: This one may be obvious but it’s an important point. Employees need to feel safe in providing honest answers, without feeling like it may come back to bite them. Otherwise, employees will answer how they think management will want them to, resulting in a dishonest assessment.
- Timing: It’s important to give people time to consider the questions and their answers so they are not rushing into answering without thinking it through.
- The wording of questions: The way questions are worded can play a huge part in how people answer. It’s important to ensure that the questions do not encourage a certain way of answering or bias.
10 questions to ask
If you’re unsure of where to start when it comes to your workplace culture survey, we’re here to help! We’ve compiled our top 10 questions to include below.
1. How would you describe your workplace culture in three words?
This is one of the best ways to quickly gauge how your employees really feel about the culture.
2. How likely would you be to recommend your workplace to a friend or family?
If someone is not willing to recommend the place to someone they care about, there is something wrong within the culture. This question highlights how people may really feel about working in the organisation.
3. Do you feel respected by your team?
When people do not feel valued or respected, they will quickly lose motivation and often move on. This question will reveal any issues between staff and management.
4. What aspects of the business could be improved to make it a better workplace for you?
Give staff the opportunity to suggest what can be improved. Some people may respond that they think things could be improved, but when asked what specifically could be improved, may realise they are happy with how things are. Alternatively, they may have some great ideas on how to make the workplace a better place.
5. How would you describe the leadership and management style within your organisation?
This gives people the opportunity to speak up about issues such as micro-management and highlights areas that are working well.
6. How does your organisation define success?
The measurement of success should not just be to get x amount turnover. This question will highlight whether employees feel that the company focuses on other important areas such as personal development, employee wellbeing, corporate social responsibility and so on.
7. Do you think the organisation prioritises diversity and inclusivity within the workplace?
Healthy cultures focus on creating a diverse workplace to foster an environment of varied decision making and innovation.
8. Do you understand how the work you do impacts the business?
If people cannot see how their daily activities make an impact, they will soon feel demotivated. This question indicates whether people understand their importance within the team and organisation.
9. Do you feel listened to and able to contribute ideas to the organisation?
This question reveals whether people feel that they are valued and heard within the business, fostering a culture of inclusivity and teamwork.
10. Do you have a healthy work-life balance?
A positive culture will encourage a healthy work-life balance. This final question will help employers understand whether their people are getting the right balance.
The benefits of conducting a culture assessment survey
But what’s the point in all this? How can a culture assessment survey really benefit your organisation?
A strong organisational culture can make the world of difference for businesses. When people feel valued, productivity increases and staff turnover decreases. When teams are well aligned, motivated towards working to the same goals, that’s when organisational growth happens.
As such, it’s important to understand how people perceive the culture to be. Conducting a survey will:
- Provide insights into management and leadership styles – what’s working and what can be improved on
- Highlight processes that are either leading to or haltering productivity
- Highlight any problems within the workforce before it becomes a bigger issue, such as strikes or people leaving
- Inform business decisions on how to reach goals
Once a culture assessment survey has been conducted, the findings can then be used to make improvements to the workplace and iron out any issues that were highlighted.
Where does TBG come in?
If you’re ready for a culture shift and you want to get started with the next step of the process, our team can help.
We can provide workplace culture training to help bring everyone in your business together and create a positive work environment that is geared towards growth. Sound good? Book a call with a Giant today to get started.