How to Create Inspiring Employee Engagement Survey Invitations (5 Sample Emails Included)

We all know this. Positive work culture and healthy work environment lead to engaged employees, which ultimately benefits your organization's bottom line.

Take it from Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos and advocate of company culture:

"At the end of the day, just remember that if you get the culture right, most of the other stuff -- including building a great brand - will fall into place on its own."

An employee engagement survey is one of the steps for creating this awesome work environment.

But what happens when your employees don't even open your employee engagement survey invitations? 

Not hard to guess: a less-than-average response rate. 

So how are you supposed to improve your workplace conditions and culture if your employees don't want to voice their opinions?

Discover key steps and best practices to make your invitation emails more engaging. Plus, you'll also find five engagement survey invitation examples. 

❗️ Why increase your employee engagement survey participation rate

There can be multiple reasons why your employee engagement surveys get a low response rate:

• People assume it to be a tedious task that will steal too much of their time. 
• Skepticism around the anonymity of responses.
• Lack of transparency with survey results. 
• Perceptions that the surveying is just a box-checking activity with no follow-up.

You can gain your employees' trust in your survey process with your employee engagement survey invitation.

Expertly worded assurances, clear communication, and a transparent timeline will help you proactively address employee concerns and skepticism. 

A high participation rate in your employee engagement surveys means you get a representative sample that helps you draw correct conclusions.

It helps you create an effective employee engagement plan.

👀 Check out these employee engagement statistics to learn the impact of high employee engagement on productivity, profitability, workforce happiness, and retention.

🔍 What counts as a good employee survey participation rate?

A survey response rate of between 50% and 60% is acceptable. 

Between 60% and 70%, it is good. 

Above 70%, it is excellent. It shows you're providing a great employee experience.

If your survey participation rate is below 50%, that's terrible news. Your engagement rate appears so low that most employees don't bother responding to your survey.

📝 3 Steps to make your survey invitation email engaging

A Hubspot survey analyzing 26 million interactions with internal emails revealed the following data:

• Overall, the average open and click rate for internal emails per email was 79% and 15%, respectively.
• As the number of employees increases, email open rates decrease. 
• Companies with mailing lists of over 5000 recipients show the lowest engagement rates.
• For example, the email open rate of organizations with 5,001-10,000 employees is 71%, with a click rate of 12%.

Knowing how to create a compelling survey email invitation will boost its open rates and response rates.

Pay attention to the three crucial elements of your survey invitation email:

• The subject line
• Supporting text
• The call to action (CTA).

1. Craft a catchy subject line

If your subject line doesn't catch your employees' attention, it could easily go unopened.

Here are some tips to optimize your subject lines:

• Tell the recipient what the email is about without disclosing all the information. Make them curious to open it.
• Pique your recipients' curiosity with a question. It engages the employees and prompts them to open the email.
• Add a personal touch by mentioning the recipient's name. It'll catch their eye.
• Keep it short. Subject lines with a maximum of 7 words have the highest engagement rates.
• Don't be too serious. Use an emoji.

3 sample subject lines to use in your employee survey invitation email

1. John, got 2 minutes? Improve your workplace 🙂

2. Jane, how can we improve? 🤔 Be heard

3. Help us create a better workplace, John 

2. Draft supporting text

The body of the email should include some background information about the employee engagement survey.

Start by answering the what, who, and why:

• The reason they're receiving the invite.
• Who should respond to the survey.
• Why do they need to respond to the survey.

Here is an example of an introduction:

We strongly believe our people are at the core of the success of (company name).

And as we continue to grow, we want to continually create a positive work culture for you.

A healthy work environment will help you build workplace friendships, improve personal well-being, and perform optimally.

We are partnering with Zavvy to undertake a complete employee engagement survey of (company name) to help us:

• Key survey goal #1.
• Key survey goal #2.
• Key survey goal #3.

To make the changes you want to see, we want to listen to your honest, uninhibited views on various issues.

Use this employee survey to tell us how we're performing. 

Your answers will provide us with baseline data that we can use to implement the right strategies and action plans.

