Employee Benefits Survey Template: Learn What Employees Really Want

Employee benefits are a significant financial investment — and a critical part of attracting and retaining top talent. But to see a true return on that investment, your benefits package must align with what your employees actually value and need. How do you learn which benefits they like and which they could do without? You ask them.

Employee benefits surveys are a powerful tool for gathering direct, actionable feedback that can help your business make data-informed decisions to optimize its benefits plans. In this article, we’ll break down what employee benefits surveys are, why they matter, the key questions to include, and best practices to ensure you get meaningful, honest responses.

What are employee benefits surveys? 

Employee benefits surveys gather employee feedback on specific benefits, like health insurance, retirement plans, workplace perks, and paid leave. By measuring and tracking employee satisfaction with benefits, your HR team can identify what’s working well and where your package can be improved. Survey insights can help you determine which benefits and perks to keep, retire, or introduce, enabling your business to curate a better benefits program that supports employee satisfaction, retention, and overall wellbeing.

Why should businesses conduct employee benefits surveys?

Wondering if an employee benefits survey could help your organization? Here’s a closer look at how these surveys can provide useful insights into what your employees value.

1. Keep pace with evolving employee needs.

The benefits that serve your employees well today may not meet their needs a few years from now. As your business evolves — say by expanding and hiring more early-in-career talent — interest may grow in perks like professional development, tuition reimbursement, or student loan repayment. Over time, that same group might move toward starting their families and prefer benefits like health coverage for dependents, childcare help, or flexible work. Regularly reassessing your offerings through employee benefits surveys ensures your program keeps pace with changing employee needs and expectations.

2. Optimize benefits based on usage and impact.

The benefits you offer don’t always translate to value in the eyes of your employees. Some programs may be costly or complex to administer but go underutilized simply because employees don’t fully understand them, don’t see their relevance, or aren’t aware they exist. Benefits surveys can help uncover gaps between what your business offers and what your employees actually use — enabling HR teams to focus resources on high-impact programs and sunset those that fall flat.

3. Offer competitive benefits that attract and retain top talent.

Benefits are a key component of your employee total rewards and a major factor in attracting and retaining top talent. To stay a competitive employer, your business’s offerings need to be both compelling and relevant to your workforce. Using benchmarks to monitor the benefits offered by industry peers can help your business understand how to enhance its offerings. A well-designed, up-to-date benefits package not only supports recruitment and retention but also signals your commitment to employee engagement, wellbeing, and long-term growth.

When should you send a benefits survey? 

The best time to send a benefits survey is 3-5 months before your annual benefits planning cycle begins. This gives your HR team enough lead time to evaluate current offerings, explore additional benefits options, and make data-informed decisions.

In addition to an annual survey, consider sending shorter pulse surveys throughout the year to stay attuned to employee needs. These can be especially valuable in the following scenarios: 

• After open enrollment, to assess what employees thought of the process
• Midyear, to evaluate how benefits are supporting employees
• Following major policy updates or workplace changes, like a return to office

Pulse surveys help your business demonstrate that it takes employee feedback seriously and uses it to inform meaningful improvements to your benefits offerings.

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Employee Benefits Survey Template: 36 Questions to Consider for Your Next Survey 

Ready to build your own survey? Here are some essential employee benefits survey questions to help you collect honest and actionable feedback. We’ve included the question type alongside each one so you can ensure a balanced mix of formats. We recommend that benefits surveys have 30 or fewer questions, so only pick the ones that are most relevant to your business.

Healthcare and Insurance Questions

1. How strongly do you agree with the following statement: I understand [company name]’s benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, life and disability insurance benefits, etc. (Likert scale)
2. How easy is it to find information about our company’s health benefits? (Multiple choice)
3. Which of the following best describes your understanding of your current health insurance plan? (Multiple choice)
4. To what extent do you agree with the following statement: I am satisfied with my access to primary care providers. (Likert scale)
5. How strongly do you agree with the following statement: I am satisfied with the current deductible amounts in my health insurance plan. (Likert scale)
6. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement: I feel the monthly premium I pay for my health insurance is reasonable based on the coverage provided. (Likert scale)
7. How strongly do you agree with the following statement: I am satisfied with [benefit name]. (Likert scale)
8. You indicated that you are currently dissatisfied with [benefit name]. Please indicate why you are dissatisfied with this benefit by checking all that apply. (Multiple choice)
9. If you are not enrolled in health insurance through [company name] today, where do you currently hold coverage? (Multiple choice)
10. What type of health benefits would better support your current or future needs? (Open-ended)

Financial and Retirement Benefits Questions

1. Do you currently contribute to our company’s 401(k) plan? (Multiple choice)
2. To what extent do you agree with the following statement: I feel confident about my retirement planning based on the benefits provided. (Likert scale)
3. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement: I am interested in financial wellness resources (e.g., budgeting tools, debt management, retirement planning). (Likert scale)
4. What additional financial benefits would you find valuable (e.g., student loan repayment, emergency savings plan)? (Multiple choice or open-ended)

