20 good questions to measure employee engagement and psychological safety

Measuring employees' psychological safety typically involves asking questions that encourage honest and open feedback while addressing various aspects of the work environment. Here are some good questions to include in surveys or interviews to assess psychological safety:

1. Overall Perception of Psychological Safety

   • Do you feel safe speaking up and sharing your ideas, even when they differ from others' opinions?

2. Managerial Support

   • Do you believe your manager supports you in expressing your thoughts and concerns without fear of negative consequences?

3. Fear of Retaliation

   • Are you concerned about facing retaliation or negative consequences for voicing your opinions at work?

4. Inclusivity

   • Do you feel that your background, identity, or experiences are valued and respected in the workplace?

5. Trust in Leadership

   • How much do you trust the leadership team to address issues related to psychological safety?

6. Team Dynamics

   • Do you feel safe expressing your opinions and concerns within your team?

7. Conflict Resolution

   • Are you confident that conflicts within the team or business will be resolved fairly and impartially?

8. Openness to New Ideas

   • Is the business open to new ideas and innovative approaches, and do you feel comfortable proposing them?

9. Peer Support

   • Can you count on your colleagues to support you when you need to speak up or face challenges?

10. Feedback Process

    • Do you feel safe providing constructive feedback to your peers and superiors, and do you receive such feedback constructively?

11. Reporting of Misconduct

    • Would you feel comfortable reporting misconduct or unethical behavior if you witnessed it?

12. Personal Well-being

    • Does the work environment positively or negatively affect your mental and emotional well-being?

13. Feelings of Belonging

    • Do you feel a sense of belonging and inclusion within your team and the the wider business?

14. Comfort with Mistakes

    • Are you comfortable admitting mistakes or errors in your work, knowing they won't lead to negative actions or behaviours towards you?

15. Fair Treatment

    • Do you believe that all employees are treated fairly, regardless of their background or position in the business?

16. Organisational Values

    • Do you believe the organisation's stated values align with the actual workplace culture? In other words, does the business act in a way that you would expect from the values it states?

17. Support for Personal Growth

    • Do you feel supported in your personal and professional growth within the organisation?

18. Frequency of One-on-One Conversations

    • How often do you have one-on-one conversations with your manager, and do you feel these meetings are valuable for addressing concerns?

19. Feedback on Decisions

    • Are you involved in decisions that affect your work, and do you feel your input is valued?

20. Encouragement to Challenge the Status Quo

    • Does your team or organisation encourage you to question the status quo and suggest improvements?

When using these questions, consider using a mix of scales (e.g., Likert scale) and open-ended questions to gather both quantitative and qualitative feedback. It's also essential to keep responses anonymous to ensure employees feel safe sharing their true feelings and experiences.

Most importantly do something with the data. Don’t just collect it and let it sit.

If you would like support with existing survey results, or putting a survey together please get in touch. I would also highly recommend People Essentials for some great customised surveys.