Book a demo →

thrive at work/Employee satisfaction survey

Template · Satisfaction

The employee satisfaction survey.

Satisfaction tells you how people rate their job today. It does not tell you whether they will stay, or whether they have the energy to keep going. A good survey measures all three.

By Jerry Fiser, Founder & CEO · Reviewed by Marcin Bulik, Research Director · Updated November 8, 2026

Last reviewed November 2026
Book a demo →

Free download

Employee satisfaction survey template

30 statements, invitation email, privacy note and a results plan.

Download (Word)Download (PDF)

What is an employee satisfaction survey?

An employee satisfaction survey asks employees how satisfied they are with aspects of their job, such as the work itself, pay, management, colleagues, development and working conditions. It is usually anonymous and run once a year, with shorter pulse checks between.

Key takeaways
  • Satisfaction rates current conditions; engagement measures willingness to give effort.
  • Neither tells you whether people can sustain their pace.
  • Ask about manager, work, growth, pay fairness, workload and recognition.
  • Act on two or three themes and report back within a month.

Employee satisfaction survey vs engagement survey.

Satisfaction is an evaluation: am I content with my job? Engagement is a commitment: am I willing to put in effort? People can be satisfied but not engaged, and engaged but exhausted. That is why thrive at work measures capacity as well.

The CIPD factsheet on employee engagement explains how engagement differs from job satisfaction, and the Gallup State of the Global Workplace report reports engagement and wellbeing indicators side by side.

Employee satisfaction survey questions.

  1. Work
    The job itself. I find my work interesting. My job is a good fit for my skills.
  2. Pay
    Reward. I am paid fairly for the work I do. Benefits meet my needs.
  3. Manager
    Support. I am satisfied with the support I get from my manager.
  4. People
    Colleagues. I enjoy working with my colleagues.
  5. Growth
    Development. I am satisfied with my opportunities to learn and grow.
  6. Conditions
    Environment. I am satisfied with my working hours and flexibility. My workplace lets me focus.
  7. Overall
    Job satisfaction. Overall, I am satisfied with my job.

Anchor questions for an employee satisfaction survey.

Anchor questions

  1. Overall, I am satisfied with my job.
  2. I would recommend this organization as a place to work.
  3. I am paid fairly for the work I do.
  4. I have a good relationship with my manager.
  5. My workload is manageable.
  6. I see a future for myself here.

How to run an employee satisfaction survey.

Explain the purpose, guarantee anonymity with a minimum group size, keep it short, report by team, and share actions within a month. Repeat at the same time each year so trends are comparable.

An employee arriving at the office in the morning

A framework for effective satisfaction surveys.

  1. 1
    Listen. Ask about the things you can change, in plain language.
  2. 2
    Explain. Tell people why you are asking and who will see results.
  3. 3
    Act. Agree two or three changes per team.
  4. 4
    Prove. Report back on what changed before the next survey.

From results to action.

A satisfaction survey only pays off when something changes. Share the overall results with everyone within two weeks, then give each team its own results so the discussion happens where the work happens. Ask each team to choose two priorities and one owner for each.

Look beyond the averages. A company-wide score can hide a team in difficulty, and a high satisfaction score can sit next to low energy and recovery. Read satisfaction alongside engagement and capacity, and check the same items again in three to six months to see whether the changes worked.

Satisfaction, engagement and capacity.

MeasureThe question behind itExample statement
SatisfactionHow do I rate my job?I am satisfied with my job overall.
EngagementDo I want to give extra effort?I am willing to go beyond what is expected.
CapacityCan I keep this up?I usually wake up feeling rested.

thrive research shows that employees who are highly engaged but burning out lose three times as many days to not working effectively.

Results overview in the thrive at work platform
Engagement and capacity read side by side.
Measure it

thrive at work measures engagement (purpose, leadership, connection, growth) and capacity (energy, recovery, focus, resilience) in one anonymous survey: the employee engagement survey.

One survey, two indices

Good satisfaction survey work needs a survey people trust and results managers can act on. In Employee Experience Management (EXM) terms, thrive at work is an employee engagement platform that measures engagement and capacity to perform in one anonymous survey. See the employee survey platform or read more about employee engagement.

Sources.

  1. CIPD factsheet on employee engagement. www.cipd.org
  2. Gallup State of the Global Workplace report. www.gallup.com
  3. thrive index validation study. thrive at work, 2025–26. Methodology.

Common questions

How often should we run an employee satisfaction survey?
A full survey once a year, with short pulse surveys every quarter or so.
What is workplace satisfaction?
How positively employees rate their overall work situation, including the job, people, conditions and pay.
What is a good satisfaction score?
It depends on the scale and questions. Compare against your own trend and across teams rather than against a generic number.
What questions should be on an employee satisfaction survey?
Statements about the manager, the work itself, growth, fair pay, workload, recognition, tools and how change is handled, plus one open question.
How do you increase survey response rates?
Explain why the survey matters, guarantee anonymity, keep it short, give time in working hours and show what changed after the last one.
What is the difference between employee satisfaction and engagement?
Satisfaction is how people rate their job and conditions today. Engagement is their willingness to put effort into the work. Someone can be satisfied but not engaged, or engaged but close to exhaustion.

Satisfaction, engagement and capacity in one survey.

A 30-minute call covers what a first measurement would show.

Book a demo →