An employee engagement revolution? Not exactly.

Why surveys don’t fix engagement — but conversations might

Not long ago, a senior leader at a big consultancy announced they were doing away with traditional engagement surveys. In their place? A newer, bolder approach. Apparently.

The article made the rounds on LinkedIn. Plenty of likes. Some raised eyebrows. Some applause. The headlines promised a revolution. But what it actually revealed was something quieter — and, arguably, more useful. A reminder that engagement doesn’t live in a spreadsheet. And that it never really did.

Weighing the pig

Engagement surveys have long been treated as the go-to solution for understanding how people feel. Run the survey, get the score, pick an initiative, repeat.

But those of us who’ve been working in this space for more than a decade know that surveys are only ever a snapshot. They offer an indication, not a diagnosis. And they only ever tell part of the story.

To borrow a well-used phrase:

You don’t make a pig fat by weighing it.

It’s the conversations that count

The real value of engagement data isn’t the chart — it’s the conversation that happens afterwards.

Because that’s where you find out what people meant. What’s behind the score. What’s changed since last time, and what still needs attention. And, crucially, what would help.

In a world where trust is low and attention is short, people need more than pulse checks. They need to be heard — properly, not performatively. And that means building space for dialogue, not just designing surveys that are easier to fill in.

Engagement doesn’t belong to a platform

This is where internal communication and HR both have a role to play. Engagement doesn’t live in a function. It lives in the daily experience of work — and in the relationship between what people are told and what they actually see.

I’ve always believed the real shift happens when:

• Leaders show up with clarity and humanity

• Managers are trusted to coach, not just cascade

• Employee voice is treated as insight, not feedback

• And the organisation does what it says it values

These aren’t just HR principles. They’re comms principles too.

So, a revolution?

Maybe. But not the kind that makes headlines.

Not a new dashboard or a new methodology or a new way to visualise sentiment.

The real shift is quieter. It’s about trust. Listening. Action. Reconnection.

It’s about understanding why people feel the way they do — and then doing something useful with that understanding.

That’s not a revolution. It’s just good leadership. And good communication. Working together.