Best questions for civil servant survey about workload and burnout

Here are some of the best questions for a civil servant survey about workload and burnout, along with tips on how to build them. If you want to save time and get started right away, you can generate a survey in seconds with Specific.

Best open-ended questions for civil servant workload and burnout surveys

If you want to uncover the real reasons behind stress and burnout, open-ended questions are key. They let people describe their experiences in their own words—which is crucial, especially when talking about complex issues like workload. Open-ended questions encourage thoughtful answers and sometimes reveal issues you haven’t thought of, allowing civil servants to bring up what really matters to them.

1. How would you describe your current workload?

2. Which aspects of your job contribute the most to your stress or burnout?

3. Can you recall a recent situation where your workload felt unmanageable? What happened?

4. What support or resources would help you better manage your workload?

5. Tell us about any recent changes in your team or organization that have affected your daily work.

6. How do staff shortages or resource constraints impact your ability to deliver on your responsibilities?

7. What strategies have you tried to cope with or reduce job-related stress?

8. Describe a time when you were able to successfully manage your workload. What made it possible?

9. What would you change about your current work environment to improve your well-being?

10. Is there anything else you’d like to share about workload or burnout in your role?

Nearly half of government employees in the US attribute burnout to workload, while 44% say staff shortages play a big part—a theme echoed in Canada and the UK as well. Open-ended questions shine a light on personal stories behind these statistics, showing what’s going on beneath the surface. [1][2][3]

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for civil servant workload and burnout surveys

Single-select multiple-choice questions are a good fit when you want to quantify a trend or kick off a conversation. Not everyone wants to write long answers; sometimes it’s simply easier to pick from short, focused options. These types of questions can surface patterns quickly and serve as a springboard for deeper follow-up questions.

Question: How often do you feel overwhelmed by your workload?

• Never

• Rarely

• Sometimes

• Often

• Almost always

Question: What is the main cause of your work-related stress?

• High workload

• Lack of resources

• Poor work-life balance

• Staff shortages

• Other

Question: Which support options do you think would help reduce burnout in your team?

• Flexible work arrangements

• Additional staffing

• Improved management communication

• Wellness programs

• Other

When to follow up with "why?" Anytime you want deeper insight into a respondent’s choice, follow up with a “why?” It works especially well when you notice a pattern: for example, if many civil servants choose “often” for feeling overwhelmed, asking why unlocks the drivers behind that emotion. You might ask: “You mentioned you often feel overwhelmed. Why is that—can you tell us more about what contributes to it?”

When and why to add the "Other" choice? “Other” is essential when your predefined choices might miss what’s truly top-of-mind for civil servants. Adding "Other" opens up a channel for unexpected feedback, which you can probe further with a targeted follow-up: “You selected ‘Other.’ Can you clarify what you mean?” These insights can give you action points you wouldn’t otherwise discover.

Should you add an NPS-style question about workload and burnout?

NPS—Net Promoter Score—is a simple, powerful way to measure sentiment and loyalty. While traditionally used for customer feedback, it is increasingly useful for internal surveys on topics like civil servant workload and burnout. By asking, “On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend your department as a good place to work?” you track overall morale and spot trends over time. This metric is extra potent when paired with follow-up prompts tailored to promoters, passives, or detractors. You can instantly build an NPS workload survey to get started.

The power of follow-up questions

The truth is, a lot of survey responses fall flat because the first question doesn’t surface the full story. Automated follow-up questions—like those in Specific’s smart follow-up system—take your survey to the next level. When the AI asks clarifying or probing follow-ups in real time, it captures more context and reveals rich details that you’d otherwise have to chase down via endless back-and-forth emails.

• Civil servant: “I don’t have enough time.”

• AI follow-up: “Can you share which tasks or responsibilities are taking most of your time?”

• Civil servant: “Staff shortages are a problem.”

• AI follow-up: “How do staff shortages specifically impact your daily work?”

How many follow-ups to ask? Usually, 2-3 follow-up questions are enough to drill down into the core issue. It’s important to offer respondents the option to move on once you have what you need—Specific lets you control this in the survey settings.

This makes it a conversational survey: The back-and-forth format feels like a real conversation, encouraging honesty and better engagement.

AI analysis, text analytics, insights: Even with lots of open-ended responses, AI-powered tools like those in Specific make analysis fast and simple. Learn more about how to analyze workloads and burnout feedback at scale.

Follow-up questions are a new and powerful way to go deeper—try creating a survey to see this in action for yourself.

How to compose a prompt for GPTs to generate great civil servant survey questions about workload and burnout

Want to let AI do the heavy lifting? The right prompt can get you high-quality, relevant questions in a couple of seconds. Start with something simple to get ideas, and then iterate.

Here’s a good starting prompt:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for civil servant survey about workload and burnout.

But for even better results, give AI more context. For example:

I manage a team of government employees. Our department has seen an increase in mental health sick days and high turnover. Suggest 10 open-ended survey questions to uncover causes of burnout and find actionable ways to support staff. We want honest feedback and practical ideas.

Next step: let AI categorize the questions for you. Prompt:

Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.

Once you see the relevant categories (like workload volume, management support, or wellness resources), focus where you want deeper exploration:

Generate 10 questions for categories workload volume and management support.

In every iteration, you’ll get closer to the precise survey your team and civil servants need.

What is a conversational survey?

A conversational survey turns feedback into a natural back-and-forth—no more static forms or intimidating pages of questions. Instead, the process feels like chatting with a thoughtful colleague. As respondents answer, the AI probes for more detail, asks for clarifications, or branches the conversation—so each person shares richer, more relevant feedback.

Let’s compare traditional vs. AI-generated survey experiences:

Why use AI for civil servant surveys? AI makes it easier and faster to surface the details that matter—from evolving workload challenges to nuanced reasons behind burnout. It takes care of the repetitive parts, automates follow-ups, and helps analyze qualitative data in minutes. Our AI survey examples deliver deeper, actionable insights that traditional forms just can’t match.

Want to learn more about streamlining any survey? Check out our article on how to create a survey for civil servants about workload and burnout.

Specific is built for conversational surveys—making the entire feedback process smooth, engaging, and, honestly, more rewarding for everyone involved.

See this workload and burnout survey example now

Get civil servant feedback you can act on fast—see how dynamic questions and smart follow-ups make all the difference. Experience deeper insights with conversational AI surveys—try it for your team.