End the Year Strong: Understanding Employee Sentiment Through Effective Surveys

As the festive season approaches and we start winding down for the year, it’s also the perfect time to ramp up efforts in understanding how your employees truly feel about their work and the company. If you're looking to kick off 2025 with fresh insights and a clearer strategy for retention and growth, there’s no better way than to gather candid feedback through an employee engagement survey.

Why now? Because when your team is already thinking about the new year, setting goals, and reflecting on the past 12 months, it’s a prime opportunity to gauge how aligned they are with the company’s values, purpose, and overall direction before diving into next year’s strategies.

What to Ask:

You want to be sure your survey covers the essentials. Consider including questions around these important areas:

• Company Values and Vision Alignment: Do employees feel like the company’s values align with their own motivations at work? Are they inspired by the bigger picture?

• Leadership and Communication Effectiveness: How well do employees think the leadership team communicates and supports them? Is there room for improvement in how leadership engages with the team?

• Resources and Support: Does your team feel equipped to succeed in their roles? Are there enough resources, training, and support systems in place?

• Inclusion and Team Culture: How included and valued do your employees feel? Is the team collaborative and diverse, fostering an environment of respect?

• Wellbeing and Work-Life Balance: Do employees feel respected and supported when it comes to balancing work with their personal life and wellbeing?

• Career Growth and Development: Are there clear paths for career advancement? Do employees see opportunities for growth and feel motivated to reach their long-term career aspirations?

• Overall Satisfaction: How satisfied are your employees with their roles, the company culture, and their future with the business?

These questions not only show your employees you care about their development, but they also give you the insights to inform your people strategies.

Make It Engaging

The key to a successful employee engagement survey is in the details. When designing your survey, it’s essential to create an experience that’s not only easy to complete but also engaging. Here are some tips:

Communication is Key: Let your team know why their feedback matters. A strong communications plan before and during the survey will help you increase response rates. Be transparent about how you’ll use the data and ensure your team knows their responses are anonymous, secure, and valued.

Find the Right Survey Platform – Choose a platform that’s easy to use, customisable, and supports anonymous responses to encourage honest feedback. The right platform will streamline the process and help you gather valuable insights to inform your strategies.

Keep It Brief: No one has time for a long, drawn-out survey. Ideally, you want to keep it under 10 minutes. That’s just the right amount of time to gather meaningful insights without losing engagement.

Include Eye-catching Imagery and Clear Branding: Incorporate creative visuals that reflect your brand’s personality and make the survey feel engaging. Thoughtful design can make a big impact, capturing your team’s attention and encouraging participation.

A Tool for Your People Strategy in 2025

Think of your employee engagement survey as more than just a set of questions, it’s a tool to fine-tune your people strategies for the new year. Gathering honest feedback now will give you the data you need to make informed decisions and foster a workplace culture that attracts and retains top talent.

Don’t let high turnover derail your progress. By taking the time to understand your employees’ needs, you can build a stronger, more engaged workforce that’s excited to contribute and grow with your company in 2025. The results will speak for themselves!

So, as you prepare to roll out your survey, remember it’s not just about getting answers, it’s about using those answers to show up better for your people next year. And that’s the ultimate gift to your team.