So, you’re thinking about running your first employee survey… but have no idea where to start.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Whether HR is your full-time role, or just one of the many hats you wear, launching your first survey can feel like a big task.
What questions should you ask?
Will people actually respond?
And how do you make sure it’s not just a box-ticking exercise?
This Stribe guide is here to walk you through it all, with advice to help you get started with confidence, and a few tips from our COO Lucy Harvey, who has helped hundreds of UK organisations launch their first ever survey.
Don’t overthink it – just start! Your first survey doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to happen.
Once you’ve taken that first step, you’ll build momentum, learn as you go, and set the wheels in motion for real, lasting change.
Before you dive into writing survey questions, take a step back and ask yourself…
Why are we doing this in the first place?
It sounds simple, but having a clear purpose behind your survey will shape everything – from the questions you ask to how you act on the results.
It also helps your team trust the process.
If people feel like a survey is just for show, they’re far less likely to give honest, thoughtful feedback.
Think about what you really want to learn.
Maybe you’ve noticed signs of burnout, and want to check in on wellbeing.
Maybe you’re growing quickly and want to understand if your culture is keeping up.
Or maybe you’re just trying to get a general pulse on how people feel about their day-to-day experience at work.
Here are a few examples of common goals for first-time surveys:
Once you’re clear on your ‘why’, it’s much easier to ask the right questions, and do something meaningful with the answers.
Surveys without purpose often fall flat. Your team will only trust the process if they believe it will lead to change. 
When it comes to your first survey, less really is more.
You don’t need 20+ questions and a complex scoring system to get valuable insight.
In fact, trying to do too much too soon can lead to survey fatigue and low response rates, especially if your team’s never done this before.
Instead, focus on 6 – 10 thoughtful pulse survey questions that help you uncover how people are really feeling at work.
Keep the language clear, and ask follow-up questions for more context.
Here are a few examples.
Employee wellbeing examples:
As mentioned earlier, once you understand your ‘why’ you’ll be able to land on a theme that makes sense for your first survey. Examples might include; employee wellbeing, team communication, sense of belonging or manager support.
Picking the right employee engagement software for your first survey can make or break the experience, for you and your team.
You want something that’s simple, intuitive, and gives you the insights you need without drowning in data.
And if you’re short on time (who isn’t?) you need something that just works – no tech headaches, no training manuals.
Here’s what to look for in a survey tool, especially if you’re starting out:
This is where Stribe ticks all the boxes.
You can launch a survey in minutes, get anonymised feedback straight to your dashboard, and we’ll even help you choose the right questions.
Plus, our UK-based team is always on hand if you need help along the way.
We designed Stribe to be simple enough to launch your first survey in a matter of minutes, but powerful enough to grow with you.
Once your survey is live, the most important thing you can do is communicate.
Let your team know it’s open, remind them why it matters, and reassure them their responses are anonymous (especially if it’s your first time).
You’ll often need to nudge people a couple of times – this is completely normal!
With Stribe, you can schedule friendly reminders and track response rates in real-time, so you’ll always know how things are going behind the scenes.
When the survey closes, it’s time to turn insight into action.
Here’s where many first-time surveys fall down, because they collect great feedback, but don’t do anything with it.
That’s the quickest way to lose trust.
Start by reviewing the results and identifying a few key themes.
Look for patterns – are there recurring comments about workload, communication, or manager support?
You don’t need to fix everything at once. But pick one or two focus areas and communicate them clearly to your team.
Share results with your team, and let them know – “Here’s what we heard, and here’s what we’re doing about it.”
People don’t expect perfection, but they do expect progress. Even small changes can have a big impact when they’re based on real feedback.
Stribe will give you a simple employee insights dashboard that highlights the trends for you.
No spreadsheets, no digging.
You can even have follow-up anonymous conversations to keep the momentum going and show your team you’re listening.
The real power of your first survey isn’t just in the data, it’s in what you do next.
Show people their voices matter, and you’ll build a culture of trust from the very start.
About the author
Starting out her early career as a journalist, Jade Madeley is an accomplished content writer with 8+ years’ experience across business, personal finance, SaaS, human resources and employee engagement. Working with Stribe, she crafts insightful content that brings complex HR topics to life and drives meaningful action.
