Communicate Engagement Results: Battle Tested Tips

Battle Tested Tips to Communicate Employee Results
Communicating employee engagement survey results effectively can make or break your engagement efforts. The way you share survey findings is just as critical as the actions you take based on the data — employees notice not only what changes are made but also how transparently and thoughtfully the information is presented.

Communicate Engagement Results in 3 Phases
Based upon workplace culture assessment data and hard-learned experiences in the trenches, we recommend communicating engagement results in three main phases.

1. Thank Employees for Participating
   Effective communication begins the moment your employee engagement survey closes. Clarity at this stage sets the tone for trust and engagement moving forward.  Start by promptly sharing a brief, clear message that:
   • Thanks everyone for their participation.
   • Reinforces how employee engagement supports the company’s broader business and talent management goals.
   • Shares the participation rate to highlight collective involvement.
   • Is transparent about what comes next—outline the timeline for results, how information will be shared, and the subsequent steps employees can expect.
2. Share Initial High Level Employee Engagement Results
   The next step is to communicate the initial, high-level survey results across the organization. At this stage, avoid detailed analysis or action plans — your goal is to maintain momentum and let employees know their voices have been heard.  Key elements to include:
   • • Overall engagement scores.
     • Top five most favorable and least favorable areas.
     • Any additional insights that can be shared transparently, such as relevant demographic trends or important context that does not require deeper explanation.

   As with Phase 1, be clear about what comes next — outline timing, how further information will be shared, and the steps leading toward more detailed feedback and engagement actions. This clarity reinforces trust and keeps engagement alive.

3. Share Detailed Employee Engagement Results
   The third step is to present the detailed survey results to the organization. This is where you move from high-level awareness to actionable insights — sharing both company-wide and team-specific results, along with analysis and recommended action plans. The goal is to translate data into meaningful actions that align with your talent management strategy and workplace culture.  Key components to include:
   • • Employee engagement profiles showing engagement levels across teams.
     • Benchmarks comparing your organization to similar industries, company sizes, and locations.
     • Detailed breakdowns of favorable and unfavorable categories and items.
     • Identification of the top engagement drivers most strongly correlated with overall engagement in your organization.

   Conclude this phase by clearly communicating recommended actions, the rationale behind them, and the next steps for teams and leadership. This ensures that survey results do more than inform — they become a catalyst for tangible improvement.

Tips to Keep In Mind
In each phase of communicating employee engagement survey results, follow these battle-tested tips.

• Accept and Appreciate The Results For What They Are
  Employees should never feel guilty, judged, or threatened for sharing honest feedback. Thank them sincerely, regardless of the results — doing so builds trust in both leadership and the survey process.

  All follow-up communications, conversations, and engagement focus groups should center on understanding the feedback and creating constructive actions to boost engagement — not on assigning blame or making excuses. Similar to a project postmortem, avoid debating opinions, becoming defensive, or trying to change perceptions. Approach the results with humility.

  Employee engagement surveys capture employee perceptions, not objective truths. To drive meaningful improvement, validate employees’ experiences and feelings instead of attempting to alter them. Acknowledging their perspectives lays the foundation for trust, dialogue, and sustained engagement.

• Focus On The Feedback, Not The People
  Employee survey responses must remain completely confidential. When reviewing the results, concentrate on the insights, trends, and actionable opportunities for improvement. Avoid speculating about who provided specific feedback — doing so wastes time, undermines trust, and can erode leadership credibility.

  The value lies in understanding patterns and turning them into meaningful change, not identifying individuals.

• Be Open, Objective and Clear
  The way you discuss survey results shapes how employees perceive both the feedback process and leadership itself. To improve future survey participation and engagement, approach results with openness, objectivity, and clarity. Share both positive and negative findings honestly, without sugar-coating.

  Communicate the insights in a straightforward manner, and clearly outline the engagement actions you plan to take next. Transparency and precision at this stage build credibility and reinforce that employee voices truly matter.

• Be Collaborative and Inclusive
  Invite employees to contribute additional feedback and ideas as you share and review survey findings. Foster an ongoing dialogue—encourage questions, provide access to the data, and empower teams to develop their own action plans for improving engagement. By involving front-line managers and employees directly in the process, you create shared ownership and a stronger commitment to making the workplace truly exceptional.

The Bottom Line
The way you communicate engagement results directly impacts employee trust, advocacy, discretionary effort, and retention. By following these battle-tested strategies — expressing gratitude, sharing results transparently, validating employee perspectives, and fostering collaborative action — you turn survey insights into meaningful improvements that strengthen both culture and performance.

If you liked How to Communicate Engagement Results, download The Relationship Between Employee Engagement and Manager Effectiveness to learn more.