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Peakon
Last Updated: 2026-07-24
Concept: Question Frequency

Concept: Question Frequency

Recurring question frequency enables you to control how often employees receive different question types and manages the balance of questions in each survey. Workday Peakon is transitioning to the Concept: Flexible Listening Question Model and Score. The available frequency settings depend on which model your organization uses.

Flexible Listening Question Model

This model provides a flexible structure where drivers consist of questions with unique titles and equal weight.
Background
You can manage the frequency of individual standard and custom questions directly. In this model:
  • There are no "main" questions or subdrivers.
  • Frequency settings apply per question.
  • For open-ended questions, frequency settings work on a per-question basis.
Good to Know
  • During every survey round, the algorithm determines if a question is due for an employee based on their previous responses.
  • Standard frequency options correspond to specific week counts (for example, Monthly is 4 weeks) to ensure surveys start on the same weekday.
  • Changing a cadence impacts question distribution in the subsequent round while the algorithm adjusts.
Only once Frequency Setting
The behavior of this setting changes depending on the schedule type:
  • Non-Manual Schedules: When you select
    Only once
    , eligible employees receive the designated questions in every survey round until a single survey response is submitted. The Schedule Summary page provides an explanatory section detailing this behavior based on your active configurations.
  • Manual Schedules: Manual schedules ignore the
    Only once
     frequency rule. If you use a manual schedule, you must use direct, per-question selection for each active survey round.
Example: Flexible Listening
  • Survey frequency:
    Monthly
    .
  • Question frequency:
    "Once within 1 month"
    .
In the flexible listening model, you manage the frequency of individual standard questions. If you set the
Random rotation interval
 for a question (Example:
"Remote work"
) to
Once within 1 month
, the algorithm targets asking the question to each employee approximately once every 4 weeks.

Classic Question Model

You continue to use the classic model if your instance was created before March 31, 2026, and has not yet been upgraded.
Background
A survey can include a mix of all question sets. When you configure frequencies, you select options for the:
  • Main question.
  • Driver questions.
  • Subdriver questions.
Good to Know
  • The algorithm probabilistically evaluates which questions are due based on frequency settings and the time since the employee last answered.
  • Setting a main category driver frequency to
    Always
     applies only to the main question; other questions in that core driver reference the general driver and subdriver frequencies.
Example: Classic Question Model
  • Survey frequency:
    Monthly
    .
  • Main question frequency:
    Monthly
    .
  • Driver question frequency:
    Monthly
    .
  • Subdriver frequency:
    Quarterly
    .
This configuration ensures each employee receives a question from the main category driver and each driver every month. If an employee answers 2 surveys in less than 4 weeks, those questions are only due again once the employee hasn't had them for 4 weeks or more.

Multiple Questions on the Same Driver or Subdriver

When you set the frequency for a question category, Peakon prioritizes asking questions from that category at the frequency you selected. If you add custom questions to a driver or a subdriver, it will take longer for Peakon to go through the driver or subdriver fully. Read more in Concept: Custom Questions on Core Question Sets.