8 Reasons Your Employee Engagement Survey Isn’t Working—and What to Do About It

Employee engagement surveys are a valuable tool for understanding your organization’s culture and guiding improvements, howeverut many organizations struggle to transform survey data into meaningful action. Without a strategic approach, these surveys often fall flat—leaving teams frustrated, leaders unsure, and culture stuck in neutral.

At The Culture Fix®, we’ve developed a framework that transforms engagement surveys into actionable blueprints for cultural change. Our Organizational Culture Survey not only identifies your culture’s strengths and gaps but also provides the tools to bridge them. Here’s why many surveys fail and how to create one that drives real results.

1. Lack of Clear Objectives

A common reason surveys fall short is the absence of clear goals. Many organizations approach assessments as a general check-in without defining what they hope to achieve. This leads to vague questions, scattered data, and insights that don’t align with business priorities.

To fix this, start by clarifying your purpose. Are you trying to reduce turnover, increase alignment with core values, or improve leadership effectiveness? For example, organizations focused on retention might ask, “What factors most influence your decision to stay at this company?” This targeted approach ensures your questions—and the resulting insights—support actionable outcomes.

2. A Limited View of Employee Experience

Surveys focusing exclusively on one area, like well-being, often miss critical elements such as leadership alignment, cultural fit, and motivation. While well-being is important, a narrow lens can blind organizations to larger systemic issues.

A holistic survey provides a 360° view of your culture, addressing multiple dimensions like core value alignment, leadership dynamics, and team collaboration. For instance, 73% of potential employees are more likely to apply to companies that actively measure and discuss their culture, seeing it as a sign of transparency and employee respect (LinkedIn Global Talent Trends, 2024). This reinforces the value of broadening your survey’s scope to include deeper cultural elements.

3. Ignoring Leadership’s Role in Culture

Leadership has an outsized impact on workplace culture, yet many surveys treat all respondents equally, failing to capture how leadership behaviors shape team dynamics. Ignoring this dimension makes it harder to diagnose misalignment or gaps in communication.

Effective surveys include questions tailored to leadership. For example, asking employees, “How well does leadership embody and communicate our core values?” can provide actionable insights for improving alignment. Research by Deloitte shows that companies with aligned leadership practices see a 33% boost in financial performance, underscoring the importance of understanding leadership’s role in culture.

4. Surveys That Frustrate Employees

If surveys are too long, unclear, or lack anonymity, they can lead to low participation and half-hearted responses. Employees need to trust the process and feel that their feedback is valued.

Simplify the process with concise, well-structured questions and clear communication about its purpose. At The Culture Fix®, our surveys are designed to take just 15 minutes and ensure confidentiality, which increases participation and the quality of responses. Forbes reports that 92% of employees experience higher job satisfaction in companies that regularly assess and improve their culture, highlighting the value of consistent engagement.

5. Overlooking Core Values

Core values are the foundation of a strong culture, but many surveys fail to assess how well these values are understood or lived. This oversight misses an opportunity to evaluate one of the most powerful drivers of cultural alignment.

Incorporate questions that measure the visibility and application of your core values. For example, ask employees, “How often do you see our core values in action?” or “What changes could help us better embody our value of collaboration?” Tools like CoreScore™ can help quantify alignment, making it easier to track progress over time.

6. Neglecting Qualitative Feedback

Quantitative data, like engagement scores, provides trends, but qualitative feedback reveals the “why” behind those numbers. Without proper analysis, valuable insights from open-ended responses often go untapped.

Use advanced tools to analyze qualitative feedback and identify recurring themes. For example, if employees repeatedly mention poor communication as a challenge, it signals a clear area for improvement. At The Culture Fix®, our reports combine raw qualitative data with actionable insights to ensure nothing is missed.

7. Aggregated Data Masks Demographic Insights

Aggregating survey results across the entire organization can obscure trends within specific groups, such as departments, tenure levels, or work modes. These blind spots make it harder to address group-specific challenges.

Break down survey data by demographic categories to uncover actionable insights. For instance, comparing responses from remote versus in-office employees can highlight communication gaps or differences in support needs. A recent Gartner study found that companies with proactive cultural assessments are 28% less likely to face reputational risks resulting from internal misalignments, emphasizing the importance of targeted insights.

8. Feedback Without Follow-Through

Nothing undermines trust more than collecting feedback and failing to act on it. Employees want to see their input lead to tangible changes that improve their workplace experience.

Share survey results transparently and outline clear action plans. For example, if feedback highlights a need for better recognition, implement tools like Notice & Nominate™, which rewards behaviors that align with core values. One of our clients, Vanman Architects, used our survey and achieved 99% participation. The resulting report gave their leadership team clear priorities, reinforcing trust and commitment across the organization.

What Sets The Culture Fix® Apart?

The Organizational Culture Survey evaluates critical dimensions of workplace culture, offering actionable insights across these key areas:

• Culture Fulfillment Index: A comprehensive snapshot of employees’ perceptions of the organization’s culture, highlighting alignment and satisfaction.
• Core Values Integration: Measures how deeply employees understand, embody, and apply the organization’s core values in daily operations.
• Employee Well-being, Motivation, and Loyalty: Holistic metrics that uncover strengths and opportunities in areas like engagement, recognition, role satisfaction, and team connection.
• Net Promoter Scores (NPS®): Objective benchmarks to assess employee advocacy, loyalty, and overall satisfaction with the workplace experience.

This robust assessment provides a data-driven foundation for driving cultural improvement and employee engagement.

Guill-Bern Corporation used our survey to uncover growth opportunities and improve team satisfaction. As their president said, “The detailed, quantitative report provided enough data to create programs and solutions to target issues and sustain high productivity.”

Transform Your Culture Today

Surveys are just the beginning. With the right tools and guidance, you can turn feedback into action and create a culture where employees and leaders thrive.

Book a Consultation with The Culture Fix®