Employee Experience Survey Communication: 20 Proven Tips

What are 20 tips for effective employee engagement survey communication?

Organizations that communicate survey results effectively see 15-20% higher response rates on subsequent surveys. Communication transforms measurement into action, moving employees from passive respondents to active change agents. Effective communication makes employees active change agents rather than passive survey subjects. They help design and implement the improvements they want to see.

Leaders must share specific results and invite employees into ongoing dialogue about solutions. Leaders identify specific solutions to the challenges that prevent employees from engaging fully and seeing a future with the company.

10 tips for employee engagement pre-survey communication

1. Get the word out. Announce the survey before sending invitations. Especially with the prevalence of IT warnings about suspicious links and phishing attempts, you want to make sure people expect the invitation and trust the link. The average response rate for Perceptyx clients is over 80%; that tells us most companies are doing a good job in this area.

2. Focus on the “why.” Pre-survey communication must explain why the company invests in employee listening and how past feedback drove specific changes. Frame the survey as a channel for honest feedback, not a compliance exercise. Remind people of this through pre-survey communication.

3. Enlist support. While HR typically owns the listening program, enlist leaders across the business to participate in and contribute to the communication plan. Some Perceptyx clients embed a video from their CEO or another leader with a message about an upcoming survey.

4. Set and meet expectations. Early communication should let employees know what to expect and when they can expect it. This includes data collection dates and advanced notice of analysis and presentations. After results are final, communicate back to the organization quickly. Setting those expectations — and following through — builds anticipation for what will come and help encourage participation in the survey.

5. Build trust. Employees who trust the confidentiality process respond at rates 20-30% higher than those who don't. Clarify that a third party like Perceptyx manages the data and individual responses remain confidential. Clarify that individual results will be confidential (not to be confused with anonymous), the data will be managed by a third-party organization like Perceptyx, and none of the employee’s colleagues will have direct access to the data.

6. Make it personal. Personalize messaging to employees. Mail systems can automatically fill in the recipient's first name and department name.

7. Communicate in context. Pre-survey communication shouldn’t be generic. The message should explain why the company is committed to employee listening, what the organization has done with past data, and how it plans to use survey results in the current business context.

8. Consider the brand. Effective early communication aligns with the brand of the company overall, and many Perceptyx clients choose to brand their listening or survey program. Review all messages associated with employee listening and pre-survey communication to make sure they align with the company’s branding and voice.

9. Make it inclusive. Employee listening has the potential to be one of the most inclusive things an organization does. Organizations that overlook language requirements or accessibility needs exclude employees and reduce response rates. Review language requirements and consider offering communications in multiple languages. Also, consider reviewing pre-survey communications with an internal accessibility team, or using the Perceptyx technology, which remains current with tools like screen readers for employees with visual impairments.

10. Foster a conversation. Effective employee listening programs combine research with ongoing dialogue between leaders and employees. Pre-survey communication sets the stage for the dialogue that will take place during and after the data collection, then during the action planning stage — as well as the ongoing conversation within the organization.

10 tips for employee engagement post-survey communication

1. Time matters. Delays in post-survey communication signal to employees that leaders don't value their feedback. Organizations that respond within two weeks see 25% higher engagement with action planning. Aim to share headline results within two to three weeks of the survey closing; many organizations target an 18-day window from close to first read-out. Timely follow-up — acknowledging responses and thanking people for participation — shows leaders care and sets an expectation that they’ll use the feedback to take action on things that matter to employees.

2. Provide themes for scaled and qualitative data. You can compile information about the overall themes and trends arising from survey results fairly quickly, even before a full analysis is complete. Sharing comment themes and an overview of the most and least favorable questions or dimensions shows leadership is paying attention and willing to be transparent.

3. Help people connect the dots. On their own, respondents often do not see the connection between their feedback and improvements that are made after the survey’s close. Remind them of the survey feedback when making improvements. Without this important step, the perception may be that nothing happened after the survey.

4. Balance the messaging about strengths and opportunities. Avoid the temptation to only focus on things to “fix.” This is also a time to acknowledge and celebrate wins. Focusing only on negative results demoralizes leaders and creates resistance to future surveys. Highlighting positives helps dispel the potential perception that employees are being punished with more work for providing honest feedback.

