Employee survey templates: 8 free, ready-to-send examples

An employee survey template is a ready-made set of questions, organized around one goal, that you can send without writing a survey from scratch. Instead of staring at a blank form, you start from a proven question set and adapt the wording to your team. This page gives you eight free employee survey templates you can copy directly, each built for a specific moment: engagement, eNPS, satisfaction, onboarding, manager feedback, wellbeing, remote work, and exit. Skim to the one you need, copy the questions, and adjust two or three to fit your context.

A quick note before the templates: a template is a starting point, not a finished survey. The best survey is short, written in plain language, and tied to a decision you're ready to act on. Use these as scaffolding, then cut anything you wouldn't act on.

How to choose the right employee survey template

Start with the question you're actually trying to answer. Each template below maps to a different decision:

• Want the overall health of the team? Use the engagement pulse or eNPS template.
• Onboarding a wave of new hires? Use the new-hire template at 30, 60, and 90 days.
• Worried about burnout or turnover? Use the wellbeing or exit template.
• Rolling out a manager-development push? Use the upward manager-feedback template.

Three rules apply to every template here:

1. Keep it short. Eight to twelve questions is plenty for a recurring survey. Long surveys get abandoned.
2. Ask anonymously when you want honesty. People soften hard truths when a name is attached. Anonymous survey mode consistently surfaces what polite one-on-ones miss.
3. Mix scales with one open-text question. Rating scales give you a trendline; the open comment gives you the why.

Most rating questions below use a 5-point agreement scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree). Swap in your own scale if you prefer.

1. Employee engagement survey template

The workhorse. Use this as a quarterly survey or trim it to five questions for a monthly pulse. It covers the core engagement drivers in ten questions.

1. I would recommend this company as a great place to work.
2. I feel motivated to do my best work most days.
3. My manager gives me feedback that helps me improve.
4. I understand how my work contributes to company goals.
5. Good work is recognized here.
6. I can see a path to grow in my role.
7. My workload is sustainable.
8. I feel respected and included at work.
9. I trust the decisions leadership makes.
10. What's one thing that would make this a better place to work? (open text)

Need more options? Pull from our bank of 100+ employee engagement survey questions, and see the full employee engagement surveys guide for how to run the whole loop.

2. eNPS (employee Net Promoter Score) template

The shortest useful survey there is. Two questions, run monthly or quarterly, give you a single comparable loyalty number you can track over time.

1. On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this company as a place to work?
2. What is the main reason for the score you gave? (open text)

Scores of 9 to 10 are promoters, 7 to 8 are passives, and 0 to 6 are detractors. Our eNPS guide and calculator explains scoring and benchmarks in detail.

3. Employee satisfaction survey template

Satisfaction is about conditions, pay, tools, workload, environment, rather than motivation. Use this when you want to know whether the basics are working.

1. I am satisfied with my overall experience working here.
2. My pay is fair for the work I do.
3. I have the tools and resources I need to do my job well.
4. My workload is reasonable.
5. The physical or remote work environment supports my productivity.
6. Company policies make it easy to do good work.
7. I am satisfied with the benefits offered.
8. What would most improve your day-to-day experience? (open text)

4. New hire onboarding survey template (30/60/90 day)

Send the same short survey at 30, 60, and 90 days to catch onboarding problems while they're still fixable. The trendline across the three checkpoints is the real signal.

1. My onboarding gave me what I needed to start contributing.
2. My role and responsibilities are clear to me.
3. I have met the people I need to work with effectively.
4. I feel comfortable asking questions and admitting what I don't know.
5. The job so far matches what I expected during hiring.
6. I have the tools and access I need to do my work.
7. What's one thing that would have made your first weeks easier? (open text)

5. Manager feedback (upward) survey template

Use this to give managers honest, anonymous signal from their teams. Best run anonymously with a minimum response threshold so individuals can't be identified.

