Law, accountancy and finance staff survey questions, by issue
The questions are where it starts: they show you where to act. Each group below begins with what research on law, accountancy and financial services has found, says what the questions help you see and how to track them, then gives the questions in a box. Statements are answered on a scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree.
The first question in each box is the core question for that issue. Keep it the same from one survey to the next: research on measuring change over time shows that comparisons only hold when the question stays the same. Use the rest as they are, add your own, or ask us: we work with you to fine-tune your questions.
Workload and staffing · Burnout and wellbeing
Are hours and billing targets sustainable?
In LawCare's 2025 study of 1,541 people working in law, 78.7% worked beyond their contracted hours, 45% worried about meeting their chargeable-hour or billing targets, and 59.1% had poor mental wellbeing, with people aged 26 to 35 the most burnt out. Among 301 UK chartered accountants, 44% reported symptoms of burnout constantly or often in the past year.
In a field study of auditors during busy season, daily support from supervisors went with less fatigue at the end of the day.
What it helps you see: where hours, targets and peaks such as busy season or completions are pushing people towards burnout, by team, office and grade.
Questions to ask
- I can usually get my work done well in the time I have.
- My targets for billable hours or utilisation are realistic.
- I have enough energy left for life outside work.
- Work is shared fairly across the team.
How to track it: ask in a short pulse survey before, during and after your busiest periods, and compare teams and grades.
Turnover and retention
Will your trainees and associates stay?
In LawCare's study, 56.2% of legal professionals could see themselves leaving their current workplace within five years, and 32.1% could see themselves leaving law altogether. Students on the audit route fell by 4.3% in 2025, while 59.6% of staff at audit firms with public interest clients are under 35. Thinking about leaving is the strongest single predictor of actually leaving.
What it helps you see: who is thinking of leaving, at which grade and in which team, and whether development and a future at the firm are what's missing.
Questions to ask
- I see myself still working here in a year's time.
- The person who supervises my work takes an interest in my development.
- I can see a future for myself at this firm.
- What would make you more likely to stay?
How to track it: ask the core question in every survey, follow trainees and new joiners with an onboarding journey, and ask leavers why they went with an exit survey.
Discrimination, harassment and inclusion
Is everyone treated with respect, at every grade?
In LawCare's study, 19.5% had been bullied, harassed or discriminated against at work in the past year. 65% of them named a line manager or supervisor, and 71.8% said it was not dealt with appropriately.
The FCA's survey of 984 wholesale financial firms found reported incidents of non-financial misconduct rising between 2021 and 2023.
What it helps you see: what people experience and see, from colleagues, managers and clients, whether they would report it, and whether they trust what would happen next.
Questions to ask
- I am treated with respect by the people I work with.
- Bullying and harassment are not tolerated here, whatever someone's seniority.
- If I raised a concern about a senior person's behaviour, it would be taken seriously.
- People here are treated fairly whatever their background.
How to track it: ask in every survey, with the ethics filter on so results are only shown for groups of six or more, and compare offices and grades. An alert tells the right person that an answer needs attention.
Speaking up and being heard
Do people feel safe to speak up?
Legal professionals in LawCare's study averaged 18.0 on a psychological safety scale that runs from 7 to 35, in the lower half, and those with the highest burnout and workload felt least safe. A meta-analysis of 136 samples links psychological safety with how well people do their jobs.
What it helps you see: whether people can admit mistakes, challenge decisions and raise concerns, team by team, before a problem becomes a matter for a regulator.
Questions to ask
- I feel able to raise a concern without worrying about what happens next.
- It's safe to admit a mistake here.
- I can challenge a decision without it counting against me.
How to track it: ask in a pulse survey on a schedule you set, and watch for teams where scores fall.
Management and support
Are partners and managers equipped to manage?
Fewer than a third of legal professionals who manage others had their targets or billable hours adjusted for the time that managing takes, LawCare found. A review of three decades of research links leaders' behaviour with their staff's stress and wellbeing.
What it helps you see: which teams have managers with the time and skill to support people, give useful feedback and notice when someone is struggling.
Questions to ask
- My manager supports me when I need it.
- My manager gives me useful feedback on my work.
- My manager has time to support me, not just to allocate work.
- My manager notices when I'm under too much pressure.
How to track it: split results by team and practice area, with the ethics filter on, and bring what you learn into managers' appraisals and one-to-ones.
Training and progression
Is progression fair and clear?
Women are 55% of lawyers but 35% of full equity partners, and in the largest firms 9% of partners are from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background, the SRA found. At audit firms with public interest clients, women are 47.7% of managers but 26.9% of partners, and financial and insurance activities have the largest median gender pay gap of any UK industry, at 28.4%.
What it helps you see: whether people understand what it takes to progress, and whether work, opportunities and promotion feel fair to everyone.
Questions to ask
- I have had the training I need to do my job well.
- I understand what I need to do to progress here.
- Work and opportunities are allocated fairly.
- People from all backgrounds have a fair chance of progressing here.
How to track it: ask once a year in your fuller survey and, where groups are big enough, compare by grade, gender and background.
