The case for feedback during change and uncertainty

Imagine the scene...

Your organisation has been doing all the right things.

You've invested in employee feedback. You've built a regular survey cadence. You've encouraged honest conversations, listened carefully to what your people are saying, and taken action where you can.

Then something changes...

Maybe it's a restructure. A merger. A shift in strategy.

Whatever the cause, uncertainty begins to creep in and suddenly the thought of proactively asking for employee feedback at this time starts to feel a little more risky.

And with everything else going on, a familiar conversation starts to emerge around the executive table:

"Let's just pause employee feedback until we're through the other side."

I get it! It certainly sounds easier.

After all, if change is already creating uncertainty, why invite what everyone thinks will be more difficult conversations at a time when people are stretched thin?

It's a very human reaction.

The challenge is that what feels like the safest option, will often create bigger risks overall.

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The problem with stopping feedback

Over the last decade, I've seen time and again that employee feedback becomes more important, not less, when uncertainty is at its highest.

During times of change, it's completely understandable for employees to have:

• lots of questions they'd like to raise
• a range of concerns they want to be heard
• ideas and perspectives on what should happen next

None of these really disappear simply because the survey stops. If anything, the optics of taking away one of the few formal channels employees have to share their views can create challenges of its own.

When organisations stop listening during periods of change, they often lose access to the very information that would help them navigate that change more effectively.

The conversations don't stop. They simply move underground, happening among trusted colleagues while leaders are left with less visibility into what people are really thinking and feeling.

What may seem like a way to reduce risk often has the opposite effect. It increases blind spots, limits leaders' ability to respond early, and ultimately reduces the organisation's chances of successfully navigating the change.

It reminds me of Churchill's decision to expand the Prime Minister's Statistical Section during World War II. Faced with enormous uncertainty, he didn't reduce the flow of information. He increased it. He wanted independent facts and evidence to help him understand what was really happening, not what people hoped was happening.

The same principle applies during organisational change. As uncertainty increases, the need for accurate, timely insight increases with it, and everyone in the organisation needs to understand that.

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Why executive buy-in matters

This is why it's so important for HR leaders to get in front of executives early. In many cases, the decision to pause feedback isn't driven by a lack of belief in employee listening.

It's driven by uncertainty about what happens if and when difficult feedback starts coming through.

• How should leaders respond?
• What if the comments are challenging?
• What if scores decline?
• What if we uncover issues we can't immediately fix?

These are reasonable concerns, particularly during periods of disruption.

What we've found through our Executive Engagements, is that once we talk through how to approach feedback during change, the concern starts to fade.

When they see real examples of employee comments, how our Leader Labs equip team leaders to respond constructively, and how those conversations can actually build trust, they realise it's not nearly as daunting as they first thought.

The conversation shifts from "How do we avoid this?" to "How do we use this well?"

That's why getting in front of executives early matters so much. If leaders understand how feedback can help them navigate uncertainty, they're far more likely to continue listening when it matters most.

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Feedback doesn't create problems. It reveals them.

And that leads to one of the biggest misconceptions about employee feedback during organisational change: the belief that it somehow generates it's own risk.

In reality, feedback rarely creates a problem. More often, it shines a light on issues that already exist and often at a point when they're still small enough to manage.

The research is also clear that periods of organisational change often increase stress, uncertainty and concern for employees. People don't leave those worries at work. They go home thinking about them. They talk about them with colleagues. They wonder what the future looks like and what it means for them personally.

It's during these moments that people want to have an outlet. And that's exactly where employee feedback becomes so valuable.

That feedback helps leaders understand exactly what people are actually worried about, so they can address those concerns directly rather than guessing.

This avoids the scenario of leaders going into meetings and town halls unprepared and then blindsided by what they hear.

Used well, employee feedback doesn't expose leaders. It gives them an opportunity to demonstrate a deep and thoughtful understanding of where their people are at, followed by transparency, responsiveness and strong leadership at such a key time.

And that's often where the old rule of communicate, communicate, communicate becomes so important!

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Don't leave a vacuum of information

One thing I've spoken about often at recent Teamgage events is the importance of acknowledging what employees are telling you, even when you can't immediately act on it.

Leaders often feel they need answers before they communicate. Yet often, the most powerful response is simply:

"We hear this. We understand why it's a concern. We'll keep you updated whenever we can tell you more."

Employees don't expect every problem to be solved overnight or uncertainty to disappear completely. They do expect honesty, clarity and context. They want to know their concerns are understood, their feedback has been considered, and decisions will be made thoughtfully.

During periods of change, the temptation is to pull back from communication. The best leaders do the opposite.

They acknowledge feedback, talk in an open and considered way, and provide a degree of context for their decisions.

Even when the answer is "not right now", people are far more likely to accept it when they understand why.

Done well, these moments don't erode trust, they build it.

And trust is often shaped less by the decisions themselves and more by how people experience them.

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What employees remember

After a restructure, merger or major organisational change, most employees won't remember the exact wording of the announcements or the details of every decision that was made.

What they remember is how the organisation made them feel during the process.

• Did they feel informed, or left to fill in the gaps?
• Did they feel heard, or their concerns were ignored?
• Did they feel issues were addressed early, or did they grow unchecked?
• Did they feel included in the journey, or simply subjected to it?
• Did they feel confident in the direction, even if all answers weren't yet known?

Continuing to listen during periods of uncertainty really does send a powerful message.

It tells employees that their thoughts and ideas are valued, regardless of what's happening around them.

It reinforces that their voices still matter, even when circumstances are challenging.

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Feedback is critical to success

Importantly, organisations that maintain that visibility are often better equipped to navigate change successfully.

Leaders gain a clearer understanding of emerging concerns, communication gaps, pockets of resistance, and opportunities for support before they become larger problems.

Rather than making decisions based on assumptions, they can respond to what employees are actually experiencing in real time.

That visibility doesn't just help build trust. It helps organisations make better decisions, support their people more effectively, and increase the chances of a successful outcome.

The organisations that emerge strongest from change are rarely those that had all the answers from day one. They're the ones that stayed connected to their people throughout the journey.

And that's why pausing employee feedback is often the wrong move. The moments when listening feels hardest are often the moments when insight is most valuable.