What is an Employee Climate Survey? Example Questions & Template

Employee climate surveys give HR leaders and managers a direct line to employee sentiment, helping gauge engagement levels and pinpoint areas for improvement.

They also give employees a voice, leading to higher engagement and lower turnover. As much as a 43% reduction, according to Gallup.

At the same time, companies with the most engaged employees see 23% greater profitability. 

By identifying strengths and areas for improvement through confidential feedback, organizations can create targeted action plans that directly improve morale, culture, and overall business performance.

What is an Employee Climate Survey?

An employee climate survey (also called an organizational climate or employee opinion survey) is a tool used to gather confidential feedback on employees’ perceptions of their work environment.

It measures attitudes and opinions on a range of topics. For example, how employees view leadership effectiveness, communication practices, team dynamics, and overall morale.

Essentially, a climate survey provides a snapshot of the workplace’s “atmosphere,” indicating whether people feel valued, supported, and aligned with the company’s culture and values.

How is it different from other surveys?

An employee engagement survey focuses specifically on gauging employees’ commitment, motivation, and sense of purpose in their roles.

An employee satisfaction survey, on the other hand, measures how content employees are with concrete job factors such as compensation, benefits, and daily working conditions​.

For HR professionals, employee climate surveys help identify an organization’s strengths and problem areas, so they can address them proactively. Over time, this helps drive improvements in employee well-being, productivity, and workplace culture.

Employee Climate Survey Examples by Theme

Below are sample employee climate survey questions organized by key themes. Each question is phrased clearly and neutrally, suitable for a wide range of industries and company sizes. 

These questions can be answered on a Likert scale (e.g. Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree or a satisfaction scale), allowing employees to provide honest feedback.

Grouping questions by theme ensures comprehensive coverage of the employee experience and makes the results easier to act on.

Keep in mind, the goal is to obtain honest, actionable insights. For example, low scores in Communication might prompt leadership to improve internal messaging. Strong scores in Career Development might highlight a potential talent retention strength.

Employee Engagement

• Pride and Advocacy: “I am proud to work for this company.”
  
  
• Motivation: “I feel motivated to give my best effort at work each day.”
  
  
• Recommendation: “I would recommend this organization as a great place to work.”
  
  
• Personal Accomplishment: “My job gives me a sense of personal accomplishment.”
  

Communication

• Information Sharing: “Management communicates important information to employees in a timely manner.”
  
  
• Clarity: “I receive clear and sufficient information to do my job well.”
  
  
• Openness: “There is open and honest communication between employees and senior management.”
  
  
• Feedback Culture: “I feel comfortable sharing feedback or concerns with my supervisor.”
  

Leadership Trust and Effectiveness

• Trust in Leadership: “I trust the senior leaders of this organization to make good decisions.”
  
  
• Vision and Direction: “Leadership has communicated a clear vision for the company’s future.”
  
  
• Integrity: “Leaders in this organization act with integrity and follow through on promises.”
  
  
• Supportiveness: “Company leadership shows that they value and support employees.”
  

Workplace Culture and Values

• Respect: “Employees are treated with respect, regardless of their position or background.”
  
  
• Values Alignment: “Our organization’s stated values are reflected in our everyday work culture.”
  
  
• Teamwork: “There is a strong sense of teamwork and collaboration among colleagues here.”
  
  
• Work Environment: “The work atmosphere is positive and supportive in this company.”
  

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

• Inclusive Culture: “This company fosters an inclusive environment for employees of all backgrounds.”
  
  
• Equal Opportunity: “Employees have equal opportunities to grow and succeed here, regardless of their background.”
  
  
• Belonging: “I feel a sense of belonging and acceptance within our organization.”
  
  
• Diversity Valued: “Different perspectives are valued when decisions are made in this company.”
  

Career Development and Growth Opportunities

• Growth Opportunities: “I have adequate opportunities for professional growth or advancement in this organization.”
  
  
• Career Support: “My supervisor supports me in pursuing my career development goals.”
  
  
• Training and Development: “The organization provides useful training or learning opportunities to help me improve my skills.”
  
  
• Feedback for Growth: “I receive regular, constructive feedback that helps me grow and improve in my role.”
  

Work-Life Balance and Wellbeing

• Work-Life Balance: “I am able to maintain a healthy balance between my work and personal life.”
  
  
• Workload Manageability: “My workload is reasonable enough to allow for a good work-life balance.”
  
  
• Well-Being Support: “This company offers resources or policies that support employee well-being (e.g. wellness programs, flexible hours).”
  
  
• Time Off: “I feel comfortable taking time off or using flexible work arrangements when I need to.”
  

Change Management and Adaptability

• Change Communication: “When organizational changes occur, they are communicated effectively to employees.”
  
  
• Managing Change: “The company handles changes (such as new processes or restructuring) in an effective manner.”
  
  
• Adaptability: “Our organization is quick to adapt to changes in the market or industry.”
  
  
• Employee Preparedness: “I feel well-prepared to adjust when changes impact my job or team.”

Employee Climate Survey Template

This example template contains 10 statements grouped by theme. Each should be rated by employees on a five-point Likert scale (from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree), providing quantifiable insights.

The survey is kept concise to encourage participation and avoid survey fatigue. Moreover, the questions are simple and clearly worded, to avoid any ambiguous or leading language.

Feel free to adopt and customize as needed.

‍Turn Survey Insights into Action with PerformYard

For organizations not yet using a dedicated survey tool, one great option is PerformYard. 

PerformYard offers built-in employee survey functionality designed to help HR teams gather, analyze, and act on employee feedback seamlessly. Key benefits of using PerformYard include:

• Ease of Use: Quick to set up with an intuitive interface, making it simple to roll out surveys and collect responses from employees.
  
  
• Secure & Anonymous: Confidential feedback collection ensures employees feel safe sharing honest input, with secure data handling and anonymity by design.
  
  
• Insightful Reporting: Visual dashboards and reports help you spot trends, track sentiment changes over time, and pinpoint areas that need attention.
  
  
• Actionable Feedback: Highlights key findings so you can create targeted action plans and address issues promptly, turning survey data into real improvements.
  
  
• Seamless Integration: Connects survey results with your performance management processes (like reviews and goal tracking), keeping all your employee feedback and performance data in one place.
  

By leveraging a platform like PerformYard to run your employee climate surveys, you make it easy to act on feedback and ensure that insights lead to positive change. Using the right tool means survey results won’t just sit in a report–they’ll drive informed actions that boost engagement and align with your organization’s performance management goals.