Once you cover these areas upfront, address the following:

• When the survey closes.
• A realistic estimate of how long it'll take to fill out the survey.
• Contact information in case the employee has a question or experiences a problem.
• The confidentiality of the survey response.
• The freedom to take the engagement survey during working hours.
• Your plan for reviewing the survey results and using them to improve the overall employee experience.

3. End with a clear call to action

End by telling your employees the action they should take next. Share the survey link in a high-contrast CTA button that stands out in the email.

And don't forget to thank them for participating in the engagement survey.

3 sample CTAs to use in your employee survey invitation email

1. Please click on the button below to begin your survey. We want to make the changes you want to see.

(Survey link)

Thanks in advance.

2. Begin your survey. Click on the button below.

(Survey link)

Thank you for sharing your honest answers! It'll help us strengthen the leadership and culture at (company name).

3. Click the link below to begin your survey.

(Survey link)

Your honest contribution to this important project is much appreciated!

💡  6 Best practices to optimize your employee engagement survey invitations

1. Use an active voice

Consider these two sentences:

"An anonymous survey is hosted on this website for us."

"This website hosts an anonymous survey for us."

You have to agree. The first sentence is easier to read, as it's in active voice. In contrast, the second sentence is in passive voice.

When using an active voice, the subject performs the action, while in the passive voice, the subject receives the action.

You'll be using lots of "you." Crafting your survey invitation email in an active voice will make the most sense. It'll be easier for your employees to understand your email and take the desired action.

Tip: Stay away from corporate jargon. It could make you sound like a robot. Instead, use conversational language while still keeping it professional.

2. Make your survey emails readable

Walls of text aren't easy on the eye. They're intimidating and could make your employees avoid reading the email.

Short sentences and paragraphs make the survey invitation easier to read.

Create a lot of white space for desktop and mobile device users by limiting your paragraphs to 3 lines.

For sentences, a maximum of 20 words per sentence is preferable. They're easier to read and more understandable.

Tip: For long employee engagement survey invitation emails, break up sections using headings.

3. Segment your recipients

Segmenting your internal email list can increase open and click rates.

You can segment the survey participants based on company hierarchy and geography.

Tailor the send time and message to each segment. For instance, make the benefits of engaging in the survey more relevant to each segment.

Tip #1: When you segment by company hierarchy, be careful not to keep important information from some employees. 

Tip #2: Start by creating a template containing all essential details first. Then supplement it with content relevant to each segment.

4. Highlight important details

Draw emphasis on important information in the survey invitation.

Use bold or italics so they're easy to pick out. These can include:

• The closing date of the survey.
• Duration of the survey.

Tip: Note that the survey respondents may perceive using all caps as 'shouting.' Avoid underlining as well. It makes the text appear hyperlinked, which can be confusing to the reader.

5. Focus on the benefits to the employees

Make the email about improving the employee experience.

Your supporting text should communicate to your employees the benefits of participating in the engagement survey:

• Mention how the survey gives them a voice. 
• Emphasize how it'll help you create data-driven change. 
• Reassure them that the survey is just one of the steps of a more extensive engagement program that'll build a positive company culture.

6. Embed the first question

Embedding the first question in the employee engagement survey invitation email serves as a hook. It could increase your response rate by 22.1% and boost the survey completion rate by 19.3%.

Once the recipients choose to answer it, redirect them to the first page of your survey, where they can complete it.

If, for any reason, they choose to only complete part of the survey, you'll still have the response to the first question. It counts as data you can use.

Tip: Since this first question will receive the most responses, ensure it's the most important in your engagement survey.

💻 5 employee engagement survey invitation email examples

Here are some employee engagement survey invitation samples you can use as inspiration.

1. Pre-survey notice to all employees

Subject: Jane, how can we improve? 🤔 Be heard

We want to improve employee experiences at (company name) continuously. To that end, we've partnered with Zavvy, an employee enablement platform, to get everyone's voice heard.

We will carry out a short company-wide employee survey on (date).

This online survey will help us take the right actions to make (company name) a better workplace for you.

All responses will remain confidential. Not even the leaders of the company will have access to individual responses.

We will share the results with the entire company in the weeks following the survey. 

Based on these results, HR and management will discuss the way forward to address problem areas and change ineffective policies.

You'll receive an email with further instructions on how to provide your feedback.

