How to Structure Effective Employee Benefits Survey Questions

Understanding what your employees value in their benefits package is key to improving satisfaction, retention, and overall engagement. Research shows that 60% of employees consider benefits a major factor in job satisfaction, ranking just behind compensation and work environment. At the same time, benefits represent nearly 38% of total compensation costs for employers.

To align your offerings with employee needs, it's essential to gather feedback in a structured and thoughtful way. Surveys, specifically about benefits can help you achieve this. Using well-crafted employee benefits survey questions, you can uncover what matters most, identify gaps in your current offerings, and shape smarter benefits strategies. 

Additionally, while benefits strategies often focus on office-based employees, it's crucial not to overlook the needs of frontline or non-desk workers—who make up 80% of the global workforce. These employees may have different priorities when it comes to benefits, including access to healthcare, paid time off, or wellness support. Capturing their feedback ensures your benefits program serves everyone, not just those behind a desk

In this article, we’ll walk through how to design effective benefits survey questions that generate meaningful insights for every part of your workforce.

Key Areas to Address in Employee Benefits Survey Questions

When building an employee benefits survey, it's essential to focus on areas that directly affect how benefits are perceived, used, and valued. The best surveys are comprehensive but also relevant to your workforce, including non-desk employees who may experience and access benefits differently than their office-based peers.

Non-desk workers, such as those in manufacturing, logistics, construction, and similar industries, often face challenges that desk workers do not. They may not have regular access to company computers, HR platforms, or even email. As a result, questions about communication channels, accessibility of information, and usage barriers are especially important. Tailor your questions to capture the experience of all employee groups to ensure your benefits strategy reflects everyone’s needs.

Below are the key benefits categories your survey should cover, along with the types of questions that generate meaningful insights.

Health and Wellness Benefits

Health benefits are a cornerstone of any compensation package. A Robert Half survey found that 99% of companies offer health insurance, so it's important to explore how employees feel about the specifics of their coverage.

Start by asking about satisfaction with current medical plans, including provider networks and prescription benefits. Include questions about preventive care access, wellness program awareness, and participation levels. For mental health support, ask whether employees feel adequately supported and whether they’re aware of available resources.

Evaluate the perceived value of dental and vision coverage. Determine how easily employees can access health benefits information and whether they feel confident navigating claims. Include questions about telehealth services and specialized care, which can be especially relevant for employees working in remote areas or on variable schedules.

Financial Benefits

With 95% of companies offering retirement savings plans, financial benefits are another major area of concern for employees. Survey questions should explore how well employees understand these offerings and whether they feel financially prepared for the future.

Ask about satisfaction with company contributions to retirement plans, vesting schedules, and the overall ease of enrollment. Explore interest in financial education resources, including budgeting tools, debt management, and investing basics. These can be especially valuable for younger employees or those without access to financial advisors.

Emergency savings programs, student loan assistance, and financial wellness workshops are rising in popularity. Use your survey to identify which options resonate most with your workforce. Also consider whether employees understand the tax advantages tied to different benefits, and whether they prefer group sessions or one-on-one counseling.

For workers without desk access, ask if payroll services, direct deposit, and financial benefits portals are easy to navigate. Mobile-first tools and simplified documentation may be essential for engaging this group.

Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance plays a critical role in employee satisfaction. With all employers offering paid time off, it’s important to assess whether employees feel they can actually use their time off without friction.

Ask about satisfaction with PTO policies, the process for requesting time off, and whether employees feel supported in doing so. Include questions about remote work preferences, compressed workweeks, and flexible scheduling—especially for office roles or hybrid teams.

For non-desk employees, work-life balance may be more about manageable shift scheduling, reasonable overtime expectations, and clear policies for breaks and time away. Questions about stress, workload, and after-hours expectations are particularly useful for surfacing issues in these environments.

Also ask about family leave policies, support during school holidays, and any interest in sabbaticals. If commuting assistance or stipends are offered, gather feedback on how valuable they are to different segments of your workforce.

Professional Development

Growth opportunities can boost retention, motivation, and internal mobility. Start by asking whether employees feel supported in their career development and whether they find training programs useful.

Explore awareness and usage of tuition assistance, certification programs, apprenticeship and mentorship opportunities, and manager-led career support. Ask about internal mobility and whether employees feel they have clear pathways to promotion. These questions are especially relevant for desk workers, but many non-desk workers also seek skills training or certifications that help them move into supervisory or cross-functional roles.

Include questions about performance review processes and whether they are tied to development opportunities. You may also want to ask about interest in conferences or external training programs.

Ask if employees know how to enroll in training programs or whether sessions are available/feasible during their work hours. 

