Organizational change can unsettle even the strongest teams. For employees, it often brings uncertainty, disruption, and a need for clarity. How leaders listen and respond during these times can make or break the success of the transition.
New research from TalentLMS and WorkTango reveals that many companies still aren’t doing enough to collect employee feedback during change, let alone act on it. And that gap is costing them trust, momentum, and engagement. This article breaks down what the data shows, where most organizations are falling short, and how to respond to employee feedback intentionally to drive better change outcomes.
Why collecting employee feedback during change Is essential
There are many ways to gather employee feedback during change, but not all approaches offer the same level of insight. When it comes to collecting honest, actionable input at scale, employee surveys remain one of the most effective tools. But our research with TalentLMS shows that too many organizations still aren’t collecting employee feedback effectively:
- 46% of employees said they were never asked how organizational change was affecting them.
- 40% of employees said their organization only occasionally asked for their feedback during change.
- 42% said their organization didn’t provide any opportunity to share feedback at all.
This data points to a broader issue: too many employees are being excluded from the change process entirely. That means organizations are missing critical insight into what their employees need, what’s getting in the way, and how to provide the right support. That’s why having an employee survey strategy in place during organizational change is a key step in identifying those needs early. It helps you respond with clarity and intention.
What this means is if you’re not asking, you’re guessing. And when it comes to change, that guesswork shows up in missed signals, disengaged employees, and slower progress. But using employee surveys to collect feedback is just the start. What happens next is what determines whether that feedback drives real results during change.
The disconnect between collecting and responding to employee feedback
Collecting employee feedback through employee surveys is important, but it’s only effective if you act on it. And right now, there’s a clear disconnect between listening and follow-through. According to our research with TalentLMS:
- 21% of employees said their feedback was collected but not acted on.
- 16% of employees weren’t really sure if anything happened with their feedback.
- Only 15% of employees said that feedback was used to make meaningful changes
- 47% of employees said only minor adjustments were made based on employee feedback
When employees don’t hear back or see action, they’re less likely to stay engaged. It sends a message that their input doesn’t matter, which can lead to frustration, resistance, and lost productivity. For employees to speak up, they need to trust that something will come of it.
The good news? There’s a clear opportunity to close that gap. Responding to employee feedback clearly and consistently, in a way that shows real action, is what turns listening into momentum.
How to respond to employee feedback during organizational change
Turning feedback into meaningful action is where the real work begins. After the survey is sent, what you do next is what builds employee trust.
Here's how to make employee voices matter, especially during times of change:
1. Translate feedback into clear action
Start by defining what you want to learn before launching your survey. Once you have results, identify the patterns and take visible action. That might mean improving communication, adjusting workloads, or offering targeted support. Whatever you do, connect it directly back to the feedback you received. Employees are more likely to stay engaged when they can see that their input is shaping how change happens.
2. Share what you heard, and what it means
Transparency builds credibility. Share a summary of the employee survey results, along with the actions you plan to take and the reasons behind them. If certain suggestions can’t be implemented right away, explain why. The goal isn’t to over-promise anything, but to show that your organization is listening and thinking critically about how to move forward together.
3. Equip managers with insight and tools
Front-line managers and people leaders are key players during organizational change, but only 28% report receiving updates on how their teams are feeling. Provide managers with relevant feedback and give them tools they can use in follow-up conversations. When managers are equipped to follow up on feedback in a thoughtful way, it helps teams stay engaged through change. In fact, companies that take action on what employees share have seen turnover drop by as much as 30%.
4. Keep listening throughout the change
Any business transformation doesn’t happen all at once. Needs shift, energy ebbs and flows, and new challenges emerge. Success isn’t linear, but continuous feedback helps you adjust course quickly, rather than waiting until problems become harder to solve. Use ongoing surveys help maintain momentum, surface issues early, and make the journey more navigable for everyone. Regular listening reinforces that employees are a key part of the change process and that their input shapes what happens next.
5. Use technology to support ongoing feedback
The right tools make it easier to listen, respond, and adapt in real time. During periods of change, technology helps create consistency. Whether through pulse survey platforms, sentiment analysis tools, or dashboards that track progress, employee survey software makes it easier to capture employee input at each stage of the change journey. It also gives leaders the insights they need to take timely, informed action at every level of the business.
Impact Spotlight: American Eagle Financial Credit Union
During a period of cultural transformation, American Eagle Financial Credit Union (AEFCU) recognized that collecting employee feedback once a year wasn’t enough. They moved to a pulse survey approach using WorkTango’s platform, making it easier to check in with employees more regularly throughout times of change.
Over time, trust grew. Employees saw their feedback lead to meaningful changes, and engagement started to climb. Within one year, the results were substantial. AEFCU saw a 100% improvement in leaders taking action on survey feedback. Their action score rose by 23 points, employee engagement increased by 12 points, and favorability jumped from 62% to 78%.
By building a consistent feedback loop and supporting managers with tools to act, AEFCU turned employee input into a catalyst for change.
What you can do right now
If you don’t have a plan for collecting and responding to employee feedback during change, start with what you do control. The goal isn’t to roll out a perfect system. It’s to show employees that their feedback isn’t going unnoticed and that their experience matters during times of uncertainty.
- Ask one focused question about how the change is landing, and share back what you learn
- Identify one change you can make now that reflects what employees shared
- Bring in managers and talk about what they’re hearing and where support is needed
- Set a schedule to ask again, even if it’s informal
You don’t need to wait for the next big initiative to start building trust. Use the change that’s already happening to listen better, respond faster, and show employees that their feedback has a place in how the organization moves forward.
To dive deeper into the data and learn how to build a stronger feedback strategy during change, download the full TalentLMS & WorkTango report: What the Data Says About Closing the Feedback Loop During Organizational Change.
