Employee Engagement Survey Examples to Boost Morale in 2025

Employee Engagement Survey Examples to Boost Morale in 2025

Employee engagement survey examples to help you measure and improve the metrics that matter for team success.

Want to build an engaged, motivated team? Understanding your team's sentiment is crucial. Employee engagement surveys are key to gathering this feedback, especially for remote and distributed teams. This article provides eight employee engagement survey examples, including popular options like Gallup Q12, Culture Amp, 15Five, and others. Whether you're new to engagement surveys or seeking fresh ideas, these examples will help you choose the right survey for your team in 2025 and take actionable steps to boost motivation and belonging.

1. Gallup Q12 - The Gold Standard

When people ask for solid employee engagement survey examples, Gallup Q12 usually tops the list for good reason. This isn't some trendy new tool - it's based on decades of research and just 12 carefully crafted questions that predict everything from productivity to turnover.

What makes it special: The Q12 focuses on what employees actually need to do their best work. Questions like "Do you have the materials and equipment to do your work right?" and "Does your supervisor or someone at work seem to care about you as a person?" get to the heart of employee engagement.

The beauty of this employee engagement survey example is its simplicity. Twelve questions, five-point scale, done. No survey fatigue, no overwhelming employees with 50+ questions they'll rush through.

Perfect for: Mid-size to large organizations that want proven results and don't mind paying licensing fees for scientifically validated insights.

Reality check: You'll need to invest in manager training to make the most of it, and the licensing fees can add up. But companies like Stryker Corporation have hit the 90th percentile in engagement scores using this approach.

2. Culture Amp - The Data Geek's Dream

If you want employee engagement survey examples with serious analytical firepower, Culture Amp is your answer. This platform doesn't just collect feedback - it turns it into actionable intelligence with heat maps, benchmarking, and predictive analytics.

How it works: Culture Amp offers 50+ validated questions across different engagement drivers like leadership, communication, and work-life balance. The real magic happens in the analysis - you can slice and dice data by department, tenure, role, and more.

Success stories: Airbnb used Culture Amp to maintain their culture during rapid scaling. McDonald's rolled it out globally to get consistent feedback across different cultures and countries.

The catch: There's definitely a learning curve, and it can feel overwhelming at first. But if you want to understand not just what your employees think, but why they think it, this employee engagement survey example delivers.

Perfect for: Organizations that love data, have dedicated HR resources, and want to benchmark against industry standards.

3. 15Five - The Continuous Feedback Champion

Instead of the traditional "annual survey and pray" approach, 15Five pioneered the continuous feedback model. This employee engagement survey example focuses on weekly check-ins that take (you guessed it) about 15 minutes.

Why it works: Rather than waiting a whole year to find out someone's unhappy, you catch issues early. The weekly format builds intentional communication habits and keeps managers connected to their teams.

The format: Short, focused questions that rotate weekly. Think "What went well this week?" or "What challenges are you facing?" Combined with mood tracking and manager coaching tools.

Success stories: HubSpot uses it to maintain engagement across their remote teams, while Credit Karma reports improved manager effectiveness after implementation.

Perfect for: Teams that want to build a culture of ongoing feedback rather than periodic check-ins.

4. Microsoft Pulse Framework - The Inclusion Powerhouse

Looking for employee engagement survey examples that go beyond basic satisfaction? Microsoft's internal framework emphasizes diversity, inclusion, and growth mindset - crucial elements often missing from traditional surveys.

What sets it apart: This approach specifically measures whether people feel included, valued for their unique perspectives, and supported in their growth. It's particularly powerful for global, diverse teams.

The focus: Questions around psychological safety, growth opportunities, and inclusive leadership. Microsoft's own cultural transformation under Satya Nadella showcases what's possible.

Implementation note: This employee engagement survey example requires serious change management support and works best for larger organizations committed to cultural transformation.

Perfect for: Large, diverse organizations prioritizing inclusion and growth mindset as competitive advantages.

5. Officevibe - The User-Friendly Option

If you want employee engagement survey examples that your team will actually enjoy using, Officevibe nails the user experience. Weekly pulse surveys with beautiful visualizations that make data digestible.

Key features:

  • Anonymous weekly surveys covering 10 engagement metrics
  • Visual dashboards that actually make sense
  • Slack and Teams integration for seamless workflow
  • Peer recognition features

Why teams love it: No PhD in data science required. The interface is clean, setup takes minutes, and managers get actionable insights without drowning in analytics.