Family Benefits

Family benefits go far beyond parental leave. Your survey should assess how well your benefits support a wide range of family structures and caregiving responsibilities.

Ask whether employees are satisfied with the duration and pay level of parental leave, and whether return-to-work support is sufficient. Explore interest in childcare assistance, fertility coverage, adoption and surrogacy support, and accommodations for nursing mothers.

Backup childcare and elder care options are particularly useful for employees with caregiving responsibilities. Gauge interest in these programs and determine how accessible they currently are.

Also ask about family-friendly scheduling flexibility, support during school breaks, and participation in family-oriented company events. Employees caring for children with special needs may benefit from specific support programs, so give space for these concerns to be shared in open-ended responses.

Non-desk workers often have less flexibility to adjust their schedules or work remotely, making reliable family benefits even more critical. Ask whether your current offerings support them realistically.

Benefits Administration

The value of your benefits is only as good as employees’ ability to understand and use them. This final area should focus on the experience of accessing, enrolling in, and learning about available benefits. 

Ask about satisfaction with the benefits portal, the clarity of explanations during onboarding and open enrollment, and the responsiveness of the HR or benefits team. Include questions about preferred communication methods—email, printed materials, text messages, or in-person meetings—to learn how different employee segments consume benefits information.

For non-desk employees, benefits communication is essential and SMS-based updates often prove to be far more effective than email or web portals. Ask if employees feel adequately informed, whether terminology is easy to understand, and how confident they feel making enrollment decisions.

Explore satisfaction with any platforms, cards, or digital tools used to manage benefits. Determine if employees prefer personalized support or self-service tools. Finally, ask how easy it is to make changes, such as updating dependents or navigating life events.

33 Sample Employee Benefits Survey Questions

Here's a selection of employee benefits survey questions covering all major benefit areas, using different formats to gather rich insights. For Likert scale questions, we use a 5-point scale (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree). Some of these questions are relevant to non-desk employees, but if you’re looking for more specificity for your frontline workers, you can find more targetted questions in the next section. 

Health and Wellness Benefits

1. On a scale of 1-5, how satisfied are you with our current health insurance coverage?
(This gives you a quick measure of overall health benefits satisfaction.)

2.Which of the following wellness programs would you be most interested in? (Select all that apply)

• Gym membership reimbursement
• On-site fitness classes
• Mental health counseling
• Nutrition guidance
• Smoking cessation programs

(This helps identify popular wellness initiatives.)

3. How strongly do you agree with the statement: "I feel supported in maintaining my mental health through our current benefits"?
(Assesses the perceived adequacy of mental health support.)

4. What additional health or wellness benefits would you like to see offered?
(Captures ideas not covered in existing options.)

5. How easy is it for you to access information about your health benefits?
(Evaluates the accessibility of health benefits information.)

6. Rank the following health benefits in order of importance to you (1 being most important):

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Prescription drug coverage
• Alternative medicine coverage

(Helps prioritize different aspects of health coverage.)

Financial Benefits

7. How confident are you in your ability to retire comfortably based on our current retirement benefits?
(Gauges perception of retirement benefit adequacy.)

8. Which of the following financial wellness programs would you find most valuable? (Select up to three)

• Financial planning workshops
• Student loan repayment assistance
• Emergency savings programs
• Investment advice
• Budgeting tools

(Identifies preferred financial wellness initiatives.)

9. How strongly do you agree with the statement: "I understand how to maximize my 401(k) benefits"?
(Assesses employee understanding of retirement benefits.)

10. What additional financial benefits or resources would help you feel more financially secure?
(Gathers ideas for financial support.)

11. How satisfied are you with the company's contribution to your retirement savings?
(Evaluates satisfaction with a specific aspect of financial benefits.)

Work-Life Balance

12. How strongly do you agree with the statement: "My current benefits package supports a healthy work-life balance"?
(Assesses overall perception of work-life balance support.)

13. Which of the following flexible work arrangements would you most value? (Select your top two)

• Remote work options
• Flexible start/end times
• Compressed workweek
• Job sharing
• Part-time options

(Identifies preferred flexible work arrangements.)

14. How satisfied are you with the amount of paid time off (PTO) provided?
(Evaluates satisfaction with a specific work-life balance benefit.)

15. What additional work-life balance benefits would you like to see offered?
(Gathers new ideas for supporting work-life balance.)

16. How easy is it for you to use your paid time off when needed?
(Assesses the practical accessibility of PTO benefits.)

Professional Development

17. How strongly do you agree with the statement: "The company provides adequate opportunities for professional growth and development"?
(Evaluates overall perception of professional development support.)