5. Use benchmarks (comparisons to external, industry, or overall company scores), but use them sparingly. These can be helpful to put results in context. However, avoid creating the perception that leaders only care about score comparisons. Instead, focus on employees’ experiences and what they are telling you.

6. Focus on the employee experience. This is a chance to make it real for employees. When action planning and setting goals, it’s ok to track outcomes like engagement — but help employees understand what’s in it for them and how they can influence the things that matter most to them, like development, empowerment, resources, and work/life balance.

7. Avoid overwhelming managers with too many action items. Too often leaders identify five, 10, or 15 things they want managers to incorporate into action plans — this approach can be overwhelming. Managers are already busy. When they are asked to do the additional work needed to simultaneously incorporate multiple improvements, they often anticipate failure and disengage from the process. Meaningful improvements in one area will yield secondary benefits in other areas. If managers can focus on doing one thing a little more, or better, or more consistently, that can make a huge positive impact onworkplace culture.

8. Keep it simple with the 1-2-3 model. At Perceptyx, we encourage clients to:

   • Identify one theme or focus area.

   • Develop two strategies to address the issue.

   • Talk about what was done to address the issue at least three times with employees to help them connect the dots. This simple approach shifts the focus away from action planning exercises and puts it on execution and driving meaningful change.

9. Involve employees in designing the response. The expectation should not be that leaders lock themselves away and solve all employees’ problems on their own. Instead, use the survey as a tool to foster ongoing dialogue. Employees often have a line of sight to solutions that are more effective and elegant than what leaders would come up with on their own. Make the process engaging and empowering for employees. Involving employees in the process is also a strategy to help increase their support of the change because they will have some ownership in the work. They are not only being given the opportunity to address what matters most to them, but also to help the organization see the way forward to greater success. Another way to think about this is: “Ask, listen, respond, involve, and solve.”

10. Foster ongoing conversations. An employee survey isn’t an academic exercise, and it shouldn’t be a once-a-year event. Short, frequent pulse surveys keep the dialogue fresh and give teams real-time topics to discuss. Use idea boards, innovation channels, and regular team meetings to turn survey insights into continuous improvement.

Following these tips for employee engagement survey communication will ensure that you get the most benefit from your surveys — with higher participation rates, clear action items, and higher levels of future engagement. Effective communication is the first step in setting a cycle of continuous improvement in motion.

Frequently asked questions

What is an employee experience survey?

An employee experience survey is a short, recurring questionnaire that asks workers about key moments like onboarding, career growth, and well-being. Leaders use the feedback to spot issues early and track progress. For help building the right survey, contact Perceptyx.

How often should we run an employee experience survey?

Many companies send a quick pulse every quarter and a deeper census once a year. Choose a cadence you can support with fast communication and action. Perceptyx consultants can help you pick a schedule that fits your culture.

What is a good response rate for an employee experience survey?

Aim for at least 70 percent to ensure reliable data. Perceptyx clients average about 80 percent when they communicate before and after the survey. Clear messaging and timely follow-up drive participation.

What are five good questions to ask in an employee experience survey?

1. I have the resources to do my job well.

2. My manager gives me useful feedback.

3. I see a clear path for growth at this company.

4. I would recommend this company as a great place to work.

5. Recent changes were communicated clearly.

Keep the survey under 15 items and adjust wording for your culture. For a custom item bank, talk with Perceptyx research experts.

What should we do after we collect survey results?

Share key themes within two weeks, thank employees, and outline next steps. Then pick one priority, plan two actions, and discuss progress at least three times. Perceptyx can guide your action-planning workshops.

How do we ensure confidentiality in employee surveys?

Use a third-party provider that strips identifying details and reports only groups of five or more responses. Explain this in pre-survey messages so employees trust the process. Perceptyx meets strict privacy standards and manages data security for you.

How does an effective employee survey program move your organization forward?

At Perceptyx, helping companies get the most out of their employee survey programs is our mission. Perceptyx combines employee engagement surveys, lifecycle listening, and AI-powered analytics to help enterprise HR leaders identify retention risks, track action plan effectiveness, and demonstrate ROI to executives.