LONDON, UK. June 16th, 2026 – New global benchmark data from People Insight shows that only 53% of employees feel confident their feedback will be acted on, highlighting a growing divide between organisations that collect opinions and those that respond to them.
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 initiative.
The report highlights a recurring pattern in organisations: senior leaders approve surveys but disengage from the results, HR teams are left accountable for actions they cannot fully control, and managers are expected to deliver change without enough authority or support.
Over time, this disconnect can weaken trust, reduce participation in future surveys, and limit the effectiveness of employee listening programmes.
The report also cautions against overpromising. Organisations instead build credibility by being clear about what will change, what will not, and where improvements may take longer.
According to People Insight, effective employee listening relies on sustained and visible leadership involvement well beyond survey launch.
This includes setting priorities based on results, owning decisions and trade-offs, and communicating progress consistently to employees.
Without this, organisations risk a “belief-in-action gap”, where employees continue to provide feedback but lose confidence that it will drive 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 really means, why it often fails and how organisations can build the ownership needed to turn employee feedback into meaningful action.
The report also examines visible sponsorship, decision pathways, accountability structures, communication approaches, and measurement and action planning.
Read the full report at peopleinsight.co.uk/senior-leadership-employee-surveys.
