The majority of employees express their opinions about their Managers as well as their Career development in the feedback reviews!

??The top drivers of engagement typically involve leadership and career development.

?? Employees often provide feedback on their leaders and discuss their careers in surveys.

??Employees frequently discuss their managers, as it's natural to focus most on those with whom they interact the most.

??Globally, compensation is the seventh most discussed topic, yet those who are disproportionately concerned with it may come as a surprise. It is managers, vice presidents, and executive leaders who predominantly concentrate their comments on this issue.

?? A common error HR teams commit when analyzing comment data is presuming that the topic with the most comments is the most significant, according to a new interesting research published by Culture Amp using data ?? from ~75 million comments from two million employees spanning nearly 9,000 companies worldwide since 2016 covering the gamut of employee experience, from compensation to leadership appraisal, onboarding to exit.

?Insights from prior studies on employee feedback

In their previous research, researchers discovered that when it comes to adding comments to rated items:

?? About 6% of people typically add a comment to a rating question

?? People are 8x more likely to leave a comment if they disagree with the question

?? 7 out of 10 of the most commented items have a benchmark score under 70

?? Negative comments are twice as long as positive comments

?? Collaboration is the most commented topic across industry and region

?Employees often provide feedback primarily on their managers and career advancement opportunities.

Researchers have noted that employees frequently discuss their managers, as people tend to focus most on those they spend significant time with.

They listed

?? Managers are pivotal in shaping the immediate work environment of their direct reports. They play a key role in converting company-wide objectives into specific tasks, acknowledging employees' accomplishments, and guiding them through difficulties.

When employees express feelings of being supported, appreciated, or even stressed, these sentiments are usually a reflection of their interactions with their managers.

?? Compensation ranks as the 7th most commented-on topic globally, but the people disproportionately concerned with it aren’t who you might expect. Managers, VPs, and executive leaders are the ones who focus a majority of their total comments on this topic.

Researchers also found that employees’ perceptions of their managers have little to do with engagement.

Despite the fact that it is the most talked-about topic, and the sentiment of manager comments has become progressively negative in the last two years, managers’ impact on employees is still outweighed by that of leaders. Assuming that employees’ perceptions of their managers drive engagement is another common pitfall.

?Compensation is the primary concern for employees

Also researchers indicate that employees frequently bring up compensation, even when the question is not directly about pay. For instance, when inquiring about their confidence in the company's future, compensation regularly surfaces as a primary concern. During periods of uncertainty, salary serves as a concrete indicator of an employee's perceived value and the security of their future.

Researchers emphasize that this behavior aligns with equity theory, which suggests employees always balance their efforts against what they receive in return, such as pay and recognition. When they perceive an imbalance, compensation naturally becomes a focal point for their concerns.

?? Finally researchers conclude that these findings is a a reminder to HR teams and leaders: Avoid writing action plans based on comments alone.

Comments can provide important context and highlight critical areas of concern, but it’s essential to balance them with other data sources, such as quantitative survey results, performance metrics, and broader employee engagement trends

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This interesting study, using a substantial dataset of employee comments, reveals that although such comments provide valuable insights, relying exclusively on them for decision-making poses risks. The study demonstrates that comments typically reflect the most extreme sentiments—those who are either highly satisfied or greatly dissatisfied are more inclined to express their views.

Researchers recommend adopting a comprehensive approach that combines both qualitative comments and quantitative data, enabling organizations to better understand and address the nuances of employee sentiment.

??Thank you Culture Amp researchers team for these insightful findings:

Fresia Jackson Heather Rose Walker, PhD Didier Elzinga

Dave Ulrich

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