Employee engagement surveys offer employees an outlet and an opportunity to be heard. After surveying 13,000 employees across nine diverse organizations, Velocity Advisory Group found commonalities in workforce dynamics that transcend industry and company size.
In the consulting firm’s 2025 EX Trends Report: Insights into Employee Experience and Workforce Trends, six items consistently ranked at the bottom across all organizations:
The total engagement score across all employees surveyed.
- Processes Enable Productivity
- Experience vs. Expectations
- Open and Honest Communication
- Leadership Responsiveness
- Communicate Change Reasons
- Belief in Survey Change
While these metrics indicate areas of concern, they are often symptoms of larger behavioral and structural challenges. For instance, “Open and Honest Communication” frequently reflects frustrations stemming from lack of opportunities for employees to provide feedback or engage in meaningful dialogue with leadership. Similarly, “Leadership Responsiveness” is less about timeliness and more about leaders’ ability to address issues effectively. Findings also indicate that it’s essential for employees to feel heard and that their feedback matters, as “Belief in Survey Change” is often among the lowest-scoring items in employee surveys.
While communication has been a sticking point for employees for years, a striking finding is the growing disparity in trust and communication between senior leadership and frontline managers. The survey results showed that while 88% of organizations rank trust in managers among their top 10 strengths, confidence in senior leadership ranks in the bottom 10 for 71% of companies.
In the report, Velocity experts explore why this gap continues to grow (hint: middle managers are often the lynchpin for closing this gap), plus other insights including:
- The three factors that actually drive employee engagement
- Why employee engagement and customer/client satisfaction are interdependent
- 3 workplace predictions to keep an eye on in 2025
- 6 considerations for your next survey
Download the full report for access to all of the insights.
You’re also invited to join Velocity Advisory Group’s experts for a webinar on February 5, 2025 during which they’ll dive into the key findings and share practical solutions for leaders to enhance communication, improve process, foster opportunities for employee growth, and preparing their organization for the future. Register today.
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