How To Measure and Analyze Employee Sentiment (Plus Survey Questions)
Measuring employee sentiment can boost productivity by 18%, grow revenue by up to 250%, and lower turnover by 40%. Those are just a few advantages of employee sentiment analysis.
Measuring and analyzing employee sentiment can provide concrete data on your organization’s employee engagement levels. For example, Gallup found that organizations that compared their engagement levels before and after improving their employee engagement strategies saw 21% to 51% lower turnover.
By measuring and analyzing employee sentiment, you can take action to significantly boost your workforce’s motivation, morale, and productivity.
Contents
What is employee sentiment?
Why is employee sentiment analysis important?
How do you measure employee sentiment?
Employee sentiment survey questions
How to conduct an employee sentiment analysis
How HR can improve employee sentiment
What is employee sentiment?
Employee sentiment refers to employees’ feelings, attitudes, and opinions about their employer, individual jobs, and workplace. Essentially, it’s a barometer of how satisfied and engaged employees are.
Positive sentiment means employees are generally happy with their work environment and motivated to perform well. Positive sentiment is linked to higher productivity, lower churn rates, and greater customer satisfaction.
Neutral sentiment reflects neither positive nor negative feelings toward work. Employees may feel indifferent, uncertain, or have mixed emotions. While not necessarily harmful, neutral sentiment presents a challenge for HR as it could tip toward the negative.
Negative sentiment shows employees are dissatisfied, disengaged, and unhappy with their jobs or workplace. Indicators include low morale, decreased productivity, and increased absenteeism. If left unchecked, it can spread across the company and worsen overall employee sentiment.
Why is employee sentiment analysis important?
Employee sentiment analysis allows HR and the organization to better understand the workforce’s emotional state. It can reveal nuanced feelings, motivations, and levels of engagement. Other reasons you should analyze employee sentiment include:
- Identifying issues: Regular sentiment analysis helps identify potential problems or points of dissatisfaction early, allowing for timely intervention.
- Boosting morale: Understanding what makes employees happy and addressing their concerns leads to higher morale and greater job satisfaction.
- Improving retention strategies: By understanding why employees stay or leave, you can improve your retention strategies and reduce the costs associated with high turnover.
- Conducting predictive analytics: Sentiment analysis can help predict which employees might be at risk of leaving. You can then develop proactive measures for talent retention and succession planning.
- Ensuring cultural alignment: Regular feedback helps ensure your company aligns with employees’ values and expectations.
- Fostering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB): Sentiment analysis can uncover issues and enable you to foster a more diverse, inclusive, and respectful work environment.
- Making data-driven decisions: Sentiment analysis provides concrete data to inform strategic decisions, such as policy changes.
- Improving communication: Sentiment analysis can identify communication breakdowns and improve internal communication channels, leading to better understanding among HR, managers, and employees.
- Increasing productivity: Happy, engaged employees tend to be more productive, resulting in higher-quality business outcomes.
- Enhancing employer brand: Positive employee sentiment can enhance an organization’s reputation as an employer of choice, helping it attract the best candidates and strengthen its employer brand.
HR tip
According to Gallup, managers account for 70% of the variance in their team’s engagement levels. Micromanagement, favoritism, lack of development support, and poor feedback affect morale and retention.
Measure managers’ impact on employee sentiment by identifying problem areas and planning targeted interventions to improve employee engagement and performance.
How do you measure employee sentiment?
To accurately measure employee sentiment, it’s important to use both quantitative and qualitative methods. Combining both methods can give you a comprehensive picture of your organization’s employee sentiment, allowing you to make informed decisions to improve your work environment.
Dr Dieter Veldsman, Chief HR Scientist at AIHR, says, “Employee sentiment cannot be understood using only quantitative data. You have to include qualitative sources if you want to access insights related to employee experience.”
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Quantitative methods
Quantitative analysis methods use numerical data to quantify variables and analyze patterns and trends. Examples include surveys or structured questionnaires that include scales and ratings to produce statistically analyzable data.
Employee surveys
Employee pulse surveys are short, frequent surveys that capture real-time sentiment on specific topics or events. They can quickly identify employee concerns or satisfaction levels.
Conversely, annual or bi-annual surveys are comprehensive surveys that delve into various aspects of the employee experience, such as job satisfaction, work-life balance, and company culture. They provide a more in-depth understanding of overall employee sentiment over a longer period.
