What are 10 tips to get people to take employee surveys?

What are 10 tips to get people to take employee surveys?

Getting employees to take a survey is not just about sending more reminders. Participation depends on trust, timing, communication, and whether employees believe the survey will lead to action.

Aitros POV: participation is earned before the survey is sent

Aitros is designed to make employee assessments simple for participants and useful for leaders. But even the best survey tool cannot overcome a lack of trust. Employees are more likely to participate when the company has a track record of listening, protecting confidentiality, and reporting back on what was learned.

If employees think the survey is pointless, too long, unsafe, or disconnected from real decisions, they may ignore it. If they believe leaders will listen and respond, participation improves.

Here are 10 practical tips to get more people to take employee surveys.

1. Explain why the survey matters

Do not just send a survey link. Explain the purpose. Tell employees what you are trying to learn and why their feedback matters.

For example: "We are asking for feedback so we can better understand workload, communication, and what would help teams do their best work."

2. Keep the survey short

Long surveys create fatigue. If your survey takes 25 minutes, many employees will put it off or abandon it. For most pulse surveys, aim for five to ten focused questions. For larger engagement surveys, only ask questions you are prepared to use.

3. Make confidentiality clear

Employees need to know whether their responses are confidential, anonymous, or identifiable. Be honest. Explain who will see the data and how comments will be reported.

Do not overpromise anonymity if you cannot guarantee it, especially in small teams.

4. Have leaders introduce the survey

Participation increases when employees believe leaders care about the results. A message from the CEO, founder, department head, or senior leader can signal that the survey is important.

The message should be short, human, and specific.

5. Ask managers to reinforce it

Managers should remind employees that the survey matters, but they should not pressure people or ask how they answered. The manager's role is to encourage participation and protect trust.

A good manager message might be: "Please take a few minutes to share honest feedback. The goal is to understand what is working and what we can improve."

6. Give employees time during work

If the survey matters to the company, employees should not have to complete it on personal time. Give people 10 minutes during the workday. This is especially important for hourly, frontline, or busy operational teams.

7. Use simple language

Avoid HR jargon. Employees should immediately understand each question. Instead of asking about "organizational alignment," ask whether employees understand company goals and how their work contributes.

Clear language leads to better answers.

8. Send reminders without nagging

A few reminders are helpful. Too many can feel annoying. Send reminders that are short and respectful. Include the deadline and the estimated time required.

For example: "Reminder: the employee feedback survey closes Friday. It takes about seven minutes."

9. Share the response rate

Let employees know how participation is going. A simple update like "We are at 62% participation and would like to hear from more voices before the survey closes" can encourage completion without pressure.

10. Follow up after the survey

This is the most important tip. Employees are more likely to complete the next survey if they heard what happened after the last one.

After the survey, share what you heard and what you will do next. You do not need to fix everything. You do need to close the loop.

A simple follow-up might say:

"Thank you for sharing feedback. Three themes stood out: workload, manager communication, and career growth. Over the next month, we will focus on improving project prioritization and creating clearer manager check-in expectations."

That kind of response teaches employees that surveys matter.

Copy/paste survey invitation

Subject: Help us understand what is working and what needs to improve

We are asking everyone to complete a short employee feedback survey. The goal is to better understand what is helping people do good work and what is getting in the way. The survey should take about 7 minutes. Please answer honestly. We will review the results, share the main themes, and identify a few actions we can take based on what we learn.

Copy/paste reminder

Reminder: our employee feedback survey closes Friday. It takes about 7 minutes. We are hoping to hear from as many people as possible so the results reflect the full employee experience.

Aitros helps organizations improve survey participation by making surveys easier to launch, easier to understand, and easier to connect to action. Aitros is built around simple employee assessment experiences, so participants can focus on giving honest feedback instead of navigating a complicated HR system. When employees see that feedback leads to real insight and visible follow-up, participation becomes easier over time.

The best way to get people to take employee surveys is to make the survey feel useful, safe, and worth their time.