Employee survey template: 12 annual questions

Run this survey once a year, keep the wording stable, and give leaders one clear action-planning cycle. A single annual survey avoids repeated requests that can lower participation and gives teams time to act before the next measurement.

Response scale

Use a five-point agreement scale from Strongly disagree to Strongly agree. Add Prefer not to answer for questions that employees may consider sensitive.

The 12 survey questions

1. I understand the organisation's priorities for the next twelve months.
2. I know how my work contributes to those priorities.
3. My manager gives me the support I need to do my job well.
4. I receive useful feedback often enough to improve my work.
5. My workload is manageable during a normal working week.
6. I have the tools and information I need to do my job.
7. I can see realistic opportunities to grow my skills here.
8. Good work is recognised fairly on my team.
9. People on my team can raise a concern without negative consequences.
10. Decisions that affect my work are explained clearly.
11. I would recommend this organisation as a good place to work.
12. I expect to be working here twelve months from now.

Two optional open questions

• What is one thing we should keep doing?
• What is one change that would most improve your experience at work?

How to run the survey

1. Keep the survey open for ten working days.
2. Send one reminder halfway through the response window.
3. Report results only for groups large enough to protect anonymity.
4. Ask each leadership team to choose no more than two actions.
5. Publish the actions and review progress at the next annual survey.

How to report the result

Show the percentage of favourable responses for each question, the response rate, and the change from the prior annual survey. Do not combine all twelve questions into one score without showing which questions moved.