Listening Is Everywhere at Work—But Meaningful Listening Is Rare

Most organizations collect employee feedback.
Far fewer actually do something meaningful with it.

Surveys are launched with good intentions. Employees take time to respond. Comments are written. Data is analyzed. And then—too often—everything stalls.

Silence follows.

That