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Measure employee sentiment in real time with this Pulse Survey Template.

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Annual employee surveys are designed to measure overall employee satisfaction, engagement, and other key metrics. In addition to these comprehensive surveys, companies can use pulse surveys to regularly assess the work environment.

A pulse survey is designed to be sent to employees regularly to measure employee sentiment, identify emerging issues early, and track changes in engagement, morale, or well-being over time. 

Let’s delve deeper into what you can accomplish with a pulse survey template:

  • Measure employee sentiment. Pulse surveys give employers valuable insights into how employees feel about their roles, work-life balance, and confidence in leadership. They’re a powerful tool for gauging overall team morale and identifying areas for improvement.
  • Identify emerging issues early. Pulse surveys also help employers and managers quickly identify workplace issues, enabling proactive solutions that support employee retention. By staying informed about employee concerns, leaders can take timely action to improve the work environment and overall satisfaction.
  • Track changes in engagement, morale, or well-being. Because pulse surveys are sent on a regular cadence, they allow employers to monitor shifts in employee sentiment over time, tracking key metrics like engagement, stress levels, and overall satisfaction.

Pulse survey templates are designed to make it easy for you to send pulse surveys to employees without starting from scratch. 

Pulse surveys should include a variety of questions to monitor employee job satisfaction and engagement. Key sections and question themes often include:

Ask employees to rate their overall job satisfaction using a consistent scale, such as 1 to 5 or 1 to 10. This allows you to track changes over time, identify trends, and respond proactively to shifts in employee sentiment.

Work-related stress and poor work-life balance are major contributors to employee burnout. Regularly asking about stress helps you address issues early and support retention through timely interventions.

Do employees feel comfortable asking their manager questions? Understanding how connected employees feel to their manager and team is key to measuring satisfaction, trust, and long-term loyalty.

Be sure to ask employees about their confidence in company leadership and overall direction. These insights help assess alignment with employee expectations and can guide improvements in communication, strategy, and operations.

Provide employees with opportunities to share feedback about their work experiences and suggest improvements. Also, encourage them to recognize colleagues for outstanding performance, which fosters a positive culture and strengthens team morale.

Employees should feel safe at work, both physically and psychologically. Asking about their sense of psychological safety helps create a healthy workplace culture where people feel respected, heard, and comfortable speaking up.

Including open-ended responses is essential for gathering rich qualitative data from employees. These questions allow employees to share their thoughts and experiences in their own words, providing valuable context beyond fixed responses.

Boost employee satisfaction and retention with our Pulse Survey Template.

Pulse surveys can include a wide range of question types. Explore these sample pulse survey questions for inspiration as you craft your own.

  • How satisfied are you with your current role?
  • Do you feel motivated to do your best work each day?
  • How manageable has your workload been this week?
  • On a scale of 1–10, how stressed are you feeling?
  • Do you feel aligned with your team’s goals?
  • How transparent is leadership with company updates?
  • Do you feel psychologically safe at work?
  • Do you feel like your contributions are valued?

Pulse surveys are designed for HR professionals, team leads, department heads, and company leaders looking to measure employee sentiment. Employee pulse surveys are brief and easy to complete, resulting in higher completion rates and reduced survey fatigue. 

HR teams can use a pulse survey template to streamline the process of distributing surveys to employees. Instead of writing your own questions, you can use the expert-written Pulse Survey Template from SurveyMonkey to gather critical insights. 

The SurveyMonkey Pulse Survey Template helps company leaders and people managers collect valuable data from employees. Here are a few tips for success when using our Pulse Survey Template. 

Tailor this Pulse Survey Template to meet your team's specific requirements. The template's questions are fully customizable, allowing you to ensure their relevance to your team and its unique needs.

Keep pulse surveys concise and easy to complete by limiting them to a maximum of 10 questions, as they are sent regularly.

To effectively track trends, pulse surveys should be administered regularly, with common frequencies being weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.

Turn survey data into actionable feedback, not just reports. Employee opinions from pulse surveys should inform key company decisions.

Follow up with your action plan regularly to showcase that you take pulse survey feedback seriously. These summaries should convey the overall trends and themes of the feedback, as well as the adjustments made to support job satisfaction, morale, and employee well-being. 

Pulse survey templates are helpful for both employers and employees. These surveys enable companies to create more effective work environments and enhance the employee experience (EX).  

Employers should use a pulse survey template to: 

  • Gain real-time visibility into team health. Pulse surveys enable employers to measure morale and monitor how supported and satisfied employees feel in their roles.
  • Catch and resolve problems early. By sending pulse surveys weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, HR teams can quickly identify and address concerns, allowing for timely action rather than waiting for annual reviews.
  • Drive ongoing engagement with small, consistent check-ins. Consistent feedback shows employees that their well-being and opinions matter, helping to sustain high morale and foster a positive workplace culture.

Employees should use a pulse survey to: 

  • Share how they’re feeling regularly. Pulse surveys give employees a consistent opportunity to share their opinions and raise concerns with leadership. By actively participating, employees help drive meaningful improvements across the organization.
  • Know that their voice is being heard. Employees should understand that pulse surveys are a direct channel for their feedback. HR and leadership teams review the results, and sharing follow-up summaries shows that their input is valued and acted upon. 
  • Build trust and transparency over time. By offering honest feedback through pulse surveys, employees contribute to a more open and supportive workplace. This ongoing dialogue helps strengthen trust, improve engagement, and enhance overall job satisfaction. 

Want to get the most out of your pulse surveys? Follow these five best practices to collect meaningful feedback and take effective action on the results.

Start by setting clear expectations for the feedback you want to gather through your pulse surveys. Define your goals and design the survey accordingly, ensuring each question is purposeful and aligned with your team’s needs. When customizing the Pulse Survey Template, be intentional—well-crafted questions lead to more meaningful insights.

Keeping pulse surveys anonymous is highly recommended, as it encourages employees to share honest, candid feedback without fear of judgment. Anonymity fosters trust and leads to more valuable insights that can drive meaningful improvements across your organization.

Analyze your pulse survey data for patterns and recurring themes to gauge overall employee morale and engagement. Look for trends that point to areas needing improvement, and pay close attention to common terms or phrases in open-ended responses—these can highlight shared concerns and help guide meaningful changes.

Employees value transparency, so be sure to share a summary of the pulse survey results with them. Also, communicate any changes made in response to their feedback. This transparency demonstrates that their input is taken seriously and reinforces your commitment to improving the workplace culture. 

Pulse surveys should evolve. Don’t feel limited to using the same questions indefinitely. Regularly update and refine your surveys to ensure you’re collecting the most relevant and actionable feedback.

Whether you want to conduct quick team check-ins, gather company-wide feedback, or monitor engagement over time, our expert-designed Pulse Survey Template makes it easy to collect valuable employee insights.

Start sending surveys today with the SurveyMonkey Pulse Survey Template, and stay connected with your team.

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