An Employee Experience (EX) survey can be a powerful catalyst for growth. Or it can become just another "HR initiative" employees roll their eyes at.

The difference? Often, it comes down to avoiding a few critical but common mistakes.

Here’s what to watch out for — and how to get it right.

Mistake 1: Listening Without Acting

The Trap: Running a survey, publishing a dashboard, and then... silence.

The Impact: Employees feel like their feedback went into a black hole. Trust erodes. Response rates plummet next time.

How to Avoid It: Commit upfront to sharing results transparently and acting visibly. Even small actions matter when they're communicated clearly.

Mistake 2: Asking Too Many Questions

The Trap: Trying to capture "everything" in one survey.

The Impact: Survey fatigue. Half-completed responses. Frustrated employees who feel like their time isn’t respected.

How to Avoid It: Focus on the essentials. Prioritise depth over breadth. Aim for a survey that takes no more than 10-12 minutes to complete. Avoid common survey design mistakes with this practical guide.

Mistake 3: Using Jargon or Vague Language

The Trap: Questions loaded with corporate-speak or buzzwords.

The Impact: Confused respondents. Data that's hard to interpret. Frustration with leadership being "out of touch."

How to Avoid It: Write like a human talking to another human. Be direct, specific, and plainspoken.

Mistake 4: Measuring Without Understanding

The Trap: Focusing solely on scores without exploring context.

The Impact: Misdiagnosed issues. Superficial solutions. Repeat problems.

How to Avoid It: Blend quantitative ratings with qualitative, open-ended questions. Look for the stories behind the numbers. See our article Why Listening Beats Measuring: A New Philosophy for EX Surveys for a deeper dive.

Mistake 5: Over-Promising and Under-Delivering

The Trap: Announcing the survey with big promises about "transforming our culture" — but following up half-heartedly.

The Impact: Increased cynicism. Eroded psychological safety.

How to Avoid It: Set realistic expectations. Tell employees, "We may not fix everything overnight, but we are committed to listening and taking action." Learn how to analyse EX survey results and act quickly for real change.

Mistake 6: Ignoring Middle Managers

The Trap: Treating survey results as an "HR-only" project.

The Impact: Managers feel sidelined. Change efforts stall at the team level.

How to Avoid It: Engage managers early. Equip them to discuss results with their teams and co-create actions. See our article Manager Enablement: Helping Leaders Act on EX Survey Insights for further details.

Mistake 7: Surveying Too Infrequently (or Too Often)

The Trap: Only surveying once a year — or overwhelming employees with constant pulse surveys.

The Impact: Either outdated data or survey fatigue.

How to Avoid It: Find the right rhythm for your organisation. Quarterly or biannual surveys, supplemented with occasional pulses, often strike the right balance. See our article How Often Should You Run an Employee Experience Survey for more guidance.

Example: Learning the Hard Way

A global manufacturing company ran a major EX survey but waited over six months to share results. When they finally did, employees had already disengaged.

The fix? They built a new "90-day feedback loop" commitment: survey, share top findings within a month, launch visible actions within three months. Response rates and trust both rebounded.

Final Thought: Every Mistake Is a Chance to Listen Better

No organisation gets it perfect every time. What matters is how willing you are to learn, iteratate, and foster great two-way conversations.