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Employee satisfaction survey: Everything you want to know
Employee satisfaction can be measured in various ways. This can be done once via an (online) questionnaire or continuously using an app or software. Are you looking for an innovative approach that allows you to conduct your employee satisfaction survey (ESS) on a large scale?Every organization has its own challenges. That’s why you compile your own research based on modules. These modules contain themes to give you insight into how you can improve the situation, together with your employees.
Table of contents
What is an Employee satisfaction survey?
Employee satisfaction can be measured in various ways. This can be done once via an (online) questionnaire or continuously using an app or software. Are you looking for an innovative approach to conduct your employee satisfaction survey (ESS) on a large scale?
Short and targeted questionnaires
A good employee satisfaction survey consists of concise and clear questions that focus on specific aspects of the work experience. This increases willingness to complete the questionnaire and provides valuable, reliable information for the organization. Curious about some sample questions for your employee satisfaction survey? Then read our next article: Sample employee satisfaction survey.
Valuable insights and areas for improvement
The results of an ESS clarify where improvements are needed and offer concrete starting points to strengthen the working atmosphere, satisfaction and commitment within the team.
What exactly makes employees satisfied?
Employee satisfaction is determined by a combination of factors that together influence job satisfaction and motivation. A positive work atmosphere and strong collaboration with colleagues often form the foundation, but other important elements play a role. Therefore, during an employee satisfaction survey, it’s essential to gain insight into the following themes:
1. Appreciation and recognition
Do employees feel seen and valued?
2. Development opportunities
Is there room to learn, grow and move on?
3. Work-life balance
Do employees experience sufficient work-life balance?
4. Salary and employment conditions
Do the remuneration and benefits meet expectations?
Perform your employee satisfaction survey (ESS) with Deepler software
With the research module “Employee Satisfaction” from Deepler, you will discover in just two minutes how your organization scores on important themes such as job satisfaction, appreciation and development opportunities. The user-friendly software makes it easy to collect, analyze and compare anonymous employee feedback with previous measurements or industry averages. This not only gives you insight into current satisfaction, but also into trends and underlying causes.
The results are clearly presented in a clear dashboard, so that you can immediately see where the strength of your organization lies and which areas for improvement deserve priority. Thanks to Deepler’s smart analysis tools, you can also set out and monitor targeted actions, making the ESS a powerful tool for continuous growth and development within your organization.
Our happy customers
Why do you do an employee satisfaction survey?
An employee satisfaction survey (ESS) provides insight into how employees experience their work, what gives them energy and where bottlenecks lie. The goal is not only to measure satisfaction, but above all to understand what employees need to keep working well and with pleasure.
For organizations, this is valuable information. Happy employees are often more productive, more involved and less likely to change jobs. With an ESS, you will discover which factors contribute to that satisfaction — such as work atmosphere, communication, leadership, development opportunities or work-life balance.
A powerful tool
Carrying out an employee satisfaction survey also helps to identify problems early. You can see more quickly when dissatisfaction occurs, so you can intervene in a targeted manner. It also gives employees the feeling that their opinion counts, which in itself contributes to more engagement.
It is important that an ESS is not used as a stand-alone project. A one-off survey mainly provides a snapshot. Only when you measure the work experience structurally and continuously does a complete picture arise. This way, you can recognize trends, track improvements, and talk to your teams about what really matters.
In short: an employee satisfaction survey is a powerful tool for understanding employees, improving the organization and increasing satisfaction and engagement in a sustainable way.
What are the benefits of an employee satisfaction survey?
An employee satisfaction survey (ESS) gives organizations the opportunity to gain structural insight into how employees experience their work and what they motives are ready to work together every day. The biggest advantage is that you can identify problems and bottlenecks early, allowing you to make adjustments faster and more specifically.
In addition, it contributes to more engagement: employees feel heard and valued when their opinions are actively included in decision-making. A well-executed ESS also helps to to reduce turnover and to reduce absenteeism and ensures a stronger organizational culture. Ultimately, this leads to greater satisfaction, higher productivity and an organization that is better prepared for the future.
Trusted by young and old alike
Experiences of customers who make a difference with us.
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Larren
Recruitment Lead,
De Selectie
“Recently, I used Deepler to arrive at an EVP. Great what they were able to achieve in a short time! In a period of two weeks, we collected information and were able to continue with our AMC plan. In any other situation, it takes weeks, if not months, to get this done. Contact is good, friendly and constructive. Very nice club to work with.”
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Douwe
Recruiter,
Securitas
“Ideal tool and company to gain more and better insight into the organization and employees as an organization! And especially with speed! For us, it was also the need to get tools for the topics of retention, to prevent future absenteeism or turnover. I also have experience with other parties and I sincerely value the speed of switching, follow-up and personal contact with Deepler. Absolutely recommended.”
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Jolanda
HR Business Partner,
Nedcargo
“Deepler is a great tool for continuously collecting feedback from our employees. This input is then centrally available for us as management, but also for managers who benefit from it.”
