Mention “employee morale” and the word attitude often comes to mind. But employee morale actually encompasses so much more, including outlook, approach, and satisfaction.

Morale is essentially the gas that drives the engine – and the gas either causes the engine to sputter, stall out, and negatively impacts timely arrival at the desired destination or it allows for optimum performance.

Do you know how your employee engine is performing? Have you got good morale?

Assessing morale should be every manager’s responsibility. However, in order to get a more accurate, unfiltered view of employee morale, experts recommend that HR regularly conduct employee surveys. Corrugated box manufacturer Great Little Box Company (GLBC), named one of the Financial Post’s Ten Best Companies to Work For in 2012, surveys its employees annually.

When conducting employee surveys, it’s important to recognize that factors like time of year may affect results. The winter doldrums, for example, take a toll on a lot of people, so you’re apt to get different results in February or March than you will in June. Similarly, assessing morale right after performance appraisal season, especially if salary increases have been minimal or non-existent, will probably not give you an accurate picture.

What kinds of questions should you ask? This customizable Employee Morale & Work Performance Survey from QuestionPro, a leading provider of survey software, provides insight and can serve as a starting point.

Thanks to online tools like these, conducting surveys and analyzing results is relatively easy and allows you to quickly get a read on employee morale at your organization.

There’s also another reason to survey employees about their morale. Experts find the survey process itself boosts morale.