18. Which of the following professional development benefits would you find most valuable? (Select up to two)

• Tuition reimbursement
• Professional certification support
• Conference attendance
• Mentorship programs
• Online course subscriptions

(Identifies preferred professional development initiatives.)

19. How satisfied are you with the company's support for your career advancement?
(Assesses satisfaction with career progression opportunities.)

20. What additional professional development resources would help you achieve your career goals?
(Gathers ideas for enhancing professional development offerings.)

Family Benefits

21. How strongly do you agree with the statement: "Our current benefits adequately support employees with families"?
(Evaluates overall perception of family-friendly benefits.)

22. Which of the following family-related benefits would you find most valuable? (Select up to three)

• Parental leave
• Childcare subsidies
• Fertility treatment coverage
• Adoption assistance
• Elder care support

(Identifies preferred family-oriented benefits.)

23. How satisfied are you with the company's parental leave policy?
(Assesses satisfaction with a specific family benefit.)

24. What additional family-related benefits would you like to see offered?
(Gathers new ideas for supporting employees with families.)

Benefits Communication and Accessibility

25. How do you currently receive information about your benefits? (Select all that apply)

• Email
• Communication App
• Company intranet
• Printed materials
• In-person meetings
• Text messages

(Helps understand how workers access benefits information.)

26. How strongly do you agree with the statement: "I understand all the benefits available to me"?
(Assesses the effectiveness of benefits communication.)

27. How easy is it for you to find answers to questions about your benefits?
(Evaluates the accessibility of benefits information.)

28. What is your preferred method for learning about benefits updates or changes?
(Identifies communication preferences for benefits information.)

29. How satisfied are you with the clarity of information provided during benefits enrollment periods? (Assesses the effectiveness of enrollment communication.)

General Satisfaction and Preferences

30. Overall, how satisfied are you with your current benefits package?
(Provides a general measure of benefits satisfaction.)

31. Rank the following benefit categories in order of importance to you (1 being most important):

• Health and wellness
• Financial benefits
• Work-life balance
• Professional development
• Family benefits

(Helps prioritize different benefit categories.)

32. How strongly do you agree with the statement: "Our benefits package is competitive with other employers in our industry"?
(Assesses perceived competitiveness of the benefits package.)

33. If you could change one thing about our current benefits package, what would it be and why?
(Identifies the most pressing benefits concerns or desires.)

This mix of question types across various benefit categories will give you comprehensive insights into employee preferences, satisfaction levels, and improvement areas. The questions addressing communication methods and accessibility help you better reach all employees, including those without regular desk access.

Sample Employee Benefits Survey Questions for Non-Desk Workers

Non-desk or frontline employees—such as those in manufacturing, construction, logistics, and healthcare—often have different expectations and access levels when it comes to benefits. These questions are designed to reflect the realities of their work environments, ensuring your benefits strategy is inclusive, accessible, and impactful for your entire workforce. 

Health and Wellness Benefits

1. On a scale of 1–5, how easy is it for you to schedule a doctor’s appointment around your work hours?
(Measures accessibility of health coverage in real-life settings.)
2. Which of the following wellness resources would be most useful to you? (Select all that apply)

• Mental health counseling
• Stress management support
• Access to on-site or nearby health clinics
• Access to health professionals for physical job-related issues

(Identifies practical wellness initiatives relevant to physically demanding jobs.)
3. What challenges, if any, have you faced when trying to use your health benefits? (Surfaces real-life obstacles in using available health benefits.)

4. Would it be helpful to receive health benefit reminders or information via text message? (Assesses preference for mobile communication and reminders.)

5. What could make it easier for you to take advantage of health or wellness benefits? (Select all that apply)

• More reminders or information via text message
• Easier-to-understand instructions
• Access to support during my shift hours
• Help from a supervisor or HR rep
• Simplified enrollment process
• Ability to ask questions via text
• Having someone explain it to me in my preferred language
• Other: _______

(Identifies common accessibility improvements and preferred support channels.)

6. What could make it easier for you to take advantage of health or wellness benefits? (Open-ended)
(Allows employees to suggest additional solutions or barriers not listed above.)

Financial Benefits

7. Which of the following financial benefits would you find most helpful? (Select up to three)

• Emergency savings
• Budgeting help
• Direct deposit support
• Retirement plan education
• Short-term loans or advances

(Highlights the most pressing financial needs of hourly or shift-based workers.)

8. On a scale of 1–5, how confident are you in understanding your pay, retirement, or savings options? (Evaluates financial literacy and awareness of available benefits.)

