Wellbeing survey kick-starter kit

Mind health is a vital part of workplace wellbeing. This resource will help you put together questionnaires that’ll draw actionable insight and help you understand the impact of your health and wellbeing activities.

Why ask these questions?

Our survey – part of the AXA Study of Mind Health and Wellbeing in 2022 – showed that being resilient, having coping skills or showing kindness, for example, has a positive effect on mind health. The more of these skills a person has, the more likely they are to flourish. 'Flourishing' can be seen as the pinnacle of mental health, encompassing the presence of good social, psychological and emotional wellbeing, as discussed in episode 2 of our Feelgood Business videocast series.

Luckily, skills and beliefs can be developed. Understanding which ones your people have provides an exciting opportunity to help more people flourish and feel engaged in their roles at work.

The second part of our question set explores the workplace environment. Where we are has a huge impact on our wellbeing, helping us bring our best self to work. Helping to develop a supportive and inclusive environment will further help individuals and communities to flourish. 

What to do with your results

The results will help you to decide where to focus your efforts. They'll help you develop a wellbeing approach that meets the needs of your employees. And, if you ask these questions regularly, the answers will allow you to see how people are progressing. 

As well as this, the results will help your employees build self-awareness, explore what they think they can improve and encourage them to speak openly about what you can do to help them.   

Tips

Ask your employees to fill out the survey, then fill it out yourself. Ensure the survey offers results and outcome measures they see, to ensure a value exchange that’ll aid stronger participation.

Consider survey fatigue and 'point in time' results. Consider how you might space and release the survey throughout the year. 

Be open and transparent as to why you’re doing this and what you’ll do with the results. You'll encourage trust and show leadership. Make sure you emphasise data anonymity. You should collect and process all data according to the Market Research Society’s Code of Conduct and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Getting started

Translate these questions into an online form or include them in an existing survey. Alternatively, the question set can be used as a self-reflection tool. Responses don't have to be collated.

You could use this wording for your email when you send the questions round:

Part 1: personal skills 

Question 1: coping skills

Helpful strategies can be as simple as reminding yourself that a bad feeling won't last. The good news is these strategies can be developed. Do you agree with the following statement?

When things don’t go well, I rarely dwell on the negative, making it easier to move on.

Y  
N 

Question 2: kindness 

Giving, seeing and receiving kindness are all positively associated with wellbeing. People who receive or observe kind acts are more likely to do something kind themselves. A small act of kindness can go a long way. Do you agree with the following statement?

I often do kind things for others.

 Y 
 N 

Question 3: connection 

Quality connections provide us with support in times of need. Just knowing we have support is comforting, even when we don't need it. There's growing evidence that social support and feeling connected can protect us from negative mental health and promote positive psychological health. Do you agree with the following statement?

I have a great social support network of people I value and trust. 

 Y 
 N 

Question 4: resilience 

A person is said to have good resilience if they can bounce back quickly and experience less stress as a result. Building our resilience can improve our psychological strength, arming us with the tools to cope with the stress and hardship that life can bring. Do you agree with the following statement? 

In a chaotic situation, I can calm myself and focus on taking appropriate actions. 

 Y 
 N 

Question 5: optimism 

Optimism is a tendency to see the positives. A 'glass half full' rather than 'half empty' mentality. This is important because how we see the world and events around us has a big impact on our mental wellbeing and quality of life. 

In general, I am positive about the future. 

 Y 
N 

Question 6: self-confidence  

Belief in one’s abilities underpins successful self-management of behaviour. Without self-confidence, the incentive to engage in protective/preventive actions in relation to mental health is undermined. Do you agree with the following statement?

I am confident in my own abilities.

 Y 
N 

Part 2: the workplace

Question 7: diversity and inclusion 

Do you agree with the following statement?

At work I feel I belong and my wellbeing is valued. 

 Y 
 N 

Question 8: diversity and inclusion 

Do you agree with the following statement?

At work I feel I have equal opportunities to succeed. 

 Y 
 N 

Question 9: mental health 

Do you agree with the following statement?

I feel my company provides good mental-health support for employees. 

 Y 
 N 

Question 10: physical health 

Do you agree with the following statement?

I feel my company provides good physical-health support for employees.

 Y 
 N 

Question 11: culture 

Do you agree with the following statement?

The culture at my workplace is positive and I can see that it helps me produce good work. 

 Y 
 N 

Question 12: anything else

If there's anything you'd like to say about your health and wellbeing at work, please tell us here.

To understand more about your skills and how you can improve the state of your individual and workplace wellbeing, take a look at AXA Health’s Mind Health Index which defines what we mean by good mind health.  

You can also browse these resources:

• Health and Wellbeing Calendar (axahealth.co.uk)
• Health and Wellbeing | Business in the Community (bitc.org.uk)
• Taking care of your staff | Mind
• In the workplace | Samaritans
• Wellbeing section – Heart Matters magazine | BHF
• Mental health in the workplace | Mental Health Foundation
• Mental Health At Work 

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