Listening to Your Employees?
Cathie Leimbach • February 28, 2023
With our current workforce reality, it is particularly important that we listen to our employees and act on their input. Millennials and Gen Z, which make up the majority of our workforce, are quite willing to speak up with both suggestions and concerns about their career experience. With the high number of open positions in most communities, they are willing to look around rather than stay in a poor or mediocre environment. Paying attention to their input will reduce turnover and increase morale, positively impacting the bottom line.
Let’s look at 4 common ways managers listen to and act on employee feedback.
- Conduct a large-scale survey a few times per year and share the information with HR and the executive team.
- Conduct a survey or conversations around specific topics within the organization and share the findings will most leaders.
- Use a strategic listening approach using at least 2 different feedback methods and quickly act on suggestions and concerns.
- Various listening approaches are used throughout the year to get feedback on matters that impact business goals and their achievement. All levels of the organizations take responsibility for acting on improvements and all executives champion the process.
Organizations that regularly use multiple approaches for listening to and acting on employee input are 3 times as likely to meet or exceed financial targets and 10 times as likely to have high levels of customer satisfaction and retention.
What is one way you can enhance your employee listening?
There was a time when many employees expected to spend most of their careers with one organization. Job security, pensions, and long-term loyalty often kept people in the same company for decades. Today's workforce thinks differently. Millennials and Gen Z expect to build careers—not necessarily with one employer. If they don't see opportunities to learn, grow, contribute, and advance, they'll find them somewhere else. Research consistently shows that younger employees are looking for more than a paycheck. They want managers they trust, meaningful work, opportunities to develop, flexibility when possible, and a workplace where they feel respected, supported, and heard. Gallup reports that 87% of Millennials say professional development is important to their job satisfaction. Combined with growing expectations for work-life balance and a positive workplace culture, it's no surprise that organizations relying primarily on compensation to retain employees continue to struggle with turnover. The encouraging news is that leaders influence most of what keeps people engaged. Managers who hold meaningful conversations, clarify expectations, recognize contributions, coach for growth, and genuinely care about their employees create workplaces where people want to stay. They build trust, strengthen engagement, and help employees grow, succeed, and see a future with the organization. Today's retention isn't driven by job security or loyalty alone. It's driven by a workplace experience where employees are growing, supported by leaders they trust, and confident their contributions matter. Download our Retention Conversation Guide to discover practical ways to strengthen trust, engagement, and retention—one leadership conversation at a time. Conversation is where leadership happens.
Most leaders know they should give feedback. Yet many avoid it. Not because they don't care, but because they worry they'll discourage someone, create conflict, or say the wrong thing. Unfortunately, when feedback is delayed, vague, or avoided, employees don't feel supported—they feel uncertain. Research highlighted in a recent McKinsey Quarterly article found that employees who receive regular, specific feedback are significantly more engaged than those who don't. The problem isn't that employees dislike feedback. They dislike feedback that feels judgmental, unclear, or disconnected from their growth. The strongest leaders understand something important: Feedback isn't a download. It's a dialogue. When leaders approach feedback as an employee development conversation rather than a list of mistakes, people become more open to hearing hard truths and more motivated to improve. Effective feedback communicates two powerful messages at the same time: I respect you. I believe you can grow. That combination changes everything. The best leaders don't simply evaluate past performance; they help employees see future potential. Rather than focusing only on what went wrong, they provide feedforward —guidance on what someone can do to become even more successful. High-performing organizations understand a simple truth: Improvement requires input. The question for leaders isn't whether to give feedback. It's whether our feedback leaves people feeling smaller—or stronger. Feedback doesn't change people. Better conversations do. Download our one-page guide: 5 Practices That Turn Feedback Into Growth Learn five practical ways to make every feedback conversation more productive, more encouraging, and more likely to inspire lasting growth. Conversation is where leadership happens