9. Do you currently use any digital tools to manage your financial benefits?

• Yes
• No
• I wasn’t aware those were available

(Surfaces potential gaps in digital engagement with financial benefits.)

10. What additional financial tools or support would make your life easier?
(Uncovers unmet needs related to money management and planning.)

11. Which of the following financial benefits would you find most helpful? (Select up to three)

- Emergency savings program

- Financial coaching or budgeting help

- Help with direct deposit setup

- Retirement plan education

- Access to short-term loans or pay advances

12. On a scale of 1–5, how confident are you in understanding your pay, retirement, or savings options?

13. What additional financial tools or support would make your life easier? (Open-ended)

Work-Life Balance

14. Rank the following in order of importance to your work-life balance (1 = most important):

Predictable work schedules

• Enough paid time off (PTO)
• Flexibility to swap shifts
• Break time and rest accommodations
• Advance notice of schedule changes

(Clarifies which policies best support balance in physically demanding or time-rigid roles.)

15. How strongly do you agree with the following statement:
“I can take time off when I need to without worrying about negative consequences.”
(Reveals cultural or operational blockers to using PTO.)

16. How easy is it for you to request time off or change your schedule?

• Very easy
• Somewhat easy
• Somewhat difficult
• Very difficult

(Assesses friction in common work-life balance workflows.)

17. What one change would most improve your work-life balance?
(Allows for qualitative insights into day-to-day stressors.)

18. Do you feel you have enough flexibility to manage personal or family responsibilities around your work schedule?

Professional Development

19. Which of the following development opportunities would you be most interested in? (Select up to three)

• Skills certifications (e.g., forklift, safety training)
• Cross-training for other roles
• Leadership development programs
• GED or education assistance
• Apprenticeship or mentorship programs
• Other: ______

(Identifies career mobility programs that resonate with frontline roles.)

20. On a scale of 1–5, how supported do you feel in growing your career at this company?
(Measures perception of advancement potential and organizational support.)

21. Have you been offered training or development opportunities in the last 12 months?

• Yes
• No
• Not sure

(Assesses reach and visibility of current development offerings.)

22. What’s one skill or area you’d like to be trained in to do your job better or take on more responsibility? (Collects ideas for targeted, role-specific training initiatives.)

Family Benefits

23. How well do our current benefits support your family or caregiving needs?

• Very well
• Somewhat well
• Not well
• I’m not sure what’s available

(Measures alignment between benefit design and caregiving realities.)

24. Which of the following family-related benefits would you find most valuable? (Select all that apply)

• Childcare subsidies
• Backup care for children or elders
• Paid parental leave
• School break coverage or stipends
• Family transportation or commuting support

(Prioritizes high-impact, often-overlooked benefits for hourly workers.)

25. How satisfied are you with the parental leave policy at our company?
(Assesses awareness and satisfaction of current offerings.)

26. What additional family-related benefit would be most helpful to you right now?
(Provides visibility into emerging family or life-stage needs.)

Benefits Communication and Accessibility

27. How do you currently receive information about your benefits? (Select all that apply)

• Text messages
• Printed flyers or posters
• Supervisor or manager announcements
• HR in-person visits
• I don’t receive benefits information

(Identifies existing communication channels and possible breakdowns.)

28. What is your preferred way to learn about benefits or updates? (Select one)

• Text message
• Paper handout
• In-person meeting
• I don’t want to receive updates

(Surfaces preferred communication method for reaching non-desk teams.)

29. How strongly do you agree with the following statement:
“I understand the benefits available to me and how to use them.”
(Measures comprehension and confidence in using benefits.)

30. What would make it easier for you to learn about or access your benefits?
(Gathers ideas for improving education and access pathways.)

General Satisfaction and Preferences

31. Overall, how satisfied are you with your benefits package as a frontline employee? (Scale of 1–5) (Provides a baseline for overall sentiment and comparisons.)

32. If you could improve one thing about how we communicate or deliver benefits to non-desk employees, what would it be? (Uncovers pain points in accessibility and experience.)

33. Do you feel your needs are considered when benefits decisions are made?

• Yes
• Sometimes
• No
• I don’t know

(Assesses inclusivity of benefits planning and perception of equity.)

Best Practices for Conducting Employee Benefits Surveys

Want to maximize participation and get honest feedback on your employee benefits survey questions? Here's how to run effective benefits surveys:

Timing and Frequency

The timing of your survey can make or break its effectiveness. To ensure thoughtful responses, avoid sending surveys during periods of peak stress or distraction. This includes major deadlines, product launches, financial closings, and holiday seasons. For retail and seasonal businesses, steer clear of your busiest months altogether.

