Create a thriving workplace with employee engagement surveys

Employee engagement is the emotional connection employees feel toward their work, their organization, and its goals.

It influences motivation, productivity, and retention. Engaged employees are more likely to contribute discretionary effort and stay longer, while disengagement costs the global economy an estimated $8.9 trillion annually according to Gallup.

By listening to and acting on employee feedback, organizations improve engagement. This leads to lower turnover, higher productivity, and stronger profitability. Explore these outcomes further in People Element’s latest employee engagement research report.

Employee engagement is important because it directly impacts productivity, profitability, and retention.

Highly engaged teams see 43% lower turnover and 81% lower absenteeism compared to disengaged teams,when comparing top-quartile with bottom-quartile engagement according to Gallup. In contrast, disengagement costs organizations billions in lost performance and cultural decline.

By focusing on engagement, leaders can build healthier workplaces where employees feel valued and motivated to contribute. Discover how engagement drives business outcomes in our latest engagement report.

Employee engagement is measured through surveys that capture how connected employees feel to their work, leaders, and organization.

Reliable employee engagement surveys ask targeted questions about growth opportunities, feeling valued, and trust in leadership, then track results over time to spot trends.

The most effective programs go beyond scores—they analyze feedback, benchmark against industry data, and connect results to business outcomes. Learn more about engagement metrics and how to measure them, here.

An employee engagement survey is a structured questionnaire designed to measure how employees feel about their work, leadership, and overall workplace experience.

Unlike general employee surveys, these tools focus on measuring engagement drivers such as career growth, recognition, and trust in leadership so HR knows where to take action.

When distributed consistently, engagement surveys provide actionable insights HR leaders can use to reduce turnover, improve productivity, and create healthier workplace cultures. Learn more about employee engagement surveys, here.

To increase employee engagement survey participation, communicate early, assure confidentiality, and keep surveys short and mobile-friendly.

Strong leadership support, timely reminders, and visible follow-through also drive higher response rates. For example, People Element recommends announcing surveys 2–3 weeks in advance, clarifying anonymity, and highlighting past actions taken. During the survey, managers should actively encourage participation, use reminders and dashboards, and make the process easy on any device.

Afterward, thanking employees and sharing next steps builds trust and improves future participation. Learn more about these proven ways to increase employee engagement survey participation.

To create an employee engagement survey, define your goals, focus on actionable questions, and keep the format simple and accessible.

Effective surveys balance rating scales with open-ended items to capture both quantitative data and employee voice. For example, asking “What would help you feel more engaged at work?” provides insights leaders can act on. See a full guidebook on how to set up an employee engagement survey.

A good employee engagement score can be subjective. Unless engagement is 100%, there is always room for improvement.   According to People Element’s engagement index, a score above 66% is in the top quartile. This indicates most employees are engaged, productive, and aligned with company goals. Scores below that suggest there’s meaningful room for improvement.

In People Element’s latest employee engagement report, the average engagement level in 2024 was 57%.

Staff engagement refers to how invested frontline and hourly employees feel in their work and organization. It emphasizes day-to-day commitment, safety, and teamwork, which are especially critical in industries like healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation.

Engaged staff are more likely to follow procedures, collaborate effectively, and stay with the company longer—reducing costly turnover in high-volume roles. Learn more about staff engagement and surveys.

Employee engagement levels are driven by five top factors: Growth and development opportunities, company communication levels, employee voice or feedback, employee wellbeing, and the degree to which employees feel valued. 

Improving on each of these factors will in turn positively impact your employee engagement levels. See a full guide on improving engagement levels.

An Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is an easy way of measuring how your employees feel about your company and if they would recommend your company as a good place to work. 

It is a simple key metric to add to your comprehensive view of the employee experience that helps measure the impact of culture and people initiatives. Your eNPS is based on responses to the question “I would recommend this organization as a good place to work”. Our full guide to measuring and understanding eNPS.