Top Employee Feedback Questions to Improve Engagement

Strong employee communication in the field is the backbone of a successful landscaping or field-service business. It keeps crews aligned, ensures work gets done safely and on time, and helps employees feel connected, even when they’re scattered across job sites.

But good communication isn’t only about pushing information out. The real difference comes when communication flows both ways—and when it leads to action, not noise. Employees want to be heard, and companies that consistently collect and act on feedback see higher engagement, lower turnover, and stronger team culture.

So why is it so hard to get meaningful feedback, especially from field crews? And what can you do to change that?

In collaboration with Wilson360, we created a free ebook, Building an Engaged Workforce, to answer those questions. It’s designed as a field guide, with practical recommendations for how to reach employees, what to say, and how to invite their input.

Below, we’ll share a preview of one of the ebook’s most useful sections: the employee feedback questions that unlock conversations with your workforce.

Why Employee Feedback Is Hard to Get

Many leaders ask for feedback but are met with silence. It’s not that employees don’t have opinions; they just don’t always share them. Here’s why:

• Time constraints: Field crews are moving fast and don’t have time for long surveys.
• Lack of comfort: Employees may hesitate to speak up in meetings or to a supervisor.
• Skepticism: Some doubt that their feedback will actually lead to change.

Without a clear system for collecting feedback, these barriers persist. That leaves leadership in the dark and employees feeling disconnected.

Why Feedback Matters More Than Ever

Research shows that when employees feel heard, they are:

• More engaged in their work.
• Less likely to leave for another employer.
• More invested in company goals and culture.

In other words, knowing how to get feedback from employees is one of the most effective ways to improve employee engagement and strengthen retention.

The Power of Simple, Well-Timed Questions

The ebook emphasizes that the most effective way to collect feedback isn’t through lengthy, one-size-fits-all surveys. Instead, it’s about asking short, specific questions at the right moments. These employee engagement questions are easy to answer and provide leaders with immediate insights.

Here are some examples from the field guide:

• Onboarding & Training: Did you feel prepared for your job after your first week? Why or why not?
  
  
• Job Satisfaction: Do you have the tools and resources you need to do your job well?
  
  
• Retention & Engagement: What’s one thing that would make you more likely to stay long-term?
  
  
• Safety & Working Conditions: Have you noticed any hazards that need to be addressed?
  
  
• Communication & Leadership: Do you feel informed about company goals and changes?
  
  
• Culture & Morale: What’s one thing we could do to make work more enjoyable?

Each of these employee engagement survey questions takes seconds to answer but gives leadership insights they can act on immediately.

How to Make Feedback Part of Daily Operations

Asking questions is only the starting point. Lasting impact comes when feedback becomes a natural part of daily operations. The ebook outlines several ways to build it into your routine:

• Onboarding Check-Ins: Ask new hires for input after their first 30 days. This helps identify gaps in training and sets the tone that their voice matters and supports broader efforts to improve new hire retention.

• Project Milestones: After a big job or seasonal rush, check in with crews about what went well and what could improve.

• Safety Huddles: Add a quick feedback question to your regular safety or shift meetings.

• Text Surveys: Send one-question text polls for quick, high-response insights.

• Quarterly Pulse Checks: Instead of long surveys, use simple yes/no or scale-based questions to measure engagement over time.

By spreading these opportunities throughout the year, feedback stops being a chore and becomes part of the everyday rhythm of work. For even more time savings, consider automating common employee communications like check-ins and reminders.

Acting on Feedback: The Step Leaders Often Miss

Collecting feedback is only half the equation. The most important part is what you do with it. Employees need to see that their input leads to acknowledgment and, when possible, action.

The ebook recommends a few simple steps to close the loop:

• Acknowledge every response: A quick “Thanks for sharing” makes employees feel valued.

• Share results: Summarize themes or survey findings in a meeting or text update.

• Act on common themes: If multiple employees raise the same issue, make it a priority.

• Be transparent when change isn’t possible: If you can’t act on a suggestion, explain why and offer alternatives.

When leaders consistently follow through, employees begin to trust that their voices make a difference. That trust is what drives long-term engagement and retention.

Employee Communication Tools That Make Feedback Easy

Another critical piece of effective feedback is choosing the right channel. The ebook compares the strengths and weaknesses of email, phone calls, texts, paper, and in-person conversations. For field crews, text messaging often stands out as the most effective option:

• Quick and easy to respond to.
• Works even if employees don’t have smartphones.
• Can be used for pulse surveys and simple yes/no questions.

With Team Engine, leaders can take it a step further by automating feedback collection, storing conversations securely, and even translating responses across languages to make sure every voice is heard.

Download the Free Employee Communication Field Guide

At the end of the day, strong teams start with strong communication. And that means going beyond one-way announcements to create real conversations.

If you’re ready to strengthen communication at every level of your business, our free ebook with Wilson360 is the perfect place to start. It’s packed with practical tips, real-world examples, and dozens of ready-to-use employee engagement survey questions to help you build trust, boost employee engagement, and improve retention.

Download the ebook here!

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