At its heart, employee listening is about building trust. When people feel heard, they're more likely to feel valued. And when they feel valued, they're more likely to stay, contribute, and advocate for your organisation.
When it comes to building a credible, compelling employer brand, it's easy to focus on external outputs – bold visuals, catchy headlines, polished career websites. But the truth is, a truly authentic Employee Value Proposition (EVP) doesn't start with flashy creative. It starts with listening.
The most powerful EVPs are those that reflect the real, everyday experiences of employees – what they value, what motivates them, and what makes them proud to work where they do. Without that grounding, even the most creatively executed proposition risks falling flat. Because if it doesn't feel true to the people inside the organisation, it won't feel meaningful to the people you're trying to attract.
Listening as a strategic action
Listening to employees isn't just a ‘nice to have' – it's a strategic necessity. When done well, it helps to surface the values, behaviours, and experiences that define your culture today, while also revealing what people want and need to thrive tomorrow.
But effective listening isn't always easy. In a world where employees are increasingly busy, lacking time, and dealing with information overload, traditional approaches become overwhelming. According to the Institute of Internal Communications (IoIC) 2023 report1, the average employee spends 15 minutes or less per day engaged with anything outside of their day-to-day tasks. That puts pressure on internal communicators and HR teams to make every interaction count.
There's also the issue of survey fatigue (although you can always gather meaningful feedback if you create the right environment for it). Many organisations report that response rates to annual internal surveys are declining, with employees unsure whether their input will lead to meaningful change. And that's the key challenge – it's not just about collecting feedback but about demonstrating what you're doing with it.
A more streamlined approach
How do you build active listening into our EVP and culture in a way that feels authentic, purposeful and manageable?
It starts with designing a listening strategy that's simple, consistent, and built into the rhythm of organisational life. Including:
- Pulse surveys: Short, regular check-ins focused on a few key topics that evolve over time.
- Focus groups or listening sessions: Deeper qualitative insights that allow for open, honest conversation.
- Digital listening tools: Platforms that enable always-on feedback in a way that's quick and easy for employees to engage with.
- One-on-one conversations: Empowering leaders and managers to create safe spaces for open, honest, dialogue, surfacing local insights that might not be visible at a corporate level. This can also extend into areas such as exit interviews, which can provide rich insights outside the usual channels.
The most effective organisations take a multi-layered approach – combining data with storytelling, and structured surveys with open dialogue.
Listening isn't enough — Action matters too
Listening is only the beginning. What matters just as much – if not more – is how you respond.
Employees don't expect every piece of feedback to result in immediate change. But they do want to feel heard. That means being transparent about what you've learned, what actions you're taking, and why some things might not change straight away.
This becomes particularly important when business priorities and employee preferences don't fully align. Take the ongoing conversation around hybrid working and return-to-office policies. In many organisations, employee sentiment is clear: people value flexibility. Yet some organisations are encouraging more time in the office, with the intention of strengthening collaboration, supporting early-career development, enhancing team productivity, or real estate strategies.
In these situations, the role of communications becomes critical. It's about acknowledging feedback, explaining the rationale behind decisions, and creating space for ongoing dialogue. When employees understand why a decision has been made – even if it's not their preferred outcome – they're more likely to engage with it constructively.
Embedding listening into your EVP
When you build your EVP on a foundation of the employee voice, it becomes something collaborated on – not just by leadership or HR, but by the people living and shaping your culture every day.
But it's not just about reflecting employee feedback. A strong EVP also needs to consider:
- What the business needs to succeed
- What makes your organisation stand out in the market
- What your people value most
It's the intersection of these three areas that creates a proposition that's both compelling and credible.
Listening helps you uncover not just what's true today, but where the opportunities lie for tomorrow. It allows you to highlight the moments that matter most, the strengths that employees are proud of, and the challenges you need to work through together.
The bottom line: Listening builds trust
At its heart, employee listening is about building trust. When people feel heard, they're more likely to feel valued. And when they feel valued, they're more likely to stay, contribute, and advocate for your organisation.
Whether you're shaping a new EVP, refreshing your employer brand, or simply trying to better understand the needs of your people – start with listening. Not as a one-off campaign, but as a continual commitment to understanding, evolving, and doing right by your people.
Because in the end, the most authentic employer brands are those shaped by the voices of your people.
Looking for support in creating and communicating your Employee Value Proposition? Start your journey with us today.
Source
1 "IC Index 2023 Report," Institute of Internal Communication, 5 July 2023. Downloadable PDF.
