Employee Experience: Listening for Meaningful Work

Employees who feel their feedback drives real change report significantly higher engagement than those who don't — yet most organizations still struggle to close the loop between listening and action. At the International Performance Management Institute (IPMI) HR Management Institute, I explored how organizations can move beyond agreement-type surveys to genuinely involve employees in the decisions that affect them.

I started the conversation by introducing myself but didn’t use my education or work credentials to set up the talk. Instead, I said, “I’m someone who is obsessed with experience.” I gave various non-work examples, such as my love for concerts, my preference for adventures over materialistic gifts, and even my time as a cheerleader. Given this lifelong need to create positive experiences, it was no surprise how — or why — I ended up in this industry. It is important to me to design for a positive work experience.

How does listening shape employee experience design?

Regardless of the context, the only way to truly design for a positive experience is by understanding what matters most to your stakeholders. How do you do that? You listen.

Listening applies to all aspects of life. But listening is only the first step. People not only want to be listened to, they want to feel heard.

They want to see how things have changed and improved because of their input. To boil it down, people want to be involved in decisions affecting them. When they don’t feel heard or involved, they eventually stop sharing feedback, their experience suffers, and they may potentially leave (whether it’s work or any other scenario).Organizations also miss performance gains that come from acting on employee input.

I have the privilege of working with a diverse portfolio of customers to consult on their listening journeys. No matter who the customer is, there’s always one theme that underlies all results. When employees feel involved, their experience is significantly higher compared to those who don’t feel heard or believe their feedback will be used to make improvements. I’m so passionate about this that I demonstrate these impacts in almost all presentations. The principle guides every consulting engagement: involve and empower employees, and the data will follow.

During my session at IPMI, I wanted to spark some creativity around how to involve employees and utilize the employee voice in different ways, outside of the agreement-type surveys and questions we are accustomed to seeing. Some of those examples, along with others taken from our customers, are shared below.

How Can Employees Shape Culture, Mission, and Values?

What Gap Exists Between Current and Ideal Culture?

Organizations often ask for feedback on current culture but rarely on what the ideal or future state culture would look like to employees. Recently, a life sciences customer used both qualitative and quantitative methods to measure current and ideal cultures. This feedback highlighted gaps and informed steps to bridge them. Employees are not only shaping the existing culture but are involved in decisions to enhance it moving forward.

Another example comes from a manufacturing customer that utilized similar methods. They found significant differences between the current and desired states, leading to targeted initiatives that aligned organizational practices with employee aspirations. This company conducted workshops and brainstorming sessions to gather detailed feedback on the ideal cultural attributes employees wanted.

As a result, they launched a series of programs aimed at bridging the gap, including:

• leadership training

• communication enhancements

• DEIB initiatives

These efforts boosted employee satisfaction, productivity, and engagement across the organization.

Informing mission and vision statements

Involving employees in the development of mission and vision statements during mergers and acquisitions can align organizational goals with employee values. A technology firm we work with integrated employee feedback into their new mission and vision, ensuring that the statements resonated with staff at all levels. This process helped create a shared vision that was more meaningful and motivating. Employees participated in surveys and workshops where they could voice their expectations and aspirations for the company's future. This inclusive approach not only enhanced the mission and vision but also fostered a sense of ownership and alignment among employees, making the transition smoother and more effective.

Similarly, a financial services customer going through a merger used employee input to shape their unified mission and vision. This inclusive approach facilitated smoother integration and fostered a sense of ownership and commitment among employees. Mission and values alignment strengthens employee experience by showing employees how their work connects to the organization’s direction.

They held town hall meetings and focus groups to gather insights and ensure that the new mission and vision reflected the collective values of the merged entities. The result was a mission statement that resonated deeply with employees, helping to unify the workforce and drive commitment to the company's long-term goals.

How Should Organizations Design Their Listening Strategies?

How Can Employees Shape the Listening Strategy Itself?

While employee input into listening seems obvious, some partners have implemented very creative ways to actually use employee feedback in the development of their strategies. One large Fortune 100 firm asked employees and managers to provide input into preferred length and frequency/cadence, alongside the importance and actionability of key topic areas. After an evaluation period, that feedback was used to redesign a comprehensive listening strategy, moving from an annual survey to a monthly approach, measuring the moments that matter most, as defined by the respondents themselves.  Participants were able to explicitly connect the dots between their input and the final product.

Another example involves a healthcare customer who faced workforce fatigue and disengagement. By deploying a comprehensive listening program, they gathered insights that informed strategic decisions, resulting in a significant reduction in voluntary turnover.

