The ROI of Listening: The Power of an Effective Employee Engagement Survey (January 2026 TogetHR Times)
An employee engagement survey can be more than just a pulse check. It can be used as a strategic tool that reveals where your organization is strong, where people are struggling, and exactly where to invest to boost retention, performance, and culture.
Here’s how to make an engagement survey that can deliver real results…
WHY IT MATTERS
Engaged employees do better work, stay longer, and create better experiences for customers and partners. A thoughtful survey uncovers drivers of engagement, such as mission clarity, recognition, manager relationship, workload and growth opportunities. Leaders gain insights to use as a prioritized roadmap to improve morale, productivity, and retention.
WHAT’S IN A GOOD ENGAGEMENT SURVEY
Questions should focus on drivers, not just the outcomes. It’s important to not stop at “Are you satisfied?,” but also ask about what factors influence satisfaction. Typical engagement survey categories might cover:
Role clarity and expectations:
Manager support and coaching:
Recognition and meaningful work:
Career growth and development:
Workload and resources:
Team relationships, collaboration and psychological safety:
Trust in leadership and company direction:
Sample Questions to Include
Using a five point scale of “strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree), you can include the below questions to gauge alignment:
1. I clearly understand what success looks like in my role.
2. My manager gives me useful feedback that helps me improve.
3. I feel recognized for the work I do.
4. I have the tools and resources I need to do my job well.
5. I believe leadership acts consistently with the company’s values.
6. I feel comfortable raising concerns without fear of retaliation.
You can mix in short, open-ended prompts for feedback, such as “What’s one change that would improve your work experience?” and “What’s one thing we should stop doing?”
DESIGNING THE SURVEY
A thoughtful approach when designing the survey is key. Keep it simple! Surveys with twenty questions or less will typically encourage higher participation and more honest responses. Host your surveys on a recognizable platform that allows for protected anonymity.
Timing also plays a role in gathering feedback. Most organizations that utilize engagement surveys do so quarterly (pulse surveys) or one to two full surveys per year. Survey fatigue is a concern, so consider annual full surveys and more focused surveys that are conducted less frequently, possibly for feedback specific to benefits or remote/hybrid work.
THE RESULTS ARE IN
Result analysis should focus on insight and comments, not just scores or participation. High or low averages alone rarely tell the full story. Instead, it’s best to look for drivers of outcomes you care about, such as intent to stay or discretionary effort. From there you can identify which factors most influence those results.
You can also filter data thoughtfully by team, tenure, or role level. Remain cautious with small groups to preserve anonymity. Consider industry benchmarks for helpful context or comparison, but note that internal trends over time are often far more valuable for understanding whether your actions are actually working or not.
TURNING FEEDBACK INTO ACTION
Taking strategic action is where engagement surveys either succeed or fail. Sharing high-level results openly builds credibility and shows employees that leadership is paying attention. Transparency sets the foundation for trust and signals that feedback is being taken seriously. From there, organizations should resist the urge to fix everything at once. Focusing on a small number of high-impact priorities allows teams to move faster and create meaningful change.
Each priority should have an owner, a defined outcome, and a short timeline window. Small, visible improvements, such as developing recognition practices or addressing resource gaps, can quickly rebuild confidence and demonstrate momentum. Finally, it’s just as important to communicate complete work as it is to communicate priorities when the work begins.
COMMON PITFALLS TO AVOID
Many engagement survey efforts lose credibility because of poor follow-through. Collecting feedback without acting on it is one of the fastest ways to leave employees feeling frustrated or disengaged. Defensiveness from leaders or managers can also shut down future honesty, while overly prescriptive solutions often fail to reflect day-to-day realities and the feedback. Over-analyzing results to the point where anonymity is compromised can further erode trust and reduce participation over time.
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
To understand whether actions are working, HR and leaders should track a focused set of metrics. These often include overall engagement scores, eNPS or likelihood to recommend the organization, voluntary turnover, manager effectiveness, and survey participation rates. Participation levels of 70% or higher typically indicate strong trust and relevance, while declines may signal deeper issues that need immediate attention.
SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE
The real power of an engagement survey lies in what happens after the survey goes live. When surveys are treated as part of an ongoing improvement cycle where you measure, act, reassess, and communicate, they become a practical tool for strengthening culture, performance, and retention. Used this way, engagement surveys move beyond data collection and become a driver of meaningful organizational change.
By Stefanie Gencer
