For HR leaders, the role is more strategic than ever: connecting employee experience with business outcomes. One of the most powerful tools at your disposal is employee voice – the authentic feedback, insights, and ideas shared by your people. When leaders listen and act on this feedback, it builds trust, improves engagement, and drives key KPIs like productivity, innovation, retention, and even profitability.
And yet, there’s a gap.
According to Gartner, while 70% of CEOs expect their CHRO to be a key player in enterprise strategy, only 55% say they actually meet that expectation. The disconnect is even starker with CFOs—only 30% feel their CHRO is up to the task. Part of the problem is that many HR leaders simply haven’t had the opportunity to develop influence outside their function, only 20% of Fortune 250 CHROs have experience beyond HR.
That’s why how you frame the value of employee insights matters just as much as collecting them.
Picture this: You’re in a leadership meeting and say,
“We ran an employee survey, but engagement was low.”
The room nods politely, but the conversation stalls. The impact feels limited.
Now imagine you say instead,
“Our employee feedback channels reveal low engagement, signaling a trust gap that’s putting retention and performance at risk. Closing that gap is critical to achieving our growth targets.”
Suddenly, leaders sit up and take notice. They start thinking about trust-building strategies, how employee engagement links to business goals, and the urgency of listening more deeply.
This guide will help you craft conversations like this, moving beyond surface-level feedback to demonstrate how employee voice directly fuels organisational success.
| Instead of saying this: | Say this: |
|---|---|
| "We asked employees for feedback." | "We’re actively listening to employee voices to uncover insights that drive business performance and innovation." |
| "Employees don’t really engage with surveys." | "Employee feedback participation reflects trust in leadership. Building this trust improves engagement and retention." |
| "People don’t feel heard." | "Closing the feedback loop boosts morale and drives a culture of continuous improvement and accountability." |
| "Employees are unhappy." | "Feedback signals early risks to productivity and turnover. Addressing concerns proactively protects our business." |
| "We get a lot of generic responses." | "We’re investing in targeted, meaningful conversations that reveal actionable insights for strategic decisions -so we’re shifting to more targeted listening that can inform strategic decisions." |
| "Managers struggle to act on feedback." | "Supporting managers to translate employee voice into change is critical to unlocking workforce potential." |
| "Leadership is disconnected from employees." | "Embedding employee voice in leadership decisions strengthens alignment, trust, and organisational agility." |
| "Exit surveys show why people leave." | "Employee voice helps us understand retention risks and build strategies to keep our top talent." |
| "Employee feedback is more than just HR’s job." | "Employee voice is a strategic asset that impacts customer experience, innovation, and overall business success." |
| "We don’t have the time we would like to act on feedback." | "Prioritising employee feedback leads to higher engagement, reducing costs related to turnover and low productivity." |
| "We’re not sure if feedback leads to change." | "Transparent communication about actions taken on employee feedback builds credibility and drives ongoing engagement." |
| "Surveys aren’t enough." | "Combining surveys with ongoing dialogue creates a culture where employees feel truly valued and motivated." |
| “Our employees completed the engagement survey.” | “Our employees shared critical insights that highlight where we’re building trust—and where we’re not.” |
| “We got some negative feedback about leadership.” | “The feedback signals a trust deficit that directly impacts leadership effectiveness and team morale.” |
| “Turnover is high in some departments.” | “High turnover reflects underlying disengagement and dissatisfaction, which we can address through targeted listening and action.” |
| “Engagement isn’t just an HR problem.” | “Engagement is a business imperative; it directly influences customer satisfaction, revenue, and growth.” |
| “Employees don’t trust management.” | “Trust levels are lower than expected, which increases risk to retention and slows decision-making.” |
If your conversations sound like the “say this” column, and you feel like you’re getting nowhere, it might be time to shift the way you’re framing the message.
Translating HR insights into business impact, can show the bigger picture, and more people start listening.
When you connect employee voice to trust, performance, and measurable KPIs, leaders lean in. And when you speak their language, you get the buy-in you need to drive real change. If employee voice isn’t already part of your strategy, but this blog has got you thinking about the impact it can have, grab your copy of our Business Case for Employee Voice.