Employee Net Promoter Score
Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is a single-question metric that gauges employees’ willingness to recommend their employer to others, providing insight into their satisfaction and loyalty.
eNPS questions for employees are based on a rating scale. For example, “On a scale of 1-10, how likely would you be to recommend us to your friends?” A company would consider employees who score 9 or 10 promoters (engaged), 7 or 8 neutrals, and 0 to 6 detractors (disengaged).
Engagement metrics
Employee engagement metrics you can use include attendance rates, turnover rates, and productivity metrics. Monitoring attendance rates can provide insight into employee satisfaction and engagement. High absenteeism rates may indicate dissatisfaction or disengagement.
A high employee turnover rate can signal underlying issues with job satisfaction, managers, or company culture, making it an important metric for measuring employee sentiment. Additionally, decreased productivity can be a symptom of low morale or disengagement, making it an indirect metric for measuring overall employee sentiment.
Qualitative methods
Qualitative analysis methods focus on understanding and interpreting non-numerical data to gain insights into experiences, behaviors, and perceptions. Common methods include interviews, focus groups, surveys with open-ended questions, and content analysis.
Focus groups
An example of a focus group is a small group discussion. These discussions provide in-depth insights into employee perspectives and experiences. They also allow for meaningful conversations with employees and help you understand the collective views of a small cohort of workers.
One-on-one interviews
Unlike focus groups, one-on-one interviews are confidential and provide a more personalized, private setting for individual employees to share their honest thoughts without fear of judgment.
Social listening
Monitor internal communications channels. These include your organization’s intranet, chat, and social media platforms. Monitoring them can reveal sentiment trends among employees.
Analyzing interactions on these channels allows you to gain valuable insights into employees’ sentiments through patterns in language, tone, and engagement. You can then identify signs of dissatisfaction, stress, or morale issues, as well as areas where employees feel motivated and engaged.
Exit interviews
In-depth interviews with employees who have resigned can provide you with valuable feedback on their reasons for leaving. Ask questions that elicit honest feedback about the employee’s experience, such as “What prompted your decision to resign?” or “Were there any aspects of your role or the company culture you found unsatisfactory?”
Integrated approaches
Integrated analysis methods, also known as mixed methods, combine qualitative and quantitative approaches to provide a more comprehensive understanding of research questions. Examples include convergent design, explanatory sequential design, and exploratory sequential design.
Sentiment analysis tools
Use natural language processing (NLP) to help you analyze large sets of textual data in survey responses or emails. For example, you’ll be able to spot useful sentiment patterns and trends.
You can also use employee sentiment analysis tools. Companies like Qualtrics, Repustate, and Thrive Sparrow offer such tools to help you obtain accurate insights into how employees feel about particular issues.
Benchmarking
Comparing internal sentiment data with industry benchmarks or historical data can help identify areas for improvement. Benchmarking allows you to measure your organization’s performance against industry standards or its own past performances.
Additionally, by benchmarking sentiment data, you can identify areas where sentiment is negative and take steps to address the underlying issues.
Culture assessments
Fully understanding your company’s culture will shed light on the prevailing values, attitudes, and behaviors within the organization. You can then conduct a cultural assessment to help you pinpoint aspects of your company’s culture affecting employee sentiment and address these issues.
Metrics to track when analyzing employee sentiment
According to Dr. Veldsman, you should always view employee sentiment “in the context of what’s happening in the organization and market.”
“Often, we get so obsessed with the score that we forget to see these results in the context of environmental and organizational changes over time. Tough economic times impact engagement — it’s up to us to use these insights to put strategies in place to balance the demands and resources required for employees to thrive.”
Consider these metrics when designing your employee sentiment surveys:
- Job satisfaction: Overall contentment with job roles and responsibilities.
- Leadership and management: Perception of leadership’s ability to support and motivate employees.
- Company culture and values: Employee alignment with company values and culture.
- Compensation and benefits: Perception of pay and perks relative to peers and competitors.
- Work environment: Physical environment, available tools, and team dynamics.
- Inclusivity and diversity: Level of diversity and integration in the team, department, and company on the whole.
- Development: Availability of career growth and advancement opportunities.
