Implement Employee Engagement Survey Results: Top 6 Steps

Are You Confident In Your Ability to Implement Employee Engagement Survey Results?
Similar to an after action project review, receiving your employee engagement survey results is just the beginning — the real work lies in what you do next. Corporate culture assessment data highlights opportunities for improvement, but success depends on translating insights into targeted actions.

Your focus should be on identifying the few critical steps that will drive measurable results in:

• Employee advocacy: inspiring your team to actively support your company, its leaders, and core offerings

• Discretionary effort: motivating employees to go above and beyond in their daily work

• Retention intent: fostering long-term commitment and reducing turnover

Taking deliberate, strategic action ensures that your survey results move beyond numbers on a page and become a roadmap for a stronger, more engaged workforce.

An Employee Engagement Survey Is Only The First Step
An annual engagement survey provides valuable insights into what truly matters to your workforce—but it’s only the first step. You’ve started on the right path, but lasting results come from consistently acting on those insights to elevate engagement, strengthen culture, and drive performance.

Six Key Steps to Implement Employee Engagement Survey Results

Follow these six research-backed steps to effectively implement employee engagement survey results — ensuring you not only reach the finish line but also maximize the impact of your engagement initiatives.

1. Share Company-Wide Engagement Survey Results and Next Steps
   To effectively implement employee engagement survey results, your engagement communication plan should follow three key phases:

   1. Acknowledge participation
      Thank employees for their time and input, reinforcing that their voices are valued.

   2. Summarize key findings
      Share an executive overview of response rates, major insights, and trends.

   3. Detail results and actions
      Present specific survey outcomes and outline the concrete next steps leadership will take.

   No matter the communication method — town hall, email, or team meetings — ensure your approach is transparent, objective, and candid.  Success is evident when leaders are aligned on follow-up actions and employees feel appreciated, understand the company-wide results, and clearly see how leadership plans to act on the insights.
2. Discuss Team-Level Engagement Results In Focused Meetings
   High performing cultures recognize that meaningful employee engagement starts at the team level. After sharing company-wide engagement results and next steps, managers should meet with their teams to explore what the findings mean for their specific group.

   Equip managers with the skills and confidence to foster open dialogue — encouraging tough questions, surfacing critical issues, and involving every team member without fear of reprisal.

   Success is evident when teams engage in honest, constructive conversations about what the results truly mean for them and how they can contribute to improving engagement within their own team.

3. Have Teams Identify and Commit to 2-3 Key Actions
   Once teams have openly discussed the survey findings and their implications, the next step is for them to pinpoint the 2–3 engagement areas that deserve the greatest focus. These are the areas where targeted action will have the most meaningful impact.

   When teams actively participate in selecting the priorities that matter most to them, their commitment to driving change — and improving engagement — strengthens significantly.

   You’ll know you’re on the right track when each team has clearly identified the critical few action areas that will enhance employee advocacy, boost discretionary effort, and improve retention—while remaining fully aligned with the company’s strategy and culture.

4. Have Teams Define Success and Potential Solutions
   After your team has pinpointed the critical engagement areas to focus on, the next step is to select the specific survey items to improve and establish clear measures of success.

   Begin by understanding why current performance falls short, then define what success looks like and why improvement in this area matters for both the team and the organization. Identify potential barriers, key stakeholders, and the steps needed to overcome challenges.

   You’ll know you’re moving in the right direction when your team can clearly articulate what improvement means, recognize obstacles, identify responsible parties, and agree on how progress will be tracked and measured along the way.

5. Decide On and Execute Next Steps
   Once your team has defined success metrics and potential solutions, it’s time to move from planning to action. Collaborate to agree on the specific steps needed for improvement and establish a practical implementation process that has full support from company leadership.

   Distribute responsibilities so every team member has a stake in the outcome and is accountable for their part. Top-performing organizations hold leaders and managers responsible for tracking and improving employee engagement as part of their performance metrics.

   You’ll know you’re on the right track when teams have a clear action plan, well-defined roles and responsibilities, and mechanisms in place to monitor and hold each other accountable for execution.

6. Meet Regularly to Track and Evaluate Progress
   With your action plan in place, it’s essential to ensure it’s being executed on schedule and producing the intended results. Regularly review progress, identify what’s working, and make adjustments as needed. Consistent follow-through keeps change momentum high and keeps everyone informed of where the team stands.

   Top-performing organizations often review progress monthly and share results with the broader team quarterly — creating transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.

The Bottom Line
Improving employee engagement is an ongoing, iterative process. Move through steps 1 to 6 for each objective, then shift focus to the next priority area. As teams progress, collaboration strengthens, commitment deepens, and employees become more invested in working effectively together—driving meaningful, lasting results.

To learn about more actions to take, download The Top 10 Most Powerful Ways to Boost Employee Engagement

Tristam Brown

Tristam Brown is an executive business consultant and organizational development expert with more than three decades of experience helping organizations accelerate performance, build high-impact teams, and turn strategy into execution. As CEO of LSA Global, he works with leaders to get and stay aligned™ through research-backed strategy, culture, and talent solutions that produce measurable, business-critical results. See full bio.