CultureClub XRoundup

Your Engagement Score Is Not the Point

Seven people leaders on why the number matters less than who answered it, and what you did next.

5 min read · 7 people leadersAll employee engagement episodesAll episodes and topics

Every guest on CultureClub X measures engagement. Almost none of them trust the headline number on its own. What surfaced again and again is that the score is the least interesting output: who stayed silent, which manager the variance traces back to, and whether anything visibly changed afterwards all carry more signal. The uncomfortable version, which several of them said outright, is that a survey nobody acts on does more damage than no survey at all. Here is what seven of them said, in their own words.

  1. 1Participation comes before sentiment. If nobody answers there is no energy to redirect, and a quiet survey is the harder problem.

    You can do crockpot cooking, you can't do crockpot management.
    L. David KingsleyL. David KingsleyChief People Officer, IllumioS06 E19

  2. 2Engagement data is a signal, not the change. Around 70% of the variance traces back to one manager.

    When you have high engagement and you give them a tool, you almost don’t need an instruction manual. The most engaged say, tell me what I can’t do, and cut me loose.
    Dr. Adam HickmanDr. Adam HickmanVP of Employee Development, Talent Management and HRIS, Partners Federal Credit UnionS06 E14

  3. 3Engaged employees still quit. Engagement is how people feel today, retention is their confidence in the future.

    People can love their company, love their coworkers, and have real day-to-day experiences they enjoy, yet they still leave for stronger growth, greater flexibility, better rewards, or deeper alignment with personal values.
    Jeffrey RobinsonJeffrey RobinsonHuman Capital Advisor, Mentone Avenue LLCS06 E13

  4. 4Engagement is an outcome of culture, not culture itself. A good score signals health, it does not prove it.

    If we can all hold each other accountable, then we’re all accountable for the culture. But organizations need to give people the tools and the permission to hold each other accountable.
    Catherine MatticeCatherine MatticeFounder and CEO, Civility PartnersS06 E12

  5. 5Survey fatigue is really action fatigue. People tire of answering the same questions and seeing nothing move.

    It's not survey fatigue, it's the fatigue around being asked the same questions over and over again and not seeing any change or any meaningful action being taken. That is what employees have fatigue around.
    Tracy DoddTracy DoddChief People Officer - VNS HealthS04 E06

  6. 6The revealing signal is who is answering, and which groups have gone quiet.

    If DEI is everyone's responsibility, it is actually no one's responsibility. We want to make sure we have someone experienced in the area - collaborating directly with the C-suite and the board - because even today in 2026, many leaders do not really understand what this work is all about.
    Daniela HerreraDaniela HerreraDEI Consultant, Trainer and SpeakerS06 E05

  7. 7Annual surveys are snapshots. By the time the data is analysed it already feels dated.

    Shari ChernackShari ChernackChief People Officer, Isaacson, MillerS06 E01

The pattern across all seven is that asking creates an obligation. The organizations getting value from engagement data are not the ones with the best scores, they are the ones where people can point at something that changed because they spoke up.

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