- Work-life balance: Perception of the balance between work and personal lives.
Employee sentiment survey questions
Here’s a list of questions to get you started on crafting your own employee sentiment survey:
Job satisfaction questions
- How would you rate your overall job satisfaction?
- How satisfied are you with your current position?
- Do you feel valued and appreciated in your current role?
- Are you motivated to perform to the best of your abilities at work?
- Do you feel your role fully utilizes your skills and talents?
Leadership and management questions
- How would you rate the company’s overall leadership?
- To what extent do your leaders embody the behaviors the organization values?
- Do you feel your manager inspires you?
- How effective is your immediate supervisor in providing support and guidance?
- Do you think your supervisor is approachable and receptive to feedback?
- Do you feel your voice is heard at work?
- Do you think senior management communicates clearly and transparently?
- Are you satisfied with the company’s decision-making process?
Company culture and values questions
- How would you rate the company culture?
- Do you think the organization’s values align with your own?
- Do you feel a sense of belonging at the company?
- Do you find the work environment positive and supportive?
- Do you feel a sense of purpose in your work?
- Do you feel personally invested in the organization’s vision and mission?
- Would you recommend the company to family or friends who are seeking employment?
- Do you think the organization’s culture supports a healthy work-life balance?
Compensation and benefits questions
- Are you satisfied with your current salary and benefits package?
- Do you feel your compensation is fair and competitive compared to that of your peers in the industry?
- Are you satisfied with the employee benefits the organization offers?
- Do you think the company offers enough opportunities for professional development and salary increases?
Work environment questions
- How satisfied are you with your physical work environment?
- Do you have the necessary tools and resources to perform your job effectively?
- Do you think your workload and job demands are reasonable?
- Do you feel there is a good balance between individual and teamwork?
- Are you satisfied with the level of communication and collaboration within your team?
DEIB questions
- Do you think the organization values and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB)?
- Do you feel like you belong at this company?
- Do you feel respected by your colleagues and managers, regardless of your background?
- Do you feel your background or identity is adequately represented in the organization’s leadership positions?
- Have you experienced any form of bias or discrimination at work?
- Do you feel comfortable discussing DEIB issues with your colleagues and managers?
Development questions
- Do you feel your manager and the company support you in your career goals?
- Do you receive regular and constructive feedback on your performance?
- Are you satisfied with the quality and quantity of training the company provides?
- Do you feel the company offers you a clear path for career advancement?
Open-ended questions
- What do you enjoy most and least about working at this company?
- What do you enjoy most and least about your role?
- What advice would you give to someone considering a job at this company?
- What are the biggest challenges you face in your current role?
- What changes or improvements would you like to see within the company?
- What would you like the company to stop doing?
- What would you like the company to start doing?
- What would you like the company to continue doing?
How to conduct an employee sentiment analysis
Employee sentiment analysis is a powerful tool for understanding employees’ overall mood and morale. Gathering and analyzing employee feedback allows you to identify areas of strength, pinpoint potential problems, and make data-driven decisions to improve employee satisfaction and retention.
However, Dr Veldsman adds: “Sentiment analysis has to go beyond the tools. You need a clear strategy on why, where and how you want to listen, and how you’ll use the insights. A good listening strategy requires trust, transparency, and the assurance that employees can voice their views without fear of negative consequences.”
Step 1: Define your goals
Clearly identify what you want to achieve through your analysis. Are you looking to measure overall satisfaction, identify specific pain points, or assess the impact of a recent change? Clear goals for your analysis will serve as a guide for how you conduct it.
Step 2: Choose your data sources
- Surveys and feedback forms: Create targeted surveys to gather feedback on various aspects of the employee experience, such as job satisfaction, work-life balance, and company culture. Consider completely anonymous surveys to encourage more honest feedback.
- eNPS: Consider using this well-known metric to gauge employee loyalty and willingness to recommend your company to others as an employer.
- Exit interviews: Collect and analyze feedback from departing employees to identify reasons for turnover and pinpoint potential areas for improvement.
- Social media monitoring: Monitor social media platforms and online review sites like Glassdoor to gauge public sentiment about your company.
Step 3: Select sentiment analysis tools
- Survey platforms: Platforms like SurveyMonkey and Typeform offer features for creating, distributing, and analyzing surveys.