Aim to send your main benefits survey three to four months before open enrollment. This gives your HR team time to analyze the results and make adjustments based on the feedback. Many organizations see strong results with one comprehensive annual survey, typically in the first or second quarter, supported by occasional pulse surveys that take just a few minutes to complete. This rhythm provides a mix of deep insights and regular check-ins, while avoiding burnout from over-surveying.

Consistent timing each year also helps you track trends over time and build a benchmark for comparison.

Clear Communication

Employees are more likely to respond when they understand the purpose behind the survey and believe their input will lead to real change. Start by announcing the survey in advance through a mix of internal channels—emails, staff meetings, one-on-one conversations with managers, and text updates if available. Make it clear that the goal is to improve benefits based on employee feedback.

Reinforce your commitment to confidentiality, and explain who will see the results and how they will be used. Be transparent about how long the survey will take and provide a realistic deadline. Give employees seven to ten business days to respond so they can participate at their convenience.

Follow up with friendly reminders, using the communication channels that work best for different employee groups. Once the survey closes, share high-level results and outline what actions you plan to take. Closing the loop shows that employee feedback is valued and helps build trust for future surveys.

Accessibility

To truly understand your workforce, you need to make sure everyone can participate. This means designing surveys that work across different devices, languages, and job settings.

Use a mobile-first approach so surveys display clearly on smartphones and tablets. Optimize question formats for small screens to reduce frustration. For field-based or non-desk employees, SMS-based surveys are ideal. They allow employees to respond during breaks or on the go without needing to download an app or log in.

In settings where technology access is limited, consider offering kiosks in break rooms or providing paper versions of the survey. Digital tools are easier to analyze, but paper surveys may still be the most practical solution in some environments.

If your workforce includes multiple languages, use translation services to ensure your survey is accessible. Also make sure your survey is accessible for employees with disabilities by following web accessibility standards and offering alternative formats when needed.

Time is another form of accessibility. Surveys should be short enough to complete during a standard break—ideally no more than 10 minutes.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is essential for gathering honest, candid responses, especially when it comes to sensitive topics like health needs, finances, or family care. Make sure employees understand that their identities will not be linked to their answers.

Clearly explain how responses are collected, who will see the raw data, and how privacy will be protected. Many organizations use external survey platforms to create a sense of neutrality and enhance trust in the process.

When asking demographic questions, avoid categories that could unintentionally identify individuals. Use age ranges instead of exact ages, and group smaller teams together if there are fewer than 10 respondents per department. If employee IDs are used to track completion, make sure any identifying information is kept separate from survey responses.

Implement and communicate clear data retention policies. Let employees know how long the data will be stored and when it will be securely deleted or anonymized. Sharing the full confidentiality process—including who will analyze the data and how it will be reported—can significantly increase participation rates and response quality.

Transform Your Benefits Strategy with Strategic Employee Benefits Survey Questions

When designed and executed effectively, employee benefits surveys can shift your benefits program from a reactive cost center into a proactive retention tool. They reveal what your employees truly value, helping you prioritize high-impact offerings, improve communication, and address gaps that may otherwise go unnoticed. Regular surveys create a feedback loop that not only improves satisfaction but also helps you stay ahead of changing expectations.

This is especially important when reaching non-desk workers, who often don’t have access to traditional HR systems or email. That’s where Yourco stands out.

As the leading SMS-based employee communication platform, Yourco makes employee survey distribution effortless by delivering surveys directly to employees’ mobile phones via text. There’s no need to download an app, log into a portal, or remember passwords—just a quick, familiar SMS message that gets read and answered in real time. This approach is ideal for field teams, shift workers, and employees on the move.

Beyond simple delivery, Yourco includes built-in polling and survey functionality, allowing you to create, send, and manage customized benefits surveys within the same platform you already use for employee communication. These tools are designed for speed and ease of use, ensuring high response rates without adding administrative overhead. You can even schedule the messages so that it reaches different workers during their shift times!

Yourco also offers AI-powered automatic translations in over 135 languages. This ensures that every employee can understand the survey questions and respond in their preferred language, breaking down language barriers that often limit participation in multilingual teams.

Finally, Yourco's analytics and insights dashboard turns raw survey responses into actionable data. You can instantly view trends, identify areas of concern, and filter responses by location, department, or role. These insights help HR teams make confident, data-driven decisions about benefits strategy and communication improvements.

With Yourco, you don’t just collect feedback—you turn it into smarter decisions and a more connected workforce. Try Yourco for free today or schedule a demo to see how easy and effective your next employee benefits survey can be.