Short answer (TL;DR): Because action is a cross‑functional, managerial discipline, not an HR communications exercise. And because some of the issues employees bring up in surveys (e.g., compensation) are structurally hard to change, if ever. Add in weak accountability processes and fuzzy priorities, and even the best survey turns into shelfware.
What follows is an in‑depth guide for HR leaders responsible for employee listening and post‑survey follow‑through. It covers the most common barriers to effective action planning and offers some practical ways to focus your organization on the two foundations that matter most: belonging and confidence in the future.
The Seven Barriers That Derail Post‑Survey Action
1. The “No Visible Action” Gap
Employees often doubt that survey feedback leads to meaningful change. Multiple studies show that about two‑thirds of employees say their organization fails to act on survey results, and only about 52% believe any action will be taken. In other words, the base‑rate probability that your people expect inaction is roughly 50–65%. When employees anticipate silence, participation and candor decline in subsequent cycles.
Suggested Remedy
Publish a concise, time‑bound action plan (along with expected due dates) within 30 days.
2. Over‑Indexing on “Hard-to-Solve” Items
Surveys often highlight problems that are tough to address. If they were easy, the solutions would already be in place. For example, pay and benefits frequently emerge as top concerns after surveys, but these issues can’t usually be resolved quickly or within team budgets.
Suggested Remedy
Be open with your employees about what can and cannot be fixed. Also, communicate to employees that some changes may require significant time to implement.
3. Manager Capability and Unclear Expectations
Engagement lives and dies with managers. Yet most managers report receiving no formal training on how to build engagement within their teams. Furthermore, unclear expectations are often a growing driver of disengagement themselves. Absent clarity, teams can’t translate survey insights into real routines.
Suggested Remedy
Focus on manager‑level goals, cadence, and support.
4. Treating Action as an HR Communications Task Rather than an Operational Change Initiative
Newsletters don’t fix broken workflows. Most survey themes such as workload, tools, handoffs, etc., are cross‑functional problems that require operational redesign that must be led by line leaders.
Suggested Remedy
Form named, cross‑functional squads with executive sponsors and deliverables tied to business metrics.
5. Accountability Theater: Goals without Consequences.
Organizations often set “action items” but don’t attach them to individual ownership, progress reviews, or performance conversations. Robust accountability systems (clear responsibilities, metrics, and feedback loops) are what translate intent into behavior; absent those, attention wanes and progress stalls.
Suggested Remedy
Integrate EX metrics into manager performance reviews.
6. Trying to Fix Everything (Priority Diffusion).
Teams drown in too many expectations, too many metrics, and too many mandates. Choose five to seven “focus areas,” and you will move none.
Suggested Remedy
The best practice is to narrow the framework to 1–3 priorities and hunt for early wins within a 90‑day time period.
7. Trust Issues (Confidentiality and Representativeness).
If employees don’t believe responses are confidential, candor drops significantly. Studies show nearly 75% of respondents are more likely to answer truthfully when confidentiality is assured and communicated.
Suggested Remedy
This is why using a third-party provider (like TMA Performance) to preserve confidentiality makes a lot of sense.
The Two Foundations to Prioritize Before Anything Else
In addition to the challenges listed above, many organizations jump straight to “projects” and action planning without first understanding the emotional foundations that truly drive employee engagement.
1. Belonging (“I feel like I belong here”).
Across tens of millions of survey responses, a sense of belonging emerges as a primary driver of engagement. Employees who feel accepted within and connected to the organization demonstrate higher levels of engagement and lower risk of full disengagement. Additionally, belonging is not just social affinity; it’s membership in the enterprise’s mission.
Suggested Remedy
Belonging becomes real when each employee knows their purpose, path, and place inside the organization.
2. Confidence in the Organization’s Future (and Leaders’ Credibility)
People engage when they believe leadership has a plan and that their work matters to that plan.
Suggested Remedy
Strengthen strategy narratives, translate enterprise goals to team‑level line of sight, and show how survey‑driven actions support strategic priorities.
A Practical, 5‑Step Playbook You Can Run This Quarter
1. Share the “Story of the Data.”
Host results sessions that (a) thank employees, (b) summarize 3–5 insights, and (c) outline the next 90 days. You will find that transparency boosts trust and primes participation.
2. Select 3 Priorities, Max.
Use your EX-platform’s focus analytics (or simple impact/effort mapping) to know where to start and remember to explicitly target the themes of belonging and confidence in the future.
3. Stand up Cross‑Functional Owners.
Name an executive sponsor and a delivery owner for each priority. Establish your KPIs, milestones, and “definition of done.”
4. Embed into Manager Routines.
Provide managers with a robust manager report that can help them facilitate a 30‑minute team discussion and give them enough data to select 3 meaningful priorities for their team.  In addition, you should tie completion and progress discussions to manager performance reviews.
5. Report Progress Publicly at 30/60/90 (Days).
Publish “you said, we did” updates with outcomes, not activity (e.g., “reduced onboarding cycle time from 21 to14 days,” not “formed a committee”).
Many leaders have experienced action planning processes that stall and fail to create real change. Success, however, is more likely when you follow the outlined steps described above and then let managers know that progress will be tracked and considered in their performance reviews. You can absolutely be successful in this work. By focusing on what matters most—belonging and confidence in the future—and by driving clarity, accountability, and collaboration, you can lead your organization toward meaningful, lasting change. You are not alone in this journey, and with the right tools and mindset, real progress is within reach.
