Custom survey is useful for digging deeper into the insights you receive from your regular Employee Engagement survey or if you have a specific use case you're trying to evaluate such as onboarding process or performance reviews.
In this article, we'll explore a few custom survey templates you can use for your organisation.
Mental wellbeing
Most organisations have crests and troughs in their workload or business life cycle. During those times when you know your team are going through a stressful time or when there have been major organisational or cultural changes in the business, sending the team custom surveys with the following questions may help you understand how they're coping:
I feel <company> is looking after my wellbeing during this time
I understand <company>'s plan and strategic direction during this time
I'm being informed about what's happening with the business
I have a clear understanding of what is expected of me moving forward
I feel positive and optimistic about <company>
I feel supported by my manager during this time
I have the tools and resources I need to deliver a high performance
The amount of work I'm asked to do is still reasonable
Communication
This is often a key driver that require more work in an organisation. You can send the team a custom survey to understand which part of communication that needs to be improved:
I'm being informed about what's happening with the business
I understand <company>'s plan and strategic direction
I know where to access shared knowledge / policies / tools / resources
Different teams / departments communicate with each other
I understand each person's roles and responsibility in <company>
I understand what each team is responsible for in <company>
My manager keeps me informed of any business update from management
Onboarding
If your organisation is growing rapidly and doing a batch of new hires, newbies can get lost in the process. Onboarding a team member well could mean an engaged employee vs an unproductive one because they're not getting the right support. Send your newbies a custom survey to understand how they've found the onboarding process so you know how they're going and what could be improved for your next hire!
I know who to ask when I have a specific question at <company>
My work buddy has been supportive
I feel welcomed by everyone at <company>
My manager makes an effort to spend time with me
I'm clear on what's expected of me in this role
My team helps me to settle in and points me in the right direction
I understand each stage of my recruitment process
I was informed about all the benefits I can get as employee at <company>
I understand <company>'s policies and where to access them in the future
Reverse performance review
Custom survey can also be used to measure manager's or People Leader's leadership. For some employees, giving an honest feedback about their manager may be difficult and confronting, so this gives them a safe space to evaluate their manager's performance.
My manager treats me with respect
My manager takes my feedback on board and acts upon it
My manager gives me actionable feedback that helps me improve my performance
My manager values the perspective I bring to the team, even if it is different from his / her own
My manager keeps the team focused on our priority results / deliverables
My manager encourage me to make mistakes
My manager communicates clear goals for our team
My manager has had a meaningful discussion with me about career development in the past 6 months
My manager has the technical expertise required to effectively manage me
I would recommend my manager to other people in the organisation
My manager makes an effort to catch up with me regularly
My manager keeps me informed of any business update from management
I trust my manager
My manager is a good leader
My manager treats everyone in the team equally
My manager motivates me to do better
My manager sets clear expectation of my role and responsibilities
360 degrees performance review
Custom survey can also be used to measure an individual performance from various level of the organisation. All responses are anonymous which will help managers to evaluate the performance of an individual accurately as peers and management are able to give an honest feedback.
<Employees name> is competent and does his / her job as expected
<Employees name> takes feedback on board and acts upon it
<Employees name> often goes above and beyond what is expected of their role
<Employees name> consistently demonstrate the value of <company values> - repeat for each of the company values
<Employees name> effectively communicates with others
<Employees name> effectively prioritise and manage their workload
<Employees name> is an effective leader either through direct management or influence
<Employees name> is proactive in finding solutions
<Employees name> often brings valuable perspective or opinions to the team
<Employees name> collaborates effectively with other team members
Finish with one open ended question: What should <employee name> continue to do and what should <employee name> start doing?