Perceptyx's State of Employee Listening report reveals how organizations are collecting, acting on, and integrating employee feedback into their business, and the measurable impact these practices have on their key performance and talent outcomes.
Employee listening continues to mature and evolve, with significant shifts in both frequency and methodology. Our research shows that 75% of organizations now listen to employees at least quarterly, compared to just 18% surveying more than once per year a decade ago. Additionally, the time between data collection and results dissemination has dramatically compressed, with 70% of organizations now meeting to create action plans within four weeks of surveying.
What's changed most significantly is the diversification of listening methods. Organizations are increasingly supplementing traditional surveys with other approaches:
60% now use crowdsourcing methods (up from 43% previously)
36% collect behavioral feedback like 360 reviews (up from 28% previously)
95% of decision-makers report maintaining or increasing their listening efforts in the past year
This expansion of methods comes with a reduction in full census listening events (92% vs. 98% previously), suggesting that some organizations are becoming more targeted and strategic in their approach.
While employee engagement remains important, the gap between the most commonly measured topics has narrowed considerably. The top areas organizations seek feedback on include:
Employee Engagement (42%)
Growth and Development (40%)
Performance Enablement (39%)
Teamwork and Collaboration (38%)
DEIB (37%)
Well-being (37%)
Notably, career growth and performance enablement have gained significant traction, especially among learning and development leaders planning new initiatives.
Our research identified a significant shift in the barriers to effective listening and action programs. While acting on feedback remains challenging, internal resource and capability gaps have emerged as the most pressing concerns:
HR workload (30%)
Manager talent/skills (24%)
Alignment to business outcomes (24%)
Action planning/taking follow-up actions (22%)
These resource challenges are particularly concerning given that only about 1 in 4 organizations report having the internal support they need, with half now relying heavily on external partners for program success.
This shift may partly explain the regression in overall program maturity observed in our research. It also helps clarify why organizations increasingly seek vendor partners who can provide technology, AI analytics, and critical support for manager action planning.
Resource constraints are taking a toll on HR professionals themselves. More than 4 in 10 HR leaders report their jobs have become significantly more difficult, with 30% having considered leaving the profession entirely. One in 3 shows early warning signs of burnout, while 1 in 4 admits to already being burned out.
This creates a concerning cycle: as HR resources become more constrained, listening program effectiveness diminishes, further straining the HR professionals responsible for these initiatives.
Despite these challenges, the benefits of well-developed listening programs remain clear. Organizations with the most mature listening and action strategies are:
6x more likely to exceed financial targets
8x more likely to achieve high customer satisfaction
6x more likely to retain talent, even during periods of high attrition
6x more likely to adapt well to change
8x more likely to innovate effectively
These performance differentials highlight why organizations continue to invest in listening programs despite resource constraints.
Our research has identified four distinct stages of listening program maturity:
Stage 1: Episodic Listening and Action (9% of organizations)
Traditional, isolated survey events
Action primarily centered in HR
Little connection to broader business strategy
Stage 2: Topical Listening and Action (37% of organizations)
Multiple discrete listening events for specific purposes
Some departmental action, but still top-down
Limited accountability or resources for action
Stage 3: Strategic Listening and Action (39% of organizations)
Clear connection between listening strategy and business priorities
Multiple methodologies addressing specific business problems
Strategic actions throughout the organization
Stage 4: Continuous Listening and Action (15% of organizations)
Robust, flexible listening integrated into business strategy
Everyone is activated to contribute to workplace improvement
Personalized development based on feedback
The decline in Stage 4 organizations (from 23% to 15%) suggests that while many organizations understand the value of mature listening programs, maintaining them amid budget and staff constraints has become increasingly challenging.
Even the most sophisticated listening programs struggle with follow-through, as taking follow-up actions remained a top barrier even among Stage 4 organizations. Additionally, Perceptyx's Benchmarks show that while 71% of employees report results being shared and 59% say action plans are created, only 51% see actual improvements resulting from feedback.
This action gap represents perhaps the greatest opportunity for organizations to improve program effectiveness. Those that successfully bridge this gap by activating employees at all levels to take meaningful action report feeling positive change much more quickly. This is where scalable, innovative solutions like Perceptyx's Activate agent, which features AI-assisted Action Planning and Intelligent Nudging, can prove to be major differentiators.
One of the most promising developments is the increasing integration of employee listening with learning and development initiatives. Organizations with mature listening programs are 1.8x more likely to use feedback data to personalize coaching and development.
This convergence lends itself to a virtuous cycle: listening identifies development needs, personalized learning addresses those needs, and subsequent listening measures improvement.
This overview provides only a snapshot of our comprehensive research. To dive deeper into these findings and access detailed recommendations for improving your organization's listening strategy, download the complete State of Employee Listening report.
We regularly publish detailed analysis exploring specific findings in the data, including:
The growing risks of HR burnout,
Strategies for aligning listening strategies with business outcomes, and
The convergence of listening and learning.
Subscribe to our blog for these insights and more research-backed guidance.