Success stories: Shopify uses it for department-level engagement tracking, while Buffer leverages it to maintain connection across their fully remote team.

Perfect for: Small to medium teams that want powerful insights without enterprise complexity.

6. Glint (Now Microsoft Viva) - The AI-Powered Predictor

This employee engagement survey example uses machine learning to predict turnover risks and identify what drives high performance in your specific organization. It's like having a crystal ball for people analytics.

The magic: Natural language processing analyzes open-ended comments to find themes you might miss. Predictive models help you spot flight risks before people start updating their LinkedIn profiles.

Advanced features:

  • AI-powered insights and recommendations
  • Correlation with business outcomes
  • Personalized manager dashboards
  • Integration with Microsoft ecosystem

Success stories: United Airlines boosted satisfaction scores, while Sky transformed their entire people strategy using Glint's analytics.

The investment: This employee engagement survey example requires both budget and analytics expertise to maximize value.

Perfect for: Data-driven organizations ready to invest in sophisticated people analytics.

7. TINYpulse - The Minimalist's Choice

Sometimes the best employee engagement survey examples are the simplest ones. TINYpulse sends one question per week - that's it. But don't let the simplicity fool you.

How it works: One engagement question weekly (takes 30 seconds to answer), anonymous suggestion box, and peer recognition system. Over time, you build a comprehensive picture of team health.

Why it works:

  • Zero survey fatigue
  • High participation rates
  • Builds feedback habits
  • Catches issues early

Success stories: Expedia Group uses it for quick team temperature checks, while PayPal maintains engagement across distributed teams.

Trade-offs: Limited depth per survey, but the longitudinal data becomes incredibly valuable over time.

Perfect for: Teams that want to build feedback habits without overwhelming anyone.

8. Qualtrics EmployeeXM - The Enterprise Heavyweight

When you need industrial-strength employee engagement survey examples, Qualtrics delivers. This platform offers advanced survey methodology, statistical analysis, and global scalability.

Enterprise features:

  • Advanced statistical analysis and predictive modeling
  • Multi-language global deployment
  • Custom survey logic and branching
  • Integration with business intelligence tools

Powerhouse capabilities: Think correlation analysis, statistical significance testing, and predictive modeling. You can identify not just what's happening, but what's likely to happen next.

Success stories: McDonald's uses it for global workforce engagement, BMW for culture measurement, and JetBlue for experience optimization.

Reality check: This employee engagement survey example requires survey design expertise and comes with enterprise pricing.

Perfect for: Large organizations with complex analytics needs and dedicated research teams.

Making Employee Engagement Survey Examples Work for You

Here's the thing about employee engagement survey examples - the survey itself is just the beginning. The real magic happens when you actually do something with the insights.

Quick decision framework:

  • Small team, tight budget? Start with TINYpulse or Officevibe
  • Want continuous feedback? Go with 15Five or TINYpulse
  • Need serious analytics? Culture Amp or Glint are your friends
  • Large organization with complex needs? Qualtrics or Microsoft Pulse
  • Want proven, straightforward insights? Gallup Q12 is the classic choice

Making it stick: The best employee engagement survey examples in the world won't help if you don't act on the feedback. Here's how to make sure your survey actually drives change:

  1. Share results transparently - People want to know their voices were heard
  2. Focus on 1-2 big issues rather than trying to fix everything at once
  3. Follow up regularly - Show progress and keep the conversation going
  4. Connect to business outcomes - Help leaders see why engagement matters

For remote teams: Don't let distance be an excuse for poor engagement. These employee engagement survey examples are actually perfect for distributed teams since they provide the structured feedback loops that remote work often lacks.

The bottom line

The best employee engagement survey examples are the ones your team will actually complete and you'll actually act on. Whether that's implementing Gallup Q12's proven questions, trying Culture Amp's analytics, or starting simple with TINYpulse's weekly check-ins, the key is starting somewhere.

Remember: Employee engagement isn't just about keeping people happy (though that's nice). Engaged teams are more productive, innovative, and likely to stick around. In today's competitive talent market, that's not just nice to have - it's essential.

Pro tip: Consider pairing your chosen survey with team building activities that address the specific issues you uncover. Survey data tells you what's wrong; targeted activities help fix it.

We're biased, but joyshift offers team building activities and much more to help you build a better workplace. It's free to get started.

Ready to stop guessing about your team's engagement? Pick one of these employee engagement survey examples and start gathering the insights you need to build a better workplace.