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Jonathan
Manager,
UWV
“What makes Deepler special is that it doesn’t get stuck in numbers. It helps you immediately understand where it is and what teams need. For us, this ensured that employees themselves came up with areas for improvement and took responsibility for them. The insights were sharp and useful, but most importantly: the conversation that started afterwards made the difference. Thanks to Deepler, we didn’t get a paper plan, but change that was supported by the people themselves.”
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Amadeus
COO,
OSRE
“The software has a positive impact on us as a rapidly growing organization. By better understanding what is going on in the workplace and what people offer as solutions for improvements, we can make more effective decisions. The platform helps us to gain real-time insight and to respond directly to it via the tool.”
Is an employee satisfaction survey satisfaction survey required by law?
An employee satisfaction survey (ESS) is not required by law in the Netherlands. There is no law that requires organizations to measure employee satisfaction periodically. However, it is highly recommended. After all, employers do have a duty of care: they must ensure a safe and healthy work environment and pay attention to the well-being of employees.
An ESS is an effective tool for fulfilling that duty of care. It provides insight into the work experience and provides concrete signals where improvements are needed. In doing so, it not only helps organizations to reduce risks, but also to show that they actively invest in satisfied and motivated employees.
How to get more out of your ESS
Keep it short and sweet
Opt for short periodic questionnaires. This way, you keep the response high and the threshold remains low to participate honestly.
Always share results
Show what happens to the feedback. Feedback increases trust and encourages employees to respond again next time.
Turn feedback into action
Results are only valuable if improvements also follow. Start small, pick up concrete points and show that change is possible.
Do's and don'ts of an employee satisfaction survey?
A successful employee satisfaction survey (ESS) requires a careful approach. There are a number of do’s and don’ts that make the difference between valuable insights and a missed opportunity.
- Communicate clearly about the purpose of the research and what happens to the results.
- Ensure anonymity so employees feel free to answer honestly.
- Use short, clear questions that are relevant to the organization.
- Discuss the results openly and involve employees in the next steps.
- Create a concrete action plan based on the results, so that improvements are visible.
The don'ts of an ESS
- Don’t conduct research without follow-up — nothing demotivates more than feedback that isn’t done with.
- Avoid surveys that are too long that lead to dropout or superficial answers.
- Don’t ignore negative feedback; these are the signals that offer valuable opportunities for growth.
- Use the ESS not as an assessment tool, but as a tool for development and improvement.
What do you do with the results of an employee satisfaction survey?
The results of an employee satisfaction survey (ESS) are only valuable if you actually do something with them. It starts with sharing the results with your employees. By providing open feedback, you show that their opinion is taken seriously and that their input actually has an influence. This not only increases engagement, but also confidence in the research.
Actively take up progress
After that, it is important to translate the most important areas for improvement into concrete actions. This can involve minor adjustments, such as better communication or more clarity about goals, but also larger trajectories around leadership, development or culture. Make agreements with teams, link responsibilities and actively monitor progress.
A good approach ensures that an ESS does not remain an isolated project, but becomes part of a continuous improvement cycle. By regularly measuring and using results as a starting point for dialogue and action, you are gradually building an organization where employees feel heard, involved and motivated. Within Deepler’s theme, we identify 6 different next steps that you can take after the initial research has been completed:
Do you want more tips on how to effectively follow up an employee satisfaction survey (ESS)? Then read our article:
Effective ESS Follow-up: Why Is That Important?
Step 1 Analyze and structure results
Map the data clearly and make connections between themes, teams and time periods. Are you working with a tool like Deepler, then the software helps you organize and visualize the most important insights.
Step 2 Share insight with everyone involved
Communicate openly about the results. Inform not only HR, but also management, team leads and employees. Improving the work experience requires a multidisciplinary approach and shared ownership.
Step 3 Start the conversation
Plan in-depth dialogues at team and organization levels. Don’t make it a monologue: give employees space to share context, examples, and solution ideas. More engagement often leads directly to higher satisfaction.
Step 4 Formulate action points and implement them
Translate insights and conversations to concrete actions at the organizational, team and individual levels. Link an owner, deadline and measurable success criteria for each action. Involve employees in the choice and implementation.
Step 5 Focus: One thing at a time
Prioritize. Don’t tackle everything at once, but work in clear sprints. This way, you maintain an overview, it remains feasible and you can make progress visible.
Step 6 Keep measuring and improving
An ESS is not a one-off exercise. More continuously and evaluate the impact of your actions. Tools like Deepler can monitor employee satisfaction in real time, so that you can quickly make adjustments where necessary.
Have the right conversation by understanding what's going on
Managers know which themes to discuss with their teams via their dashboard or their individual one-pager. That way, you have the right conversation in your organization and you don’t overlook important topics.
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Frequently asked questions
Why should you perform an ESS?
Deepler is a research platform for measuring and understanding what’s happening in organizations. The research platform measures this using various modules, giving you insight into the ins and outs of your organization.
How often should you perform an ESS?
Is an ESS reliable (anonymous, representative)?
What does an MTO cost and what should you pay attention to when determining the price?
Schedule a consultation
Ready to take the next step? Get in touch, and we’ll work together to find the best approach. Whether you have a question or just want to bounce some ideas around, we’re here for you.
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