Perks and Wellness Questions

1. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement: I am satisfied with our company’s perks (e.g., gym membership, wellness programs, in-office lunches). (Likert scale)
2. Which perks and wellness initiatives are most important to you? Please rank the options in order of preference (1 = most important, 5 = least important). (Rank choice)
3. How often do you use our [wellness benefit name] perk? (Multiple choice)
4. If [company name] were to add to the benefits currently offered, which of the following would be of most interest to you? Please select your top three choices. (Multiple choice)
5. If you have suggestions for new benefits or perks, let us know what you'd like to see included in our company’s offerings. (Open-ended)
6. Please indicate your agreement with the following statement: The company supports my mental health and wellbeing. (Likert scale)
7. To what extent do you agree with the following statement: Our benefits package supports my overall wellbeing. (Likert scale)

Paid Time Off (PTO) and Work-Life Balance Questions

1. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement: I feel comfortable taking paid time off when I need it. (Likert scale)
2. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement: I feel comfortable taking sick leave when I need it. (Likert scale)
3. To what extent do you agree with the following statement: I feel supported by my manager when requesting time off. (Likert scale)
4. Have you ever avoided taking time off due to workload or team coverage concerns? (Multiple choice) 
5. To what extent do you agree with the following statement: I have a good work-life balance at [company name]. (Likert scale)
6. How strongly do you agree with the following statement: I feel the company’s benefits support me as a remote/hybrid/in-office employee. (Likert scale)
7. What additional support would help you work more effectively in your current work environment? (Open-ended)

Overall Benefits Package Questions

1. How does [company name]’s benefits package compare to your previous employer’s? (Multiple choice)
2. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement: I am likely to recommend our benefits package to a friend or colleague. (Likert scale)
3. If you could improve one thing about [company name]’s benefits package, what would it be? (Open-ended)
4. Which current benefits do you find most valuable? (Multiple choice or ranking)
5. Please indicate your agreement with the following statement: Our benefits offerings meet the diverse needs of employees across different life stages and circumstances. (Likert scale)
6. Are there any benefits you feel are not inclusive or accessible to all employees? If so, why? (Open-ended)
7. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement: I feel well-informed about changes or updates to my benefits. (Likert scale)
8. What’s your preferred way to learn about new and existing benefits? (Multiple choice)

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6 Employee Benefits Survey Best Practices 

Before you start building your own employee benefits survey, here are a few best practices to keep in mind. 

1. Keep it brief.

Survey fatigue is real — especially when your respondents are already being asked to complete engagement, pulse, onboarding, satisfaction, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) surveys. To encourage participation, keep your employees’ attention, and still gather meaningful insights, it’s important to keep your questionnaires concise. Aim for no more than 30 well-crafted questions to respect employees’ time while still capturing the data you need.

2. Use a mix of question types.

Collecting both qualitative and quantitative feedback empowers your business to make smarter, more informed decisions about your benefits package. The most effective way to collect both types of feedback? Incorporating a thoughtful mix of question types into your surveys. 

While yes/no questions can be useful for quick health checks, they often lack the color and depth needed to evaluate which offerings to keep, add, or retire. A balanced approach — combining multiple choice, Likert scale, and open-ended questions, among others — provides a more nuanced understanding of employee preferences and behaviors. These richer insights are often much more valuable to your business, helping you ensure benefits decisions are grounded in both measurable trends and real employee experiences.

3. Anonymize responses to encourage honesty.

Employees are more likely to hold back when they worry their feedback could be traced to them. Using a survey tool that prioritizes employee anonymity, like Lattice Engagement, can ensure your employees feel comfortable enough to speak their minds. When employees feel safe sharing candid feedback, you gain access to more authentic, unfiltered insights. This honesty is essential for making meaningful, targeted improvements to your benefits program.

4. Be transparent about how results will be used.

When launching your survey, clearly communicate the purpose behind it: to gather feedback that will help your business make meaningful improvements to your benefits offerings. This transparency encourages both participation and honesty. When employees understand that their input can directly influence change, they’re more likely to engage thoughtfully and share the candid feedback your business needs to make informed, impactful decisions.

5. Analyze data by employee demographics.

Don’t stop at surface-level insights — dig deeper by filtering your survey results by key demographics like age, gender, and tenure. This helps you understand how different employee groups experience and value your benefits. For example, flexible or remote work arrangements may be especially important to working parents, while younger employees might prioritize health plan affordability and coverage. These insights can help you tailor your offerings to better support the diverse needs of your workforce.

6. Share findings and next steps.

To drive accountability and build trust with employees, share your employee benefits survey results openly, whether in an all-hands meeting or a company-wide update, and clearly outline the actions your business plans to take as a result. This transparency keeps employees engaged in the process, showing them that their voices matter and drive real change within your organization.

Run employee benefits surveys with Lattice.

With Lattice, your business can continuously gather, analyze, and act on employee feedback to create a benefits experience that truly meets your team’s needs. From employee survey tools to centralized dashboards, Lattice gives you access to the insights you need to drive meaningful improvements year-round. 

Download our benefits survey template to gain data before enrollment season, or request a free demo of Lattice today to see how your business can design a benefits package that puts your employees’ needs first.