What are pulse surveys? Well, these are surveys exclusively designed to measure employee engagement, employee satisfaction and to identify the areas that require improvement. Unlike other surveys, these are time efficient and cost-effective.
These surveys can be really helpful when it comes to gaining feedback and measuring employee satisfaction. However, some important rules apply when it comes to putting it together.
Here’s our list of tips on designing an effective pulse survey.
1. Keep the objective clear
Of what use would an employee satisfaction survey be if it had no clear objective. Don’t just carry out a pulse survey for the sake of doing it; keep the goals of the survey clear in your mind. When the objective is clear, the design tends to be more effective and so do the results.
2. Keep the survey short
We do not want the employees to spend weeks completing a pulse survey, do we? So keep it short and simple. A survey with a maximum of 20 pulse survey questions would be perfect. But keep in mind that the purpose of the survey is not lost.
3. Keep your list of assumptions
Know your target audience (employees) and write down your assumptions based on how well you know your staff. This list helps you know if you are on the right track and also helps you to order the survey better.
4. Keep it light
Do not exhaust your employees with extremely cavernous questions. Also, avoid questions which leave employees confused and apprehensive. For example: How would you rate your manager? Using these kinds of questions make the survey directionless.
5. Keep it confidential
Always keep your participants’ details and opinions confidential. Assure them that their details are safe with you and they will not be shared with any third party. Adding a privacy statement at the beginning of the survey would be a good idea.
6. Keep calm and PULSE SURVEY
Recheck multiple times and spend more time on ordering the questions. Now that you are all set, keep calm and pulse survey!
This is just a basic list to get you started with pulse surveys. You can also check out our article on designing employee surveys here.
Engagedly’s survey feature is great for making and taking surveys!
If you are interested in knowing more, request a demo from the Engagedly team!

Aaron Adams is the VP of Professional Services for Engagedly, where he develops and implements strategic talent solutions that help support and drive the organization’s talent and business strategies. He holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Wayne State University and has worked as a Right Management consultant and an OD consultant for a Fortune 20 Company. Currently, he leads Engagedly Teams responsible for onboarding, training, and consulting services.
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