How to Get the Most Out of an Employee Feedback Survey

Fear of Retaliation 

According to research by DecisionWise, 34% of US, Employees Don’t Speak Up for Fear of Retribution. Many employees fear their feedback's negative consequences so they stay quiet. 

Lack of Confidence in Organizational Response 

If employees feel that no action is taken in the organization based on their feedback, they stop participating. For example, a global tech firm conducted surveys for years and never shared the results or implemented changes. The participation rate dropped from 77% to 33%, but then they started publishing action plans, and the participation rate jumped to 88%.  

Social and Cultural Factors 

Employees feel pressure to be overly optimistic or fear being judged by colleagues. They think their negative feedback will make them look like complainers, which leads them to suppress their thoughts. 

How to fix it 

• Reassure employees of anonymity and use third-party tools for credibility. 
• Normalize constructive criticism by acting on it and driving change. 
• Encourage team discussions where diverse perspectives are welcomed.

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One-Size-Fits-All Approach 

Traditional surveys are static questionnaires for all employees, but not all face the same challenges. For example, the challenges of a remote employee differ from those of an onsite employee. Instead of asking generic questions, customize your surveys based on role, department, or work environment.

They’re Too Long and Boring 

No one wants a 20 to 25-question survey with repetitive questions. Traditional surveys are often long and lack interactive features that keep employees engaged. Employees will either abandon the survey or rush through it without giving meaningful responses.

They Lack Depth and Lead to No Action  

Traditional surveys do not engage employees in a conversation to get deeper insights 

They ask yes/ no or multiple-choice questions that provide basic insights. Without quantitative feedback, your data is incomplete. 

Slow Action 

Traditional surveys take months to analyze data manually and then implement it, leading to delayed or no change. By the time insights are reviewed, employee concerns may have evolved, making the feedback outdated and ineffective.

AI-Powered Conversations, Not Just Forms 

Using AI ThyeSaid generates smart surveys tailored to your company’s goal. All you have to do is enter your URL, and AI will automatically learn about your business and create survey questions in seconds.  Moreover, it engages with employees in a very natural way that the whole survey feels like a chat. This leads to high participation rates and deeper insights. 

Real-Time Insights, Instant Action 

No more waiting for weeks to get feedback to act on. AI provides instant feedback and automatically creates follow-up plans so you can implement feedback when it matters the most.

Personalized, Adaptive Surveys 

One survey doesn’t fit all! AI automatically changes survey questions based on employee responses to ensure you have relevant and accurate data and insights.

Engagement That Feels Authentic 

Employees want to be heard and feel valued. TheySaid creates two-way conversations that make employees feel heard and deliver feedback-rich insights.

Anonymous Yet Insightful 

Employees are most likely to be honest when they know their responses will be anonymous. TheySaid ensures confidentiality while uncovering meaningful insights that drive real change.

The Result? A More Engaged & Motivated Workforce

Read - 23 Engaging Product Feedback Questions to Ask Customers (With Examples)

Employee Satisfaction Score (ESS) 

This metric measures how happy employees are with their work, managers, and workplace. If you get an 8/10 ESS, that means employee satisfaction is reasonable in your company. If it drops, you need to identify key areas for improvement. 

Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) 

This metric measures if your employees will recommend your company as a great workplace. The scores are categorized as follows: 

Promoters (9-10) – Highly engaged and love working at the company.

Passives (7-8) – Satisfied but not enthusiastic.

Detractors (0-6) – Disengaged and at risk of leaving.

Turnover & Retention Rates 

It’s a direct reflection of whether employees feel valued in your workplace. If the turnover rate is high, you need to look for issues like salary, management, or workplace culture and then introduce structural strategies to increase retention rates.

Survey Response Rate 

This metric measures the number of employees who have completed the survey. If your survey responses are below 50 %, you need to ensure transparency and anonymity and build trust to show employees that their feedback leads to changes.

Ask the right questions  

What you need to learn should dictate what you ask from employees. Instead of asking generic questions, focus on challenging questions that provide you with specific and deep insights let’s say instead of asking, "Do you feel valued at work?", you can ask, "Share any experience where you felt most valued and appreciated." 

Create Benchmarks 

Compare your results over time with industry benchmarks to track success and progress. For example, if last year's survey results show that 70% of employees feel recognized for work but this year's show a drop to  50%, it signals that you need to introduce better recognition programs. 

Compare Across Departments 

Different departments have different pain points. Continuously monitoring department-specific trends helps you identify areas for improvement. For example, if the marketing team reports low morale but the sales team is thriving, you need to investigate factors such as workload, leadership style, and team dynamics in the marketing team to create actionable strategies to improve their morale. 

Support Multiple Languages 

A global or diverse workforce needs surveys in multiple languages to feel safe providing honest feedback. A retail company with employees in Latin America, Europe, and Asia saw an increase in survey participation after offering surveys in Spanish, French, and Mandarin.

Why do employees ignore feedback surveys? 

Most employees skip surveys because they feel their opinions do not matter. It is probably because they have not seen any previous improvements based on their feedback.

What’s the biggest mistake companies make with employee surveys? 

Asking for feedback and doing nothing about it. Always share survey results, communicate action plans, and follow through.

What’s a quick way to improve employee feedback surveys? 

Keep your survey short and interactive 

Add a mix of question types 

Use tools leveraging AI 

Show employees their feedback leads to real action

What makes TheySaid different from traditional employee surveys? 

Unlike rigid annual surveys, TheySaid focuses on continuous listening, AI-driven insights, and real-time action plans, making it a proactive feedback solution.