Kinsey Smith

Energage

Looking ahead to 2025, employers would be wise to give employees what truly matters: the opportunity to be heard.

Employee feedback and listening aren’t just nice-to-haves — they’re essential for building a thriving workplace. When you take the time to survey your team, you gain invaluable insights into their needs, priorities, and frustrations. Acting on their feedback empowers you to:

• Build a workplace where employees feel valued and engaged.

• Strengthen your culture and boost retention.

• Show your team that their voices lead to real change.

Here’s what we have learned from insights captured by the Energage Workplace Survey:

Better benefits Employees consistently report some of the lowest scores on benefits: only 56 percent agreed that their benefits package is good compared to others in their industry. Benefits make up an important part of employee compensation. Still, they can often be confusing and can change in multifaceted ways from year to year. Health benefits, in particular, are a frequent source of frustration. They can be difficult to navigate, expensive, and affect not only employees but also their partners and families.

More pay

After a difficult couple of years struggling with inflation, layoffs, and other employees leaving their industry, surveyed employees are clear: they need more pay. Less than two-thirds (64 percent) say their pay is fair for their work. That could reflect several factors: rising cost of living, doing more work without additional compensation, seeing new hires or coworkers paid more for similar work, large disparities between leader and team member compensation, and many other issues. While not all organizations can afford to pay their employees more, it’s worth noting that employees will notice if record profits are reported, but their paychecks remain the same.

A different job

While most employees (64 percent) say they were not considering searching for a better job in the past month, that means the other 36 percent might be seriously considering it. This statement tends to result from many other factors, including the previously mentioned pay and benefits. But it’s also about the relationship with their manager, satisfaction with day-to-day work — and the overall workplace experience.

Even if your employees aren’t actively job hunting, are only exploring internal opportunities, or can’t find a better option elsewhere, it’s crucial to think about the costs of replacing them if they leave.

Improved communication

Only 69 percent of employees feel well-informed about important decisions at their company, indicating a disconnect between management and employees. While this disconnect is often unintentional, it can make the difference between employees being on board or resistant to a change.

Employees may feel in the dark about decisions, including whether leaders considered the impact on customers, a particular product, front-line employees, etc. And when information is lacking, employees may fill in the gaps themselves and are likely to get some of it wrong. Keeping employees informed is cheap, but it takes time and practice.

More effective meetings

Some 69 percent of employees believe that meetings make good use of their time. Still, if you hear, “This meeting could’ve been an email,” it might be time to reflect on the meeting culture at your organization and commit to a reset. As we head into the new year, now is a perfect time to encourage leaders and managers to reflect on meetings.

Keep listening

Surveying your employees is more than just gathering feedback — it’s a way to show them that their voices matter. By listening to what’s important to them, you can identify meaningful ways to enhance their experience, from improving benefits and pay to addressing communication gaps and optimizing workplace practices. When employees feel heard, they are more engaged, more loyal, and more committed to your organization’s success.

Kinsey Smith is senior people scientist at Energage, a Philadelphia-based employee survey firm. Energage is The Denver Post’s survey partner for Top Workplaces. To nominate your company as a Top Workplace, go to denverpost.com/nominate.