50 Employee Recognition Survey Questions + Free Template

Employee recognition is crucial for keeping your team engaged and loyal. In fact, lack of recognition is often cited as the number one reason employees leave their jobs, and 66% of employees say they would quit if they felt unappreciated. While many HR teams run engagement or employee benefits surveys (focusing on perks like insurance and time off), it's just as vital to assess how valued your people feel at work. Employee recognition surveys let you gather honest feedback on whether staff feel appreciated, and they uncover ways to improve your recognition programs. By asking the right questions and acting on the answers, you can build a culture of appreciation and boost morale and retention.

Below are 50 essential employee recognition survey questions, organized by category. These questions (and the free template provided) will help ensure you cover all angles – from how often employees are praised to the fairness and impact of your recognition efforts. Feel free to customize them to fit your organization’s voice and needs.

Recognition Frequency and Satisfaction

Regular acknowledgment fuels engagement. This category gauges how often employees receive praise and if it's enough. Consistent recognition can strengthen belonging and motivation, so it's important to see if current frequency meets employee expectations.

• How often do you receive acknowledgment for your work? (e.g. Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Rarely/Never)
• On a scale of 1 (Not at all) to 5 (Extremely), how satisfied are you with the frequency of recognition you receive?
• Do you feel you are recognized promptly after accomplishing something noteworthy? (Yes/No)
• How important is receiving regular recognition to you personally? (Not Important → Highly Important)
• Ideally, how often should good work be recognized in our organization? (Open-ended or multiple choice for expected frequency)

Quality and Impact of Recognition

It’s not just about how often, but how meaningful the recognition is. High-quality, specific praise can boost morale and performance, whereas a generic “thanks” might fall flat. In fact, over 80% of employees say they work harder when they feel appreciated, highlighting the impact of genuine recognition on motivation.

• Do you feel the recognition you receive is meaningful and specific to your contributions? (Strongly Disagree → Strongly Agree)
• Does being recognized for your work improve your motivation or productivity? (Likert scale or Yes/No)
• Are you acknowledged for the effort you put in, even if a project doesn’t succeed? (Yes/No)
• “The recognition I receive makes me feel valued and appreciated.” – How much do you agree with this statement? (1–5 scale)
• Can you recall a time when recognition at work really boosted your morale? (Open-ended – describe what happened)

Fairness and Inclusivity of Recognition

Employees need to perceive that everyone has an equal chance to be recognized, regardless of role, team, or background. This section checks for any signs of favoritism or bias in how praise is distributed, supporting a fair and inclusive culture.

• Do you believe recognition is given out fairly across all employees in our organization? (Very Unfair → Very Fair)
• “Everyone has an equal chance to be recognized here, regardless of role or background.” – Do you agree? (Strongly Disagree → Strongly Agree)
• Have you ever felt overlooked for praise or recognition you deserved? (Yes/No)
• Do you notice any patterns of bias in who gets recognized (e.g. certain departments or groups get more praise)? (Yes/No)
• What suggestions do you have to make our recognition practices more fair and inclusive for everyone? (Open-ended)

Manager and Peer Recognition

Recognition can come from different sources. Managerial recognition is a top driver of feeling valued, but peer-to-peer appreciation also fosters a supportive team spirit. (Notably, surveys show 41% of employees want to be recognized by peers and 37% by their managers) These questions explore whether employees get enough kudos from both their supervisors and coworkers.

• Does your direct manager provide enough recognition for your work? (Never → Always, or Yes/No)
• When was the last time your manager thanked you or acknowledged your contribution? (e.g. Within the past week, past month, >3 months, never)
• Do team members frequently recognize or praise each other’s work? (Never, Sometimes, Often, Always)
• Do you feel comfortable giving recognition to your peers when they do good work? (Very Uncomfortable → Very Comfortable)
• Have you ever received recognition from a coworker that was especially meaningful to you? (Yes/No; if yes, you could ask for an example)

Recognition for New Hires 

Early recognition can shape a new employee’s experience. Recognition in the first weeks or months helps newcomers feel welcome and engaged. (For instance, research found that recognizing employees within their first month cuts attrition risk by nearly 90% – highlighting how crucial early praise is for retention.) This category checks if your onboarding process makes rookies feel valued.

• I felt valued and appreciated during my first 90 days at the company. (Strongly Disagree → Strongly Agree)
• Did you receive any form of recognition from your manager or team in your early weeks (e.g. after training or your first project)? (Yes/No)
• Did recognition during your onboarding help you feel more connected to the team and company? (Not at all → Very much)
• How important is it for you to receive positive feedback in your first few months here? (Not Important → Very Important)
• What could we do to better recognize and welcome new employees? (Open-ended suggestions)

Try Our Free Employee Recognition Survey Template:

Creating a survey from scratch can be time-consuming. To save time, you can use BlockSurvey’s Employee Recognition Survey template, which comes pre-loaded with expertly crafted questions (like the ones above).

