An employee wellbeing survey measures stress, burnout risk, work-life balance and mental health using validated Likert-scale questions — and gives HR clear action thresholds. This guide provides a ready-to-use template with 28 questions across 7 dimensions, a scoring table with response timelines, and — for DACH organisations — a plain-language overview of the legal obligations under German labour law.

Why wellbeing measurement matters in 2026

According to the Wellhub Work-Life Wellbeing Report 2026 (over 5,000 employees surveyed globally), 86% of employees consider workplace wellbeing as important as their salary, and 85% say they would consider leaving an employer that does not actively prioritise it. At the same time, Gallup research finds that 48% of employees feel burned out at least sometimes — and 52% of those actively burned-out employees are looking for a new job.

The practical consequence: burnout stays invisible until it escalates into absenteeism or voluntary turnover. A structured wellbeing survey closes this gap. It surfaces problems while they are still solvable, and it creates the documentation trail that regulators — and increasingly, works councils — require.

The 7 core dimensions and their questions

The template below draws on three validated frameworks: the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), and WHO wellbeing principles. Use a 5-point Likert scale for all closed questions (1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agree).

Dimension 1 — Stress regulation & recovery

Dimension 2 — Workload sustainability

Dimension 3 — Burnout early-warning signals

Dimension 4 — Mental health & psychological safety

Dimension 5 — Manager support

Dimension 6 — Physical health & work environment

Dimension 7 — Organisational health culture

Global wellbeing question (essential)

Open-ended questions (select 1–2 per survey round)

Scoring table: thresholds, actions and owners

Calculate the average score for each dimension across all its questions. The table below shows which thresholds trigger action. Document every response: date, score, action taken, owner, and follow-up date.

Legal context for DACH organisations

For organisations operating in Germany, a clear statutory framework makes wellbeing surveys not just advisable but, in part, legally required.

§ 5 ArbSchG — mandatory psychological risk assessment

Since the 2013 amendment to the German Occupational Health and Safety Act (§ 5 ArbSchG), psychological stress is explicitly listed as a workplace hazard. The obligation applies from the first employee, regardless of sector or company size, and results must be documented under § 6 ArbSchG. A structured wellbeing survey provides the evidence base for this assessment — it is not a formal substitute for a full risk assessment process, but an effective instrument within it.

Despite the clear legal obligation, a Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) survey found that only around 21% of German companies actually comply (Beck & Lenhardt, 2019). This creates both a compliance risk and a competitive opportunity for employers who act.

Works council co-determination (§ 87 and § 94 BetrVG)

In organisations with a works council (Betriebsrat), three sections of the Works Constitution Act (BetrVG) apply:

Practical recommendation: engage the works council early and conclude a works agreement (Betriebsvereinbarung) that sets out anonymity guarantees, data minimisation, purpose limitation and the level of granularity at which results will be shared. According to established BAG case law, genuinely anonymous and voluntary surveys based on a standardised questionnaire may be exempt from mandatory co-determination under certain conditions — but anonymity must be technically and organisationally guaranteed, not merely asserted.

GDPR / DSGVO considerations

Wellbeing data may qualify as health data under Art. 9 GDPR and therefore attract a higher protection standard. Key measures: full anonymisation with no possibility of identifying individuals or small teams, a minimum group size of 5 before results are shared, a clear purpose statement in the privacy notice, and defined retention periods for raw data.

Survey frequency, methodology and anonymity

A proven combination used by leading HR functions looks like this:

Anonymity is the prerequisite for valid data. Employees who fear identification will not answer honestly about mental health. Communicate explicitly in the survey invitation: which platform is used, that no metadata is analysed at the individual level, the minimum team size before results are shared (recommended: 5 people), and who has access to which level of results.

Implementation: from pilot to full rollout

Start with a representative pilot in one department whose manager is ready to act on results quickly. This creates an internal reference case and builds credibility before the organisation-wide rollout.

Five metrics to track continuously: overall response rate, average global score (0–10 question), percentage of employees with burnout warning signals (≤ 2 on Dimension 3), speed of follow-up (days from survey close to first action), and completion rate of planned interventions.

Segmentation and bias avoidance

Organisation-wide averages hide team-level crises. Always segment results by: department, location, role type (office / remote / frontline), and employment arrangement (full-time / part-time / shift). Remote employees typically report different boundary challenges than shift workers; the latter often score lower on physical health dimensions.

Managers should see only aggregated, anonymised team data — and only once a minimum of 5 respondents are in the group. Low team scores are a development signal, not a performance judgement of the manager. Treat them accordingly.

Connect to your broader survey toolkit

The wellbeing questions above can be integrated into a wider employee survey template with works council and GDPR checklist. For organisations that also want to measure engagement, job satisfaction and development needs, the 150+ validated engagement questions template offers a complementary question bank.

FAQ

How often should we run an employee wellbeing survey?

A full survey covering all 7 dimensions makes sense annually or bi-annually to establish a baseline. Quarterly pulse checks with 5–8 core questions catch changes early — burnout and stress can build in weeks, not years. During peak periods (year-end, restructuring, seasonal spikes) a monthly short pulse may be warranted. Always close the feedback loop within 14 days of survey close to maintain trust and participation rates.

What rights does a works council have over a wellbeing survey?

In organisations with a German works council, § 87 para. 1 no. 6 BetrVG (digital survey platforms) and § 87 para. 1 no. 7 BetrVG (health and safety regulations) typically apply. Where surveys systematically collect personal information, § 94 BetrVG also comes into play. The recommendation is to involve the works council early and formalise the arrangement in a works agreement covering anonymity, purpose and the scope of data aggregation.

Do wellbeing survey responses need special data protection?

Yes. Answers about stress, mental health and wellbeing can qualify as health data under Art. 9 GDPR and therefore attract a higher level of protection. Anonymisation is not only legally prudent — it is the practical precondition for honest responses. Employees who fear identification will not disclose genuine burnout risk.

How many questions should a wellbeing survey contain?

For an annual full survey, 25–30 questions (7 dimensions, global question, 1–2 open questions) is the right range, corresponding to 8–12 minutes to complete. For quarterly pulse checks, 5–8 questions is sufficient. More questions do not automatically improve data quality — they reduce response rates and invite satisficing responses.

What should we do when scores are very low across an entire department?

Treat widespread low scores (average < 3.0 across multiple dimensions, or > 30% of responses at ≤ 2 on burnout items) as a crisis requiring leadership attention. HR and the department head should meet within 48 hours, prioritise the three lowest-scoring areas, assign owners and commit resources. Communicate transparently to all employees: what was found and what actions are planned, with clear timelines. A follow-up pulse at 60 days verifies effectiveness.

What is the difference between a wellbeing survey and a burnout diagnosis?

An employee survey is not a clinical diagnostic tool. It measures collective stress patterns at group level and enables early organisational intervention — before clinical thresholds are reached. If individual employees score ≤ 3 on the global question (0–10) or repeatedly flag burnout warning signals, this is a prompt for a confidential conversation and possible referral to occupational health or an EAP — an early signal, not a diagnosis.