SHRM developed this guide using the same general-purpose AI tools it describes. The prompts are intended as starting points and may need to be adapted, reviewed, and validated for your specific use case.
AI can help you get more done with the HR work you already do, from drafting and summarizing to organizing information and generating ideas. But it does not know your organization, your people, your policies, or your obligations unless you provide that context. This prompt gives you a starting point, with space to add the unique information AI needs to support your work.
Prompt — Analyze Employee Engagement Survey Comments
Replace everything in brackets before you run the prompt.
Analyze these engagement survey comments.
Context: [number of respondents, response rate, what was asked]
Reporting plan: [segments you will report on]
Quantitative scores for comparison: [paste key scores]
Comments:
[PASTE — REMOVE NAMES AND ANY DETAIL THAT IDENTIFIES A PERSON OR A TEAM SMALLER THAN NUMBER]
Give me:
- Themes ranked by frequency, with real counts and two or three representative quotes each.
- Where the comments and the quantitative scores point in different directions, and what that suggests.
- How the top themes differ across the segments I listed.
- Themes that are small in volume but describe something structural.
- What people are not saying that you would expect to see.
Rules:
- Report criticism at full strength. Do not soften it.
- Real counts, not impressions of frequency.
- Do not report anything for a group smaller than [minimum number of respondents] people.
- Do not speculate about who wrote a comment.
- Treat sentiment classification as unreliable for sarcasm and understatement; where a theme depends on tone, show me the quotes rather than a score.
- Flag separately anything describing harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or a safety concern.
Write in plain, everyday language. Do not use jargon or invented terms; if a simpler word exists, use it.
Optional, if available: give the AI your organization's style guide, brand voice guide, or writing standards document alongside this prompt so the output matches how we write.
Check Before You Publish
Before you publish, review the AI-generated draft carefully. You are responsible for the final version.
- Check facts, figures, dates, requirements, and other details against the information you supplied or the original source.
- Paste in any legally required or compliance-sensitive language yourself. Do not let AI generate it.
- Confirm nothing was invented, assumed, or taken out of context.
- Verify that the final version reflects your organization, your audience, and the purpose of the work.
Use your judgement as an HR professional. AI can assist with the work, but you make the final call. Looking for more prompts? Explore the AI Prompts Guide for HR for more prompts and templates to support your HR work.
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