- Sentiment analysis software: Analysis platforms like Qualtrics provide a range of capabilities, including transcribing audio and video speech into text, extracting text from images, and creating video captions.
“A mistake many HR professionals make is overwhelming stakeholders with data and difficult HR terms. Being intentional about what you visualize and aligning your data to the insights that can guide decisions is a better approach. It’s not about what’s interesting — it’s about what’s useful.”
Step 4: Analyze employee sentiment
- Harness AI and sentiment analysis tools: This will help you identify trends and patterns. You should also look for correlations between certain sentiments and factors, such as department, tenure, or location.
- Understand the process of analyzing employee sentiment: This involves machine learning training your platform to classify data into datasets. It then applies custom tags to themes and aspects in the data, AI divides the text based on these tags, and the data is arranged into topics. Finally, sentiment scores are applied to themes and aspects to extract an overall sentiment for each one.
Step 5: Visualize results and act on your insights
- Use visuals to make an impact: No one wants to run through a spreadsheet during a presentation. Instead, visualize your findings using charts, graphs, infographics, and other eye-catching visuals to hold your team’s attention and help them better understand your findings.
- Develop action plans: Use the data you’ve gathered to help you create comprehensive strategies to address problem areas and further develop positive aspects. Doing so shows employees you value their feedback and wellbeing, and will enhance employee sentiment and engagement.
HR tip
Poor role alignment can cause employee frustration. For instance, your organization may hire someone with sales experience for a sales role. However, if they don’t relate well to customers or have trouble handling rejection, both the employee and their manager will become frustrated. To avoid this, use psychometric assessments during the hiring process to determine which candidates are best suited to which roles.
How HR can improve employee sentiment
Understanding the root causes of low morale can enable you to implement targeted strategies to raise employee satisfaction. Here are six key areas to focus on to foster positive employee sentiment:
1. Targeted communication
Once you’ve analyzed your employee sentiment data and identified specific concerns, address these issues with a strategic communication plan. To foster trust and transparency, provide regular, honest updates on company performance, its challenges, your plans to address issues and progress updates.
2. Culture enhancement
Do your policies promote DEIB? If not, review and update them to ensure they facilitate diversity in hiring and equity, inclusion, and belonging for all employees regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or age.
Giving employees a sense of purpose is also important. According to McKinsey, 70% of employees say their work defines their sense of purpose. You can help them realize how meaningful and impactful their work is to the organization and the communities it serves.
Additionally, support forming employee resource groups to create a greater sense of belonging and community amongst your staff. At the same time, encourage open communication by implementing regular feedback channels, such as surveys, suggestion boxes, and one-on-one meetings.
3. Career development
Start by designing personalized employee development plans based on each employee’s unique aspirations and skills. After this, give them access to ongoing learning resources to help them build up their skills and expertise.
You can also implement mentorship programs to provide employees with guidance and career advancement opportunities, which you can support with internal promotions and transfers.
4. Work-life balance initiatives
Consider options like remote work, flexible hours, or compressed workweeks to accommodate employees’ personal needs. Regularly review and optimize your company’s PTO policies, including vacation, sick leave, and personal time to prevent burnout.
To support employee wellbeing, offer comprehensive wellness programs supporting the workforce’s physical, mental, and emotional health needs. However, make them optional as some employees prefer to simply take time off instead of participating in such programs.
5. Recognition and rewards
Establish employee recognition programs to acknowledge and reward top performers. At the same time, encourage employees to recognize and appreciate their colleagues’ contributions to build a supportive, positive work culture.
Most importantly, ensure your compensation packages are competitive and align with market standards so your employees know the organization is paying them fairly.
6. Leadership development
Equip managers with the hard and soft skills they need to foster positive team dynamics and employee engagement. Additionally, encourage managers to embrace an open-door policy to allow employees to share concerns and request support without hesitation.
Finally, offer leaders coaching and mentoring opportunities to further develop their existing skills and improve their effectiveness in managing their teams and individual staff. This way, they can contribute to better employee sentiment and satisfaction.
To sum up
Employee sentiment is a critical measure of organizational health, directly correlated with productivity, retention, and overall company culture.
By systematically measuring and analyzing employee sentiment, you’ll unlock invaluable data-driven insights to help you launch targeted interventions to boost engagement and performance.
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