LONDON, UK. June 16th, 2026 – Only 53% of employees believe their survey feedback will lead to meaningful action, according to new global benchmark data from People Insight, revealing a widening gap between employee listening and organisational response.
The report warns that many organisations are “listening loudly but acting quietly”, putting employee trust, engagement and future participation at risk.
The findings come from People Insight’s new report, The senior leader’s role in employee surveys, which argues that employee feedback must be treated as a core leadership responsibility rather than a one-off HR activity.
The report highlights a repeated organisational challenge: senior leaders approve surveys but disengage from follow-up, HR teams are left responsible for outcomes they cannot fully influence, and managers are expected to deliver change without sufficient authority or resources.
This disconnect can gradually erode trust, reduce participation in future surveys, and weaken the effectiveness of employee listening programmes.
The report also cautions against overpromising. Instead, organisations can strengthen trust by clearly communicating what will change, what will remain the same, and where improvements may take longer.
People Insight states that effective employee listening depends on sustained, visible leadership involvement beyond survey launch.
This includes setting priorities based on results, taking ownership of decisions and trade-offs, and regularly communicating progress to employees.
Without this, organisations risk a “belief-in-action gap”, where employees continue to provide feedback but lose confidence that it will lead to meaningful change.
“Employees are not expecting everything to change overnight, but they do expect honesty and visible progress,” said Tom Debenham, Managing Director at People Insight.
“When only 53% of employees believe action will follow a survey, it is a clear signal that something is breaking down. If people repeatedly give feedback and see little change, they will question the value of speaking up.
“Leadership buy-in has to go beyond approval. It means making decisions, focusing on the right priorities and showing progress over time. The organisations that get this right treat employee feedback as a leadership responsibility, not an HR exercise.”
The senior leader’s role in employee surveys explores what leadership buy-in means, why it often fails, and how organisations can build stronger ownership to turn employee feedback into action.
The report also covers sponsorship visibility, decision-making pathways, accountability structures, communication approaches, and measurement and action planning.
Read the full report at peopleinsight.co.uk/senior-leadership-employee-surveys.
