Jessica wanted to buy a house on the big island of Hawaii. Marcus was hoping for a promotion next year and was itching for more autonomy. Sasha wanted to learn a more technical skill to avoid being a people manager.
Everyone's motivations are different. One person's "I prefer stability and predictability" is another person's "I need the freedom of freelancing over all else."
Get access to the employee motivations questionnaire PDF
Open the file and go to File > Make a Copy and organize it. Modify the list to your needs and then go to File > Download > PDF Document. Cut the paper in half after printing.
How to use the survey
Download and print 1 worksheet for every 2 employees, and cut them in half.
Distribute and ask employees to spend 2 minutes ranking their selections 1 - 10, with 1 being the highest priority and 10 being the lowest priority for those values.
Gather data for evaluation. Collect the scores across groups, the whole company, and individuals.
Interpreting the results and taking action on the data
Analyze the data: Look for trends and patterns in the data to identify areas where employee motivation is strong and areas where it could be improved.
Share the results with employees: Communicate the results of the survey to employees and let them know that their feedback is valued. Be honest about where you're not stacking up at the moment and what you plan to do about it.
Develop an action plan: Develop a plan to address the areas where employee motivation could be improved. This may involve changes to compensation, recognition programs, or career development opportunities.
Monitor progress: Follow through and make adjustments to the action plan as needed. Employee motivation is not static, and it's essential to remain flexible and responsive to changes in the workplace.
Tips for a more effective employee motivation survey
Make the survey anonymous: Employees are more likely to be honest when they know that their responses will be kept anonymous.
Keep the survey short: Employees are more likely to complete a survey that is short and to the point.
Use a variety of question types: If making a "digital" version with a data collection component like Google Forms, use a mix of multiple-choice, rating scales, and open-ended questions to gain a more granular understanding of employee motivation.
Don't (mis)lead: Be careful not to use leading questions or bias. Review your questions with another party with this lens on.
Include questions that you might not like the answer to: Ask questions about specific factors that are known to affect employee motivation, such as recognition, compensation, and career development. Don't leave anything out just because you're afraid of the answer.
In conclusion, you can't fake it. If you don't address the core issues at the heart of employee motivation, it will be that much harder to create the kind of work environment that enables people to do their best work every day. If you gloss over the action steps, or deem it "too expensive", expect to have an expensive retention issue on your hands.
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