FAQ: Survey and Question Frequency

Workday Peakon Transition

For customers with production instances created from March 31, 2026, onwards:
You use the Flexible Listening Question model. In this model, drivers are made up of questions, and each standard question has a unique title; there are no "main" questions.
For customers with production instances created before March 31, 2026:
You continue to use the existing question model with the driver, sub-driver, and main question structure until the 26R2 and 27R1 release cycles.

General Questions

Is there a specific time period in which Peakon ensures all employees have received all questions?

There isn’t a standard timeframe. The amount of surveys it will take for all employees to see all questions depends on:

Survey frequency
Question frequency
The number of questions on each driver

Typically, the lowest frequency setting acts as a rough indicator. However, if you have added custom questions or have company drivers with multiple questions, it will take longer. We recommend having 1 question per driver for optimal coverage.

How soon can we trust the results based on our frequency settings?

Only a relatively small number of responses are required to produce reliable estimates, similar to electoral polling. Segment scores tend to stabilize quickly as employees complete additional survey rounds.

If we implement a significant change, how soon can we see its impact?

The higher the survey frequency, the sooner you are likely to observe the impact of initiatives. More frequent surveys provide faster feedback cycles.

What’s the recommended survey frequency?

There is no one-size-fits-all frequency for every organization. When selecting a survey cadence, consider how receptive your employees will be to an active listening approach. If you are unsure, you can start with a lower frequency and increase it over time. Many organizations using Peakon long term run surveys quarterly or more frequently.

How long exactly is each frequency period?

Frequency periods are calculated as:

1 month = 4 weeks
3 months = 12 weeks
6 months = 26 weeks
1 year = 52 weeks

How many additional questions will employees receive if they have missed surveys?

The survey may include catch-up questions when employees have missed multiple survey rounds. The maximum number of catch-up questions is up to 25% of the total survey length, with a maximum of four additional questions.

Where do I configure the frequency for open-ended questions?

You configure the frequency for open-ended questions at the schedule level on the schedule frequency page. This page centralizes all question sets frequency options in a single location.

Legacy Model (Instances created before March 31, 2026)

Why is there a difference in the approximate number of questions between manual frequency and quarterly frequency?

Manual

frequency asks all active questions in the round. Quarterly frequency relies on rotation conditions where certain questions may not be due. Example: Driver frequency refers to any question from the driver, including its sub-drivers. If the survey asks a sub-driver question, it has met the driver frequency condition and may not ask the main driver question in the same round. Manual mode asks both.

How do I make sure to ask all 4 engagement questions?

Set all engagement question frequencies to

Always

or use

Manual

survey frequency.

Why does the number of questions change when switching a driver frequency from Always to Quarterly?

This can occur when there are multiple questions within the same driver or sub-driver, such as when custom questions are added. Automatic frequency rotates these questions across survey rounds, while Always asks all active questions every round.

Flexible Listening Model (Instances created from March 31, 2026 onwards)

How does the "Random rotation interval" work?

The default interval is

Once within 3 months

. The algorithm balances survey length for the employee while ensuring consistent coverage of all active questions over the selected interval.

How do I exclude a question entirely?

On the

Frequency

tab, set the individual question frequency to

Never

. This excludes the question from all future rounds without deactivating the entire question set.

'Always' and 'Only once' Frequency Settings

Does setting an open-ended question’s frequency to

Always

override the algorithm?

Yes, Peakon will add it to the existing question budget for each round.

What happens if we previously set a question to Only once and then change it back to an automatic frequency?

Each employee will receive the question again when it becomes due based on the newly selected frequency.

Does the Only once frequency work on a rolling basis?

Yes. When a question is set to Only Once, each employee receives the question in every survey round until they submit a single response to the survey, after this point the question is not asked again. If this configuration remains unchanged, new employees will continue to receive the question during their first survey round.

If a question was on automatic frequency and we set it to Only once, will employees receive it again?

The Only once setting functions as a lifetime condition per employee. If an employee has already received the question previously, they will not receive it again after the change. To ensure the question appears in the next survey round regardless of previous distribution, set the frequency to Always.

How do manual schedules handle the Only once frequency setting?

Manual schedules ignore the Only once frequency configuration. If you use a manual schedule, you must use direct, per-question selection for each individual survey round.