1. My manager gives me clear, useful feedback.
2. My manager helps me prioritize my work.
3. My manager recognizes good work when they see it.
4. I feel comfortable raising concerns with my manager.
5. My manager supports my growth and development.
6. My manager removes obstacles that get in my way.
7. What's one thing your manager could do differently to support you? (open text)

6. Employee wellbeing and burnout survey template

Burnout hides well in high performers. Ask directly, and watch this survey closely during crunch periods.

1. I can keep a healthy balance between work and personal life.
2. My workload is manageable most weeks.
3. I can take time off when I need it without guilt.
4. I rarely feel burned out.
5. I can disconnect from work outside working hours.
6. The company genuinely cares about my wellbeing.
7. What's the biggest source of unnecessary stress in your work right now? (open text)

7. Remote and hybrid work survey template

Distributed teams have failure modes that in-office teams don't: isolation, unclear async norms, and meeting overload. This template surfaces them.

1. I have the equipment and setup I need to work effectively from home.
2. Communication with my team works well across locations and time zones.
3. I feel connected to my teammates even when we're apart.
4. Expectations about my availability are clear and reasonable.
5. I can focus without too many meetings or interruptions.
6. I have the same access to growth opportunities as in-office colleagues.
7. What would make remote or hybrid work better for you? (open text)

8. Employee exit survey template

When someone leaves, a short written exit survey captures the reasons more honestly than a rushed final-day conversation. Keep it brief and confidential.

1. What is the main reason you decided to leave?
2. How would you describe your overall experience working here?
3. Did you feel your work was valued and recognized?
4. Was there anything the company could have done to keep you?
5. How would you rate your relationship with your manager?
6. Would you recommend this company as a place to work? Why or why not? (open text)

For a deeper question bank and the survey-versus-interview distinction, see our exit survey questions guide.

How to adapt any template to your team

A template gets you 80% of the way. The last 20%, the part that makes it yours, takes about ten minutes:

• Cut to what you'll act on. If a question's answer wouldn't change a decision, delete it.
• Match the wording to your culture. Use the words your team actually uses for roles, teams, and rituals.
• Pick one consistent scale and keep it identical across cycles so you can trend the numbers.
• Add one or two open-text prompts, no more. Comments are gold, but too many tank completion.
• Decide anonymity up front. For anything touching managers, pay, or wellbeing, run it anonymously.

You can assemble any of these question sets into a ready-to-send survey with the team survey builder, no spreadsheet required. For shorter recurring checks, the pulse survey examples show how to slim any template down to a three-minute monthly version.

Frequently asked questions

What is an employee survey template?

An employee survey template is a pre-built set of questions designed around a single goal, such as engagement, satisfaction, onboarding, or exit. It saves you from writing a survey from scratch and gives you a tested structure you can copy and adapt to your team in minutes.

How many questions should an employee survey have?

For a recurring survey, aim for 8 to 12 questions so people finish in about three to five minutes. A deeper annual survey can run 25 to 40 questions, but completion rates drop as length grows. Always include at least one open-text question.

Should employee surveys be anonymous?

Yes, whenever you want honest answers about managers, leadership, pay, or wellbeing. Anonymity increases both participation and candor. Set a minimum response threshold per team (often five) so results can't be traced to individuals.

What's the best scale for an employee survey?

A 5-point agreement scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) is the most widely used because it's easy to answer and easy to trend over time. Pair it with one eNPS question on a 0-to-10 scale and one open-text prompt for context.

How often should you send employee surveys?

Run a short pulse monthly or every few weeks to catch shifts early, and a deeper survey once or twice a year for detail. Frequency matters less than follow-through: a monthly survey with no action performs worse than a quarterly one that drives visible change.

Start with a template, finish with action

Templates remove the hardest part, the blank page. But the survey isn't the work; the follow-through is. Pick the template that matches your decision, cut it to the questions you'll act on, send it anonymously, and share one or two specific changes afterward. That's what turns a survey into trust.

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