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Employee listening is exactly what it sounds like. It’s your organization's approach to collecting frequent feedback from workers to understand their wants, needs and goals, as well as to identify problems, frustrations and pain points.
This approach to listening is more than just surveys. It’s one-on-one meetings, focus groups, listening tours, suggestion boxes, exit interviews and more.
According to a 2024 report from Perceptyx, which polled more than 750 senior HR leaders at organizations with over 1,000 employees, companies today recognize the big benefits that come with employee listening. The report found that 78% of organizations host a listening event at least quarterly — up from 60% in 2022 — and 98% said they had surveyed all of their employees within the past year.
We dive into how an employee listening strategy can help you and you can get started with building a successful one.
Why You Need an Employee Listening Strategy
Having a holistic employee listening strategy in place comes with a lot of big benefits that extend beyond making employees feel heard. The right strategy makes good business sense. Here are three reasons why.
1. Creates a Healthy Culture
“If done correctly, an employee listening strategy can give you the opportunity to foster a healthy culture, which in turn can lead to the positive outcomes mentioned above,” said Andy Pirruccello, senior director of employee experience at The E.W. Scripps Company and Reworked contributor.
The results are clear, he said: a healthy and engaged culture leads to positive organizational outcomes. Studies show correlations between the two for things like:
- Higher profit margins
- Lower turnover rates
- Productivity
- Innovation
- Customer satisfaction
- Customer loyalty
- Adaptability during change
2. Boosts Employee Engagement
Beyond the big picture of culture, Geno Cutolo, president of Adecco North America, said that a proactive approach to listening can also boost employee engagement and satisfaction and offer the opportunity for leaders to course correct if needed.
“When done right, employee listening helps leaders understand what’s working well, identify and address current or potential issues and build trust with their employees.”
In fact, according to the Perceptyx report, when it comes to enterprises seeking employee feedback, the number one topic they want to learn more about is employee engagement.
3. Provides Insights for New Leaders
“Engaging in employee listening, such as through a listening tour, can be especially useful for leaders new to an organization or their role,” explained Cutolo.
These conversations provide valuable insights about the company and its culture, highlighting areas where teams or processes may need additional care and attention. Listening tours, specifically, can help leaders build relationships and foster a sense of connection within the organization.
Ultimately, noted Jacob Morgan, author of “Leading with Vulnerability” and other titles, it goes beyond benefits. The survival of the company depends on listening to employees to understand not only what they care about and value but also where the challenges and opportunities are.
“Not listening to your employees is like not listening to your spouse,” he said, “it's eventually going to end in disaster.”
Related Article: Employee Feedback Is Critical to a Great Employee Experience
How to Build an Employee Listening Strategy
Whether you need to build an employee listening strategy from scratch or are looking to revamp the one you have in place, there are five steps to consider.
1. Start By Asking Why
At a fundamental level, according to Pirruccello, the first step an organization should take is to have an honest conversation around this question: Who is this for?
Organizations should be honest and deliberate about how they answer that question and design their listening program from there. Companies must also be honest and open about how they communicate that purpose to employees, Pirruccello said. “Employees are savvy at reading between the lines and picking up on the dissonance between what an employer ‘says’ vs. what they ‘do.’ Make sure your words and actions align.”
At his company, Pirruccello said after answering the ‘who’ question, leadership created guiding principles for the listening strategy. “Once you do that, it gives you a filter to run subsequent decisions through,” he said, such as:
- How frequently will we survey?
- What questions will we ask?
- How will we word the questions?
- Who has access to the data?
- How will the data be used?
- How will we measure success?
2. Invest in the Right Tech
Organizations need a robust technology platform to handle things like engagement surveys and pulse checks. For listening in particular, Morgan said the most effective tools are survey and analytics platforms, which are numerous on the market.
Choosing the right platform should involve a careful assessment of its features, capabilities for integrating the tool with existing HR systems and its ability to provide actionable insights on data and feedback collected.
A good system not only collects data; it also offers comprehensive analysis features that help identify trends, sentiments and areas needing attention. Beyond that, it’s important to select a platform that’s user-friendly and accessible to ensure high participation rates across all levels of the organization.
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3. Host Regular Conversations
“Leaders need to actually have conversations with their employees in both individual and group settings on a regular basis,” said Morgan.
As far as questions go, he added, three that are impactful include:
- What are some of the challenges you face that keep you from doing your best work?
- If I had a magic wand to change one workplace practice that would make a positive impact on you, what would it be?
- What are some of the things you love about the work you do?
Leaders should come to these meetings without a specific agenda, ready to ask questions and give employees space to bring their ideas and comments to the table, added Cutolo. For group listening sessions, consider mindfully selecting participants from various backgrounds and levels across the organization to encourage diversity of thought. “A diverse workforce offers a wealth of unique perspectives,” he said.
4. Schedule Listening Tours
Top leaders — including the CEO — need to conduct regular listening tours to various locations, offices and front-line employee workplaces, said Morgan. These tours are one of the best ways to keep a pulse on the business and understand employees’ perceptions.
Agreed Cutolo: “In-person formats (or via video, if needed) are ideal because they allow people to pick up on non-verbal cues like facial expressions and foster more open, honest conversations.”
Some feedback might be tough to hear, but leaders need to stay calm and not become defensive. “Employee listening sessions need to be safe spaces where critical comments can be voiced. Leaders should be prepared to navigate tough conversations without making individuals feel uncomfortable or unheard,” Cutolo said.
5. Develop an Action Plan
Perhaps the most important step is to have an action plan that is based on what is discovered via listening. Having this follow-up plan, however, is the biggest barrier to success of enterprise listening programs, according to that Perceptyx report.
After their listening sessions, leaders should be prepared to act on the employee feedback they’ve heard, Cutolo said. Otherwise, employees might think the efforts were just for show.
“Acting on feedback and checking in with individuals to share updates on concerns or topics they raised is a powerful trust and relationship-building opportunity,” he explained. “This boosts employee engagement and retention, ultimately supporting the organization’s growth and success.”
Related Article: Feedback Matters. Here's How to Do It Right
Measuring the Success of Your Employee Listening Strategy
So, you’ve got your employee listening strategy in place, and you’re acting on it. Now, how do you know if it’s a success?
The ultimate indicator that an employee listening program is a success, according to Pirruccello, is when leaders take ownership and accountability over a process, and it becomes a normal operating rhythm. “When ‘engagement’ is viewed as a legitimate business metric, then you’re headed in the right direction,” he said.
The opposite of that, he added, is HR having to own and police employee listening. “In those situations, the focus turns to completion rates and compliance rather than value and empowerment.”
