Ask Experience, Not Issue-Based Questions in Worker Surveys

Capturing Supply Chain Workers’ Reality to Understand Underlying Risks Requires Asking the Right Worker Survey Questions

After nearly a decade of conducting supply chain worker surveys and Labor Solutions has still never closed a survey without reaching a statistically relevant sample size.

Our difference is in the details and ultimately it is how we design our tools and services for every stakeholder’s needs. The needs of each stakeholder are considered, not only in the design process but also in the support Labor Solutions provides. Critical to our survey’s success are the types of questions we ask.

The WELL Worker Survey is intentionally designed around experience-based questions. This is not accidental — it is the result of nearly a decade of testing, iteration, and real-world deployment across complex supply chains.

While limited customization is possible in specific cases, our worker surveys are purpose-built to prioritize experience-based questions, because this approach consistently delivers the most reliable, honest, and actionable insights. Fact-based and issue-based questions may seem efficient, but they rarely capture how workers actually experience their workplace.

All WELL Survey questions are experience-based by design. Rather than asking workers to confirm the existence of policies, procedures, or equipment, WELL focuses on how those systems are felt and lived by workers day to day. This ensures feedback collected in the worker survey is authentic, reduces the risk of coaching, and surfaces issues that would otherwise remain hidden.

Consider these two questions:

	Survey Question	What we Learn
Ask	​Do you feel safe at work?	​This experience-based question: Allows the worker to feel at ease – there is no right or wrong answer to how you “feel” Engages suppliers who are also interested Captures all safety aspects Helps uncover, unknown issues
Instead of	​Is there a fire extinguisher?	This issue-based question: Puts pressure on the worker + makes them feel like there is a right answer The supplier already knows the answer to this question. By asking this question suppliers think you don’t trust them + are more likely to coach workers The question only assesses one safety issue

Learn More with Experience-Based Worker Survey Questions

Allows workers to feel at ease

There is no right or wrong answer to an experience-based question, so workers can feel comfortable sharing their true thoughts and feelings. This can lead to more honest and open feedback.

Engages direct employers (suppliers)

Suppliers are more likely to be interested in providing feedback when they feel like it is not just fact-finding but also interested in listening to their workers’ opinions. Experience-based questions show that you are truly interested in hearing about experiences, not just getting a checklist of facts.

Captures things that haven’t happened

Fact-based questions can only assess specific safety issues. Experience-based questions allow workers to share their thoughts on all aspects of safety, from the physical environment to the work culture.

Uncovers unknown issues

Workers may not always be aware of the safety risks in their workplace. Experience-based questions can help them to identify and raise concerns about potential hazards.

Issue-Based Worker Survey Questions Don't Work

Puts pressure on workers

Workers may feel like there is a right or wrong answer to a fact-based or issue-based question. This can make them feel uncomfortable and less likely to share their true thoughts.

Employers already know the answer

Employers are often very familiar with the safety standards and procedures at their own workplaces. Asking them fact-based or issue-based questions is not likely to yield new information.

Damages trust

If suppliers feel like you don't trust them to keep their workers safe, they are less likely to be open and honest with you. Asking fact-based or issue-based questions can send the message that you don't trust them.

Designing Surveys That Lead to Action

Effective worker surveys are not built by assembling individual questions — they are built through intentional design.

Every question in WELL exists because it answers a specific question:

• What experience are we trying to understand?

• What decision or action will this insight inform?

• How does this question contribute to a holistic picture of worker wellbeing?

​Question Intention/Goal	​Question/Statement
Holistic understanding of safety	I feel safe at work.
Pay is transparent. Workers understand their payslips.	I understand how my pay is calculated.
Workers are treated with Respect	At work, I am treated with fairness and respect.

By standardizing experience-based questions across facilities and regions, Labor Solutions ensures results are comparable, trustworthy, and actionable — without putting unnecessary pressure on workers or suppliers.

For almost a decade, Labor Solutions has worked closely with complex supply chains to identify and address these complex needs to create an effective and industry-leading survey tool that covers all these bases and more. Learn more about deploying effective supply chain worker surveys with WOVO Engage and the WELL Survey.