If you want to build a workplace where people feel heard, valued, and motivated, it starts with listening. But not just casually listening. Actively listening.
A strong feedback strategy doesn’t wait for problems to show up. The most effective teams build the foundation early, creating a process that turns feedback into action. That’s where active listening comes in. Research shows the difference is clear: 77% of highly engaged organizations take specific action based on engagement data, compared to just 33% of less engaged organizations. The takeaway? Listening without action simply doesn’t work.
Active listening is more than just asking employees for input. It’s about creating a consistent system to collect, understand, and respond to what your employees are saying. When people see that their voices lead to real change, trust grows—and so does engagement.
What is active listening?
Active listening is a structured approach to gathering, understanding, and acting on employee feedback. It treats feedback as a vital source of insight for both everyday decisions and long-term strategy.
Just as you analyze customer behavior to improve your products or services, active listening applies the same level of attention to your people. It’s about connecting what employees share with what leaders do by creating a continuous feedback loop where action is visible, and employees know their voices matter.
By using both quantitative and qualitative data to inform decisions, active listening helps you build trust, increase accountability, and strengthen the employee experience across your organization.
Employee feedback alone isn’t enough
Collecting employee feedback is important, but it’s not the same as having a real listening strategy.
You might run an annual engagement survey or send the occasional pulse check and feel like that’s enough. But research shows that only about half of companies take meaningful action on the results. And when your employees share input but don’t see anything come of it, engagement takes a hit. Over time, participation drops, transparency fades, and you lose a valuable connection with your people.
That’s why it’s critical to put an action plan in place to review feedback, communicate the results, and take action — consistently. Feedback should always lead to visible change. That’s the foundation of an employee listening strategy that actually works.
Real results: How active listening transformed one organization
American Eagle Financial Credit Union operationalized active listening by holding leaders accountable and closing the loop on employee feedback. The results? Higher trust, stronger alignment, and a measurable boost in engagement.
They saw:
- 100% improvement in leaders taking action on survey feedback
- 23-point increase in action score (from 43 to 66)
How active listening works
To be effective, active listening needs to be an ongoing process that’s built into your daily operations. Here’s how you can make it work:
1. Define clear objectives
Before collecting employee feedback, align on what you need to learn and why it matters. Clarity up front helps focus survey questions and ensures the insights you gather are actionable.
2. Establish a baseline
Start by measuring employee sentiment across key drivers like leadership, inclusion, collaboration, recognition, and career development. Use a mix of quantitative and open-ended questions to give yourself a clear starting point.
3. Take meaningful action
Once the results are in, leaders at every level should review them, identify priorities, and take ownership of change. When employees see leaders stepping up, it builds credibility and shows accountability.
4. Check in regularly
Keep the conversation going. Regular follow-up surveys help you understand how changes are landing, uncover new challenges, and keep momentum strong.
5. Measure progress over time
Each feedback cycle should build on the last. Track engagement trends to see what’s working and where you need to refocus.
6. Leverage technology
The right tools make active listening easier and more impactful. For example, WorkTango’s Survey platform helps you collect insights, prioritize actions, and monitor progress all in one place.
7. Embed active listening into leadership
Employee voice isn’t just HR’s job. It’s a full leadership team responsibility. Make it a leadership responsibility. When leaders consistently act on feedback, it strengthens trust and drives long-term engagement.
How active listening impacts engagement
The impact of active listening isn’t always loud or immediate. But over time, it reshapes how people connect, communicate, and contribute at work. When employees see their feedback lead to meaningful change, they become more engaged and more invested in the organization.
Here’s what can start to shift when listening becomes part of how your company operates:
- Stronger employee-leader alignment
When leaders are transparent and take action, employees feel seen and heard. That mutual trust leads to stronger alignment and a more connected workplace. - Faster issue resolution
Frequent feedback loops allow you to detect and address emerging concerns quickly before they escalate further. - Deeper insight into engagement drivers
Quantitative scores are just the start. Qualitative insights from open-ended feedback reveal the “why” behind the numbers, allowing you to strategize more targeted solutions. - Higher trust in the feedback process
When feedback consistently leads to action, your employees will be more likely to share candid input in the future. This trust is essential for sustaining meaningful dialogue and continuous improvement. - A culture of accountability and growth
Acting on employee feedback fuels continuous improvement. Your employees see that their voices matter, and leaders stay connected to their evolving needs.
Make active listening a part of your employee survey strategy
Active listening is not just an HR initiative. It’s a leadership habit that drives long-term engagement and business impact.
To make it work, you need more than just employee feedback. You need:
- Clear goals tied to what you want to learn
- Consistent follow-up after every round of feedback
- Leadership accountability at every level
- Leverage the right tools to help you act quickly and track progress
- A mix of quantitative and qualitative data to understand both the numbers and the story behind them
When listening becomes part of your culture, employees feel heard and supported. Trust grows. Engagement improves. And leaders stay connected to what their people need most.
Active listening is how good organizations become great places to work.
