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Companies with high employee engagement report 21% higher profitability — but only 33% of employees around the world report feeling truly engaged at work, according to Gallup.
- Why it matters: When teams are invited to share their feedback and have visibility into both the results and their leadership's action plans to address concerns, teams feel more valued but also more invested in the business and its outcomes.
Improving internal engagement will look different for every organization, but starts with an employee pulse check, which involves collecting feedback through well-crafted internal communication surveys.
Importance of internal communications surveys
A good internal communication survey helps you:
- Gather employee feedback: These surveys provide a direct line to employees' thoughts and feelings about workplace communication. They help assess the clarity, timeliness, and relevance of the information distributed across your organization.
- Identify communication gaps: Often, there's a disparity between what management thinks is being communicated effectively and employees' perceptions. Surveys can uncover these gaps, highlighting areas where communications fail to meet their mark — whether it’s in delivery, content, or context.
- Improve organizational culture: Surveys can track how well the organization communicates its values and whether employees feel aligned with them.
- Enhance employee recognition and wellness: Employee well-being is heavily influenced by how valued they feel at work. Workplace communication surveys can assess how effectively your recognition programs are being communicated and celebrated within the workforce.
- Strengthen leadership communication: An employee survey gives leaders feedback on communication effectiveness, offering insights into how their messages are perceived and their impact.
28 top internal communications survey questions for employees
Survey questions on communication timing and quality
The 2024 State of Internal Communications report reveals that 55% of workers spend between 30 minutes to two hours daily seeking clarification on job-related details — a significant loss in productivity from inefficient communication.
Internal communications survey questions focused on communication timing and quality will help you understand how effective your current channels and practices are. They help business leaders understand whether employees feel they are receiving the necessary information to perform their jobs well and whether there is any disconnect in the flow of critical updates.
1. How do you typically receive information about the company?
2. How would you prefer to receive information about the company?
3. What company communication channels do you find to be the most ineffective?
4. How would you rate your direct manager’s efforts to keep you informed?
5. How can our company improve the quality of the communications you receive?
Survey questions on team alignment
Only 14% of workers feel aligned with an organization’s goals — and alignment is critical to the success of any business. Nearly 50% of unaligned employees don't last more than two years in their jobs.
Effective communication is essential for enhancing alignment within your team. To assess and improve team alignment, consider survey questions like:
6. How aligned do you feel with our business goals and strategic objectives? (this would be a multiple-choice question with answers ranging from “not aligned at all” to “entirely aligned”.)
7. Select the updates that are critical in helping you feel aligned with our org-wide goals and able to do your job well.
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- Culture & values Personnel updates (hires, departure, team member profiles)
- People operations & plans (employee benefits, strategies, DEI)
- Business updates (projects, products, or client updates)
- Organization goals (targets, plans, or new initiatives)
- Operational changes (process/protocol/policy updates)
- Competitive insights (industry news, competitive insights)
- World updates (Middle East, Ukraine)
- Other
8. Rank each of the updates you said are critical, based on how important they are to doing your job well.
9. The communications I receive from organization leaders are helpful, relevant, and include the context I need to do my job well. (Answers range from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”)
10. The communications I receive from my organization leaders are clear, engaging, and respectful of my time. (Answers range “Strongly agree” to “Strongly disagree”)
11. I know where I can quickly find the goals, strategies, or directives our leaders have shared when I need them. (Answers range from “Strongly agree” to “Strongly disagree”)
Survey questions on organizational transparency
Research shows that 70% of employees are most engaged when they receive consistent communication and updates on company strategies from senior leadership.
Credit: Harvard Business Review
This underscores the importance of transparency in boosting employee engagement and trust. To keep a pulse on how you're doing, consider questions like:
12. How would you rate your awareness of the company’s goals? (Answers range from "Very aware" to "Not at all aware")
13. The organization provides adequate information about my progress in my job. (Answers range from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”)
14. The organization provides adequate information about critical changes and policy changes. (Answers range from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”)
15. I am well-informed about how our company is performing. (Answers range from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”)
16. Are there any topics of conversation that should be discussed more openly or frequently?
Survey questions on company culture
A positive company culture is directly linked to higher employee retention and overall job satisfaction. A Deloitte survey shows 94% of executives and 88% of employees consider a distinct workplace culture essential for business success.
