Key takeaways:
- Define clear boundaries between manager and company actions: Separate feedback into what managers can control and what requires enterprise-level ownership to drive more focused and effective planning.
- Equip managers with simple, peer-tested tools: Provide practical frameworks, templates, and peer-led examples to help managers confidently translate survey insights into action.
- Embed action planning into existing people processes: Integrate engagement follow-through into performance cycles, talent reviews, and survey cadences to sustain accountability and momentum.
For employee experience leaders, it’s one thing to gather feedback — it’s another to do something with it. As Employee Experience Board members know, managers often sit at the critical intersection between employee insights and meaningful action.
Yet empowering managers to take ownership of the action planning process remains one of the most persistent challenges facing EX leaders today.
In a recent private Employee Experience Board discussion, senior leaders shared how they’re rethinking expectation setting, resource design, and accountability structures to better enable managers at scale without overloading them or HR.
Here’s what emerged from that conversation, and what your peers are applying inside their own organizations right now.
Define Ownership and Align It with Manager Control
One of the most common blockers to manager follow-through is a lack of clarity around what they’re actually responsible for. Several leaders noted that managers were struggling to determine which feedback they could realistically act on versus what needed to be escalated at the organizational level.
One EX leader shared how their team resolved this by decoupling surveys: one focused on manager and team effectiveness, and another focused on broader company themes. Managers are expected to act on insights from the former only — an intentional move to eliminate ambiguity and frustration.
“Managers told us they felt stuck when asked to solve issues they had no control over,” one member explained. “So, we redesigned our survey approach to focus their attention where it counts—on their own teams.”
This clarity has helped leaders drive more relevant action and better engagement with the process overall.
Equip Managers with Practical, Peer-Informed Tools
Even when expectations are clear, managers often need help translating data into action. That’s why many EX leaders are investing in better toolkits and frameworks to support them.
One member introduced a “1-2-3 Action Plan” model — one focus area, two specific actions, communicated three times — that now anchors their approach. Others have built digital training modules to walk managers through interpreting dashboards and planning next steps, often in coordination with L&D teams.
Equally powerful: peer-driven storytelling. Several members noted that having leaders share what’s working for them — via panels, spotlight features, or internal comms — has been more impactful than top-down HR messaging.
“When managers hear from someone in a similar role who’s moved the needle, it feels more real,” said one leader. “It’s less about compliance, and more about community.”
Another member created a “1% Difference Guide” that offered managers practical, low-lift ideas tied to the most pressing areas of opportunity. The resource included implementation instructions, conversation starters, and tailored guidance for in-office and remote teams.
Integrate Action Planning Into Core People Processes
“When managers hear from someone in a similar role who’s moved the needle, it feels more real. It’s less about compliance, and more about community.”
To increase adoption and sustainability, several EX leaders are embedding action planning into broader performance and goal-setting processes. At one organization, culture and engagement goals are now logged alongside business and development goals, creating a shared rhythm and reducing friction.
This integration also builds continuity. As one leader explained, “Managers aren’t being asked to start something new. They’re being asked to fold engagement into the work they’re already doing with their teams.”
In companies where formal integration isn’t yet feasible, survey design is playing a creative role in fostering accountability. Some members are asking follow-up questions like, “Did your manager share the last engagement results?” and “Do you believe action is being taken?”
These indicators allow HRBPs to identify where support or reinforcement may be needed without relying on system compliance alone.
Connect the Dots Between Feedback and Visible Impact
Participation in engagement surveys only increases when employees see their input being used. EX leaders shared how they’re getting more intentional about storytelling by connecting specific improvements back to survey themes.
One member highlighted how they attribute new holidays, enhanced flexibility policies, and benefit changes directly to employee feedback. Another published a roundup of cross-functional actions taken in response to survey insights — especially important when company-level changes take time to implement.
“We can’t promise instant fixes,” one member said, “but we can show the momentum. That builds trust, even when the road is long.”
Design Manager Enablement as a Continuous System
Many EX leaders are rethinking how they support manager action planning over time, not just during survey season. That includes building support for new leaders, embedding engagement strategies into leadership development programs, and aligning timing with performance cycles and HR milestones.
“We’re trying to connect the dots between engagement, talent calibration, and performance reviews,” shared one member. “It’s all part of the same system, and we need our managers to see it that way.”
Another member noted that while their decentralized model empowers individual business units to own survey action, it also risks inconsistency. By positioning HRBPs as strategic advisors in the process, they’re aiming to balance autonomy with cohesion.
Solve for What’s Next in Manager Ownership with Your Peers Leading Employee Experience
Employee Experience Board members are proving that manager action planning doesn’t have to be burdensome or disconnected from the day-to-day. When done right, it becomes a core part of how companies build trust, reinforce accountability, and drive engagement over time.
To gain more insights on how heads of EX, culture, and engagement are improving manager ownership in action planning, join your peers in the Employee Experience Board.
Through real-time conversations and exclusive access to peer strategies, our members benchmark daily on the work that matters most, improving how people experience work at scale.