The organization used Perceptyx's listening platform to conduct regular pulse surveys and feedback sessions, allowing them to identify stress points and areas needing support. They implemented changes such as:

• better scheduling practices

• enhanced mental health support

• recognition programs

These actions led to improved employee morale and a substantial decrease in burnout rates.

How Can Employee Voices Drive Real Action?

Bottom-up approaches via action committees

Our research clearly demonstrates the importance of involving employees in decisions affecting them. We also see significant differences in employee experience results when we compare groups based on those who agree their feedback will be used to make improvements compared to those who do NOT respond favorably to this question.

While top-down, company-wide approaches to action planning are likely critical, more localized, bottom-up approaches give employees direct input into 1) identifying focus areas and 2) building solutions. That kind of involvement also builds trust by showing employees that their input shapes what happens next.

A multinational energy customer formed action committees to involve all of its employees in major decision-making processes. This bottom-up approach ensured that initiatives were relevant and had broad support across the organization.

These committees, composed of employees from various departments, worked on projects such as:

• improving workplace safety

• enhancing sustainability practices

• developing community outreach programs

Employees reported feeling more invested in the outcomes, leading to higher engagement and satisfaction. The inclusive approach not only improved the quality of the initiatives but also fostered a strong sense of community and collaboration within the company.

In another case, a healthcare customer used employee-led committees to drive improvements in patient care processes. By involving nurses, doctors, and administrative staff in decision-making, the organization was able to identify and address critical issues more effectively.

These committees leveraged frontline insights to implement changes that significantly enhanced service quality, safety, and employee morale. The result was improved patient experience, higher employee satisfaction, and a more cohesive work environment where employees felt their contributions were valued.

How Can Organizations Link Survey Action to Manager Behaviors?

One of the common challenges we see across our customer base is the need to engage their managers in the action-taking process. For example, a large food services customer utilized Intelligent Nudges, part of Perceptyx’s Activate package, to cascade actions across the workforce and drive meaningful change. These nudges were aimed at embedding desired behaviors and encouraging managers to make their people a priority. The nudges included practical tips such as:

• Drawing idea grids to solve complex problems;

• Maintaining a positive focus during brainstorming sessions;

• Shifting meeting styles to be more consultative and coaching-focused.

Managers were encouraged to engage with nearly every nudge, significantly increasing their effectiveness and maximizing team potential — with managers who engaged less frequently with the Intelligent Nudges being rated as needing support 2.5x more often than managers who engaged with them.

How Do Priorities and Objectives Connect to Employee Feedback?

Why Should Employee Experience Drive Organizational Strategy?

When employees see their feedback represented as part of an organization’s strategic objectives, they will be more willing to continue sharing and speaking up about their experiences. Not only this, but employees feel involved in the actions aligned to their feedback.

Organizations that include employee experience data alongside market research and business planning send a clear signal: employee feedback informs strategy, not just surveys.

Partner organizations in various industries, such as manufacturing and healthcare, have launched initiatives focusing on skill development, leadership training, and innovative career development opportunities, based on employee feedback. These actions can significantly improve perceptions of advancement fairness and career opportunities. One of our largest manufacturing customers introduced a series of skill-building workshops and leadership training sessions as part of their “Future State 2025” initiative. These programs were well-received, leading to measurable improvements in employee engagement and related metrics. The company also promoted “Forward to the Future Fridays,” dedicating time for employees to develop their skills and grow their careers, further enhancing their professional development opportunities.

In the healthcare sector, another customer implemented a targeted employee development program to address spiking workforce fatigue and disengagement. This included:

• targeted training for leadership

• new career pathways

• robust wellness programs

By focusing on these areas, they saw a significant increase in employee engagement and a reduction in both voluntary and involuntary turnover, reinforcing the value of continuous development and support for staff.

Frequently Asked Questions About Employee Experience

What is employee experience?

Employee experience covers everything an employee sees, hears, thinks, and feels about your organization — from the moment they first hear about the company through their last day of work. It includes hiring, onboarding, daily interactions, workplace culture, technology, and career development. When employees have a strong experience, they tend to stay more engaged, perform better, and remain with the company longer.

What are the 7 stages of employee experience?

The employee life cycle has seven stages: attract, hire, onboard, engage, perform, develop, and depart. Each stage shapes how employees feel about their workplace. Organizations that actively manage all seven stages are better positioned to retain strong performers and build a culture where people want to stay and grow.

What are the three pillars of employee experience?

The three pillars of employee experience are connection, growth, and well-being. Connection reflects the relationships employees build with their team and organization. Growth covers learning opportunities and career advancement. Well-being includes physical, mental, and emotional health at work. When all three are strong, employees are more likely to stay engaged and contribute at a high level.