Sign up for BlockSurvey to customize the template and collect feedback effortlessly.

Recognizing Remote and Hybrid Employees

In today’s flexible work environment, remote and hybrid staff should feel just as appreciated as those on-site. This section gauges whether recognition practices are inclusive of employees regardless of location, helping maintain an equitable culture for distributed teams.

• Do you agree that remote employees are as appreciated and recognized as in-office employees? (Strongly Disagree → Strongly Agree)
• If you work remotely, do you feel included in team celebrations and recognition moments? (Yes/No)
• Does our team use tools (e.g. video calls or chat) to shout-out and recognize remote colleagues? (Yes/No)
• Have you ever felt left out of recognition because you were not physically in the office? (Yes/No)
• What can we do to improve recognition for remote or off-site team members? (Open-ended)

Alignment with Company Values and Goals

When recognition is tied to what the organization cares about – such as core values or key goals – it reinforces the right behaviors. These questions examine whether your recognition efforts highlight and encourage alignment with company values, mission, and objectives.

• Do our recognition programs highlight behaviors that reflect our company’s values (e.g. teamwork, innovation, customer service)? (Yes/No or Agree/Disagree)
• Have you ever been recognized for exemplifying a company core value? (Yes/No)
• Does being recognized for upholding our values motivate you to continue doing so? (Not at all → Very much)
• Do you feel the company celebrates achievements that contribute to our broader goals, not just hitting sales or output targets? (Agree/Disagree)
• Can you think of a time someone was praised for demonstrating our values? (Open-ended, to get examples)

Team vs. Individual Recognition

A well-rounded program celebrates both team wins and individual accomplishments. Some employees love being recognized as part of a group; others highly value personal praise. This section checks if there's a good balance and what employees prefer.

• Our company does a good job recognizing team achievements. (Strongly Disagree → Strongly Agree)
• Our company does a good job recognizing individual contributions. (Strongly Disagree → Strongly Agree)
• Do you feel your personal contributions are acknowledged even when you work on a team project? (Yes/No)
• Have you been part of a team that was publicly recognized for its success? (Yes/No)
• Which is more motivating to you: being recognized as a team or being recognized individually? (Open-ended or multiple choice – e.g. “Team recognition/Individual recognition/Both equally”)

Feedback on Recognition Programs and Tools

If your organization has a formal recognition program or platform (e.g. an employee shout-out board or rewards system), it's important to know how well it's working. These questions gather input on awareness and ease of use of any recognition tools, and invite ideas for improvement.

• Are you aware of our company’s employee recognition program or any formal tools we use for recognition? (Yes/No)
• Have you ever used the recognition platform or process (to give or receive recognition)? (Yes/No)
• How would you rate the effectiveness of our current recognition program? (1–5, or Poor → Excellent)
• Is it easy for you to recognize a colleague using the current system (or process)? (Strongly Disagree → Strongly Agree that it's easy)
• What improvements would you suggest for our employee recognition program or tools? (Open-ended)

Personal Preferences and General Feedback

Every employee might value recognition a bit differently. This final section lets you capture individual preferences on how they like to be recognized, and any other feedback. Understanding these preferences can help tailor your recognition efforts to be more impactful.

• What type of recognition do you find most meaningful? (Open-ended, e.g. public praise, a private thank-you, awards, small gifts, etc.)
• Do you prefer to receive recognition privately one-on-one, or publicly in front of your team? (Multiple choice: Privately/Publicly/No strong preference)
• Are tangible rewards (like bonuses or gift cards) important to you when being recognized, or is a sincere thank-you enough? (Open-ended or multiple choice to gauge preference)
• Would you like more opportunities to personally recognize or thank your colleagues (e.g. peer shout-outs in meetings)? (Yes/No)
• Is there anything else you'd like to share about how we recognize employees or how we could improve? (Open-ended for any additional comments)

Get Started with Your Free Survey Template

Designing an effective recognition survey becomes much easier when you have the right tools. BlockSurvey’s platform allows you to run anonymous, user-friendly surveys so employees feel safe giving honest feedback. Ready to boost your workplace appreciation? Sign up for BlockSurvey and launch the free template to start gathering insights today. You'll be on your way to building a stronger culture of recognition and reaping the benefits of a happier, more engaged team.