Please take this opportunity to participate and create the kind of environment you desire to work in.

Thank you in advance for making your honest opinion known to us.

2. Survey reminder email notice

Subject: John, We Still Haven't Heard From You 😞

As we communicated earlier, our company-wide employee survey began on (date).

The survey is almost closing, and we have yet to see your valuable insights about your experience at (company name).

We look forward to a 100% response rate to gather enough data to drive meaningful improvements.

Please take a few minutes to participate in the survey by clicking on the link below.

(Survey link)

Each survey respondent has a unique link to help us track response rates and aggregate data. So please don't forward it to your colleagues.

As we stated earlier, individual responses are anonymous to anyone at (company name). 

However, please contact (the project contact person) if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you!

3. Post-survey thank you email

Subject: We Appreciate Your Feedback, John ☺️

Thank you for taking the time to participate in the company-wide employee survey.

The survey has come to an end.

There was an x% participation rate, which provides an accurate picture of your feelings about working at (company name).

Our leaders will share an overview of the survey findings with the entire organization in the next x weeks.

Expect detailed results within x time frame, and the action plans the leadership intends to take.

This survey is one of the many steps we will take to improve the employee experience. We will task the leaders with taking the appropriate actions based on these results and implementing change.

Again, thank you for taking the time to make your contribution.

You've played a critical part in making (company name) a better place to work and supporting the future success of this organization.

➡️ Here are six more samples you can copy for communicating your employee engagement survey results.

4. Pulse survey email invite

Subject: Want an Awesome Workplace? Complete This Survey

Welcome to our engagement pulse survey.

This is the first of a series of employee engagement-related surveys we will send out in the next x months.

Our annual engagement survey provides deep insights into the current state of our workplace. However, this pulse survey helps us make a quick check of your employee experience at (company name) or 'take a pulse.'

The data we collect will directly impact our actions to create a better culture and improve your experience at (company name).

It'll take x minutes, and you can take it during work hours.

Zavvy will manage this pulse survey. It means no one in the organization can trace your response back to you.

Please be honest to provide us with accurate information that'll fuel real change.

Click the button below to give your response. The survey closes on (date).

(Survey link)

In case of any concerns or questions, contact (contact person).

Thank you for your honest response.

5. Reminder notice for a deadline extension

Subject: Survey Extended: Jane, Get Your Opinions Heard

Data indicates that you're yet to complete your employee engagement survey.

The opinion of each of our employees is precious to us. For this reason, we've extended the survey deadline. It'll remain open until (new date).

This extension will improve the response rates. In addition, it'll help us get a broader and more solid understanding of employee experience at (company name).

Use this extension to offer your valuable feedback. As a reminder, your responses are anonymous. Feel free to take the survey during working hours.

Get started by clicking the button below.

(Survey link)

Help us build a positive workplace. Thank you in advance for your participation.

➡️ Enable your workforce with Zavvy

Knowing how to create engaging employee engagement survey invitation emails is a significant first step for drawing your employees into your process. 

Zavvy provides a fully automated feedback feature that is easily customizable. Based on your needs, you can:

• Combine different engagement survey types and share on autopilot.
• Manage the anonymity settings of your surveys.
• Choose survey questions from an extensive question bank. 
• Customize audiences.
• Access our employee pulse survey templates.

But what happens next?

Once you've collected data and generated an engagement report, how do you follow up?

Zavvy will give you the tools you need to improve your engagement levels actively:

• Are your new hire engagement levels low? 🚀 Our onboarding workflows engage newcomers before day one and lead them to full integration and productivity.
• Is lack of career growth a cause for disengagement? 🌱 Our people growth frameworks guide people along their development path, encouraging ownership and collaboration.
• Do your people feel that their feedback falls on deaf ears? 🔄 Our feedback system can be customized as desired, leading to active listening and responsibility. 
• Do your people feel alone? ☕️ Our automated coffee roulettes will help your employees connect to colleagues, even remotely.

Are employees craving upskilling and reskilling?

• 💪 Our training programs deliver content step by step instead of overwhelming learners.

All these tools will help you create an environment where employees feel engaged and eager to perform at their best.

Reach out to see our tools in action.