Questions to check how people are really doing: stress, workload, hours, whether they can switch off, and whether they'd feel safe talking about their mental health. Keep it anonymous, and only ask if you're ready to act on the answers.
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Overall
Workload and hours
Support
Working environment
Open question
6 questions selected
Tips for a better employee wellbeing survey
Keep it anonymous and say so clearly — this is the survey where it matters most.
Share support contacts on the thank-you screen, in case the questions bring something up.
Act on workload first. Perks don't help people who are simply overloaded.
How to run an employee wellbeing survey
1Decide what you'll act on before you askWorkload, flexibility, time off and manager support are things you can change. Don't ask about areas you won't touch; it raises hopes and then lowers trust.
2Make it anonymous and say who sees whatExplain that answers are anonymous and only reported for groups of five or more people.
3Keep it to ten or fifteen questionsMix a few ratings with one open question. A long survey about stress is itself stressful.
4Put support on the thank-you screenQuestions about stress can bring things up. List who people can talk to, inside and outside the company.
5Report by teamWellbeing problems usually follow a workload or a manager, so company-wide averages hide them.
6Act within a month, then ask againShare what you heard and one or two changes. Repeat every six months, with a short monthly pulse in between.
Common questions
What is the difference between a wellbeing survey and an engagement survey?
Engagement asks whether people are committed to their work. Wellbeing asks about stress, energy and balance, and about causes like workload and switching off. They overlap, but someone can be engaged and close to burnout at the same time.
Should a wellbeing survey ask about mental health?
Ask about stress, energy and whether people know where to get support, not about diagnoses. Keep sensitive questions optional and share support contacts at the end.
How often should you run a wellbeing survey?
A fuller survey twice a year, with three or four pulse questions every month, so you see changes as they happen.
What should you do with the results?
Fix workload first. Perks and wellbeing apps don't help people who are simply overloaded, and staff notice when the answer to 'too much work' is a meditation app.