For many organisations, employee feedback has long revolved around the annual engagement survey, a familiar but increasingly outdated tool. According to Deloitte’s 2023 Human Capital Trends report, 80% of organisations still rely on annual or biannual surveys, despite only 11% rating them as highly effective. The question is: in a workplace that changes month to month, sometimes even week to week, is a once-a-year check-in still enough?
Falling Behind in a Fast-Moving World
As employees work more flexibly than ever and expectations around purpose, wellbeing and autonomy change, traditional surveys often fail to capture what really matters. According to Gallup’s most recent global report, only 21% of employees say they are “actively engaged” at work. If we’re still relying on static surveys and anonymous forms, are we really listening or just ticking a box?
Towards Ongoing, Meaningful Dialogue
Forward-thinking organisations are moving away from annual rituals and towards regular, open conversations. Unilever has embraced continuous listening practices across its global teams, while companies like Microsoft replaced its stack-ranking system with a continuous feedback model known as “Connects.” These approaches aren’t about collecting data for the sake of it, they’re about building trust, improving culture, and acting on what people say.
This article explores how organisations can shift from feedback as a task to feedback as a culture one where dialogue is regular, honest, and rooted in mutual respect.
Limitations of Traditional Surveys
Too Little, Too Late
Traditional surveys tend to follow a fixed annual cycle but by the time the results are analysed, shared, and discussed, the moment that mattered has long passed. In fast-paced environments, this delay means organisations risk acting on outdated sentiment, or worse, missing the chance to respond to real concerns when they matter most.
Low Response, Lower Trust
Engagement surveys often struggle with participation. Employees may be skeptical about whether their input will lead to change or concerned about maintaining true anonymity. If staff don’t believe their voice matters, why would they take the time to share it?
Ashley Herd discussed why employees don’t like engagement surveys and suggested how organisations can make them more effective and engaging.
Insight Without Impact
Even when data is collected, the next step turning it into meaningful action is frequently missed. Reports are written, slides are shown, but visible change doesn’t follow. When feedback doesn’t result in progress, employees notice. And each time nothing happens, trust in the process quietly erodes.
So, what’s the alternative? In the next section, we’ll explore how organisations can move from occasional surveys to more consistent, human-led dialogue that builds engagement over time.
What Continuous Dialogue Looks Like
Feedback in Real Time
Continuous dialogue isn’t about gathering more data, it’s about having the right conversations at the right time. Progressive organisations are creating feedback loops that happen in real time, not just once a year. Take Atlassian, for example, where team “health checks” are used regularly to surface challenges and opportunities before they escalate. It’s feedback as a habit, not an event.
Conversations That Count
At the heart of this approach are informal, two-way conversations between managers and their teams. These aren’t formal reviews or performance appraisals, they’re honest check-ins that take place regularly and build trust over time.
CatalystOne offers an HR system that supports continuous performance management through regular check-ins:
Tools That Support, Not Replace
Digital tools play a vital role in making this shift possible. Platforms like Officevibe, Culture Amp, and 15Five offer simple ways to gather information, spark conversations, and spot trends across teams. Even everyday tools like Slack and Teams are being used creatively with built-in polls, mood check-ins, and recognition shout-outs becoming part of the daily rhythm of work.
When feedback becomes part of how people work, not an extra task to complete, it becomes more honest, more frequent, and more impactful. And it starts to feel less like a process and more like a conversation worth having.
Building a Culture That Encourages Dialogue
Creating the Conditions for Openness
Before meaningful conversations can happen, people need to feel safe speaking up. Psychological safety: the belief that you won’t be judged, dismissed or penalised for being honest is essential. Without it, feedback becomes filtered, cautious, or withheld altogether. A culture of dialogue starts with trust, not tools.
Lauren Schneider, a professional on LinkedIn, highlighted the critical role of psychological safety in the workplace:
Equipping Managers to Listen Well
Encouraging regular conversation is one thing ensuring managers are prepared to handle those conversations well is another. Too often, line managers are promoted for technical skill, not people leadership. That’s why companies like John Lewis Partnership have invested in developing managers as coaches, helping them learn how to ask good questions, listen actively, and respond with empathy, not just metrics.
In the 2024 “Belonging at JLP” report, an employee shared:
Making Feedback Part of the Day-to-Day
For feedback to feel natural, it needs to live in the flow of work not as a separate process that only surfaces in review season. Some organisations are building reflection into team meetings; others set aside five minutes during weekly huddles to ask, “What’s going well? What could be better?” Small gestures like displaying diploma frames in communal areas can also foster a sense of pride and shared success. When it becomes part of the routine, it stops feeling like a task and starts feeling like culture.
It’s not about adding more to people’s plates. It’s about shifting the way we work, so dialogue becomes a habit not an afterthought.
The Role of Technology (Without Losing the Human Touch)
Technology as a Support, Not a Substitute
When it comes to employee feedback, technology should never be the main event; it’s there to support the conversation, not replace it. The most effective tools are those that prompt connection, not just collect responses. Used well, they help managers notice patterns, spot quiet voices, and follow up in a more informed and timely way.
People First, Then Data
Digital platforms can offer useful insight, but numbers alone rarely tell the full story. A low engagement score might point to a problem but understanding the “why” still requires curiosity, empathy, and conversation. Striking the right balance between what the data shows and what employees actually feel is what makes feedback meaningful.
Tools That Make It Easier to Listen Well
Many organisations are finding that lightweight, well-designed tools can help feedback become more regular and more useful. Companies like Nestlé use platforms such as Culture Amp to gather quick check-ins, flag potential concerns, and guide follow-up conversations. That tool doesn’t replace dialogue, it helps make space for it.
The aim isn’t to digitise every interaction. It’s to use technology in a way that deepens human connection, not distances it.
Final Thoughts
By making feedback part of everyday working life, organisations can respond faster, build stronger relationships and create workplaces where people feel truly heard. It’s not always easy, but the rewards for employees and organisations are worth the effort.
If you’re ready to reimagine employee feedback, start small: introduce more frequent check-ins, support your managers to listen well, and create spaces where open conversation can flourish. After all, engagement is not a survey to be completed, it’s a dialogue to be fostered.
For more ideas, insights and practical tools, visit Engage for Success — the movement for employee engagement. Your people and your organisation will thank you for it.
Author: Collin Hicks – Entrepreneur | Business Strategist
Photo credit: StockCake
