What is a Workplace Culture Survey?
A workplace culture survey is a tool that employers and managers use to determine what their employees think about their workplace culture. This survey evaluates whether an individual’s values and beliefs align with those of the organization, ensuring that the culture is consistent with the company’s mission and goals. It also helps identify points for improvement in how an organization carries out its values.
Importance
Conducting a workplace culture survey is crucial for understanding how employees perceive the culture and identifying areas where improvements can be made. By understanding employee perceptions and aligning the culture with the company’s values, organizations can foster a more engaged workforce. In the process, this can also lead to increased productivity and improved morale.
Workplace culture surveys can also provide valuable insights that help organizations make informed decisions about how to improve the culture and enhance leadership strategies. With real data and documented comments from employees, employers and managers can better understand what is expected of them and make decisions that support both the organization’s mission and employee development.
What are Some Questions to Ask in a Workplace Culture Survey?
A typical workplace culture survey will have questions regarding the following:
- Employees’ understanding of organizational goals and practices
- Employees’ thoughts on how their organization carries out its rules
- Employees’ observations on how diversity, inclusivity, and openness are carried out in their workplace
- Employees’ experiences with collaborating within and outside their immediate teams
- Employees’ experiences with work-life balance and their work environment
- Employees’ vision for the future within the organization
What to Include in a Workplace Culture Survey
To gain a deeper understanding of what employees think of workplace culture, it would be best for managers to create a workplace culture survey with the following fields:
- Date of completion of the survey
- Employee name
- Manager name
- Workplace culture survey proper, divided into the following sections:
- Culture-related questions such as the following:
- Does the employee find that their organization is taking the right steps to achieve their goals?
- Does the employee believe their organization promotes a flexible and open work environment?
- Workplace climate-related questions such as the following:
- Does the employee feel that communication among team members and across other departments is easy?
- Does the employee observe that proper diversity and inclusivity practices are being implemented?
- Does the employee feel their workload and stress levels are manageable?
- Does the employee believe their leaders are supportive of them?
- Development-related questions such as the following:
- Does the employee believe that they have room for growth in their current role?
- Does the employee feel satisfied with their role in the organization?
- Culture-related questions such as the following:
- Additional comments, suggestions, and concerns
- Sign-off field for the employee
The best way to create and manage a workplace culture survey would be to do so digitally. Using a digital tool helps streamline the process of conducting surveys and collating and visualizing findings, making it easier to create and implement changes as necessary. Cloud-based platforms, in particular, ensure that everyone can conduct surveys anytime and anywhere since these forms are stored in the cloud for easy access at all times.
Sample Workplace Culture Survey
Here is a sample completed workplace culture survey for reference:
FAQs about Workplace Culture Surveys
The best way organizations can identify toxic work culture is through regular communication with their employees. Employers should take the time to observe their workplace for any instances of toxic work culture, as well as provide employees with a safe space to express their concerns.
Employers and team managers or leads are often in charge of conducting workplace culture surveys. However, in some cases, the HR team of an organization can conduct the survey as well to also get the insights of leaders.
A work environment survey is more concerned with gaining insights into how employees feel about their immediate surroundings while on the job. On the other hand, a workplace culture survey considers not just the employee’s work environment but also their experiences with other employees, their leaders, and the organization as a whole.
