Almost Half of U.S. Employees Say Their Organization Fails to Act on the Feedback They Provide

Quantum Workplace Research Shows Engagement Increases As Much As 40% With Continuous Listening Strategy. 

OMAHA, Neb. — Only 48% of employees say important changes are made at their organization as a result of employee feedback, according to research by Quantum Workplace, a leading employee success platform, as well as the leader in data collection for the nationally recognized Best Places to Work Programs.  

Key highlights of the research include: 

• Only 48% of employees say important changes are made at their organization based on employee feedback. 
• 95% of employees who say their leaders and managers are exceptional at communicating and taking effective action on survey results are highly engaged. Compare that with only 34% high engagement for employees who say that kind of communication and action is non-existent.  
• Top actions organizations take after receiving employee feedback through surveys include changes related to compensation and benefits, policy and procedure changes, return to work or remote work, and communication. 
• Surveying employees on a quarterly basis is associated with an engagement rate of 71%. 
• More frequent employee surveying was associated with higher engagement rates. However, employees surveyed on a monthly cadence were most likely to say they were being over-surveyed. 

“Asking for employee feedback doesn’t increase engagement. Organizations need to find meaning in their survey data and make changes to improve the employee experience,” Quantum Workplace Lead Researcher Shane McFeely said. “Employees are more engaged when they see their employer actively trying to make work better every day and feel valued for providing feedback that improved their experience.” 

Based on the findings, Quantum Workplace experts recommend supplementing an annual employee engagement survey with quarterly pulse surveys to collect feedback about important topics. Organizations should also consider their capacity to act on the survey findings when deciding on a survey cadence. 

The data in this study is informed by an opt-in sample of almost 1,500 employees across the U.S. derived from the Best Places to Work contest. 

Read more about employee listening in Quantum Workplace’s 3 Data-Driven Insights Into Employee Survey Best Practices.