Here are examples of internal communication survey questions designed to evaluate and enhance company culture through internal communications:
17. Current internal communication reflects our company culture and values. (Answers range from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”)
18. I feel like my voice is heard and considered when decisions are made. (Answers range from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”)
19. Our internal communications consistently reinforce the company’s values. (Answers range from "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree")
20. How clearly do our internal communications convey the company’s mission and values? (Answers range from "Very unclear" to "Very clear")
21. How consistent are our internal communications in terms of tone and messaging? (Answers range from "Very inconsistent" to "Very consistent")
22. How effective are our current internal communication channels in reinforcing our company’s culture and values? (Answers range from "Not effective" to "Extremely effective")
23. What aspects of our internal communications do you feel best represent our company culture and values?
24. Are there any aspects of our company culture and values you feel are not effectively communicated internally? If so, please explain.
Survey questions on employee satisfaction with internal communications
Employee satisfaction with internal communications is a strong indicator of the overall effectiveness of your communication strategies. Survey questions in this area are designed to gauge and improve internal communications, ensuring they meet your employees’ needs and expectations.
25. Our internal communications recognize employee achievements. (Answers range from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”)
26. Our internal communications effectively highlight employee accomplishments. (Answers range from "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree")
27. How consistent are our internal communications in recognizing employees? (Answers range from "Very inconsistent" to "Very consistent")
28. What suggestions do you have for improving how we recognize employee achievements?
Internal communication survey examples
The internal communication survey questions examples above touch on a wide variety of subjects that can help you understand employee needs and attitudes. Our platform includes pre-built reader survey you can adapt from, or just adopt and send, to help enhance your internal communication strategy.
Tips to conduct an internal communications survey
Conducting an internal communications survey is a strategic move to enhance your organization’s communication effectiveness.
- Aim for short surveys: A study by SurveyMonkey reported that surveys taking more than 7-8 minutes to complete see a significant drop-off in participation. Respect your employees’ time by aiming for a maximum of 10-15 questions that can be answered in under 10 minutes.
- Keep it anonymous: Employees are more likely to provide genuine insights when they feel their responses are confidential.
- Test your survey with a focus group: This will help identify any ambiguities or issues with the questions and provide an opportunity to refine the survey based on the initial feedback.
- Follow up on the survey: Share the key findings with your employees and outline the steps you plan to take to address their concerns. This will demonstrate that their input is valued and can lead to meaningful changes, encouraging future participation.
- Use a mix of question types: Incorporate a variety of question types such as multiple-choice, Likert scale, and open-ended questions to make the survey more engaging. This also collects a more comprehensive view of employee sentiments and suggestions.
- Communicate the purpose and importance: When employees understand the significance of their participation, they are more likely to engage thoughtfully with the survey.
- Monitor and address survey fatigue: Space out your surveys appropriately and ensure each has a clear, distinct purpose. This prevents employees from feeling overwhelmed and disengaged with the process.
The bottom line
Internal communication surveys are a powerful tool for gathering feedback, enhancing transparency, and fostering a positive organizational culture. Regularly assessing and refining communication strategies based on employee input can help create a more engaged, productive, and satisfied workforce.
Go deeper: How to write employee survey questions they'll want to answer
Internal communication survey FAQs
1. What questions should I ask in a communication survey?
When crafting your communication survey, include questions targeting specific areas where you seek feedback and improvement. You can ask questions on information flow, team alignment, organizational transparency, company culture, employee recognition, and overall satisfaction with internal communications.
2. How often should I conduct internal communication surveys?
The frequency of your surveys depends on your organization's needs and the nature of your workplace. However, conducting them at least annually is a good practice. For more dynamic environments, quarterly surveys can provide timely insights and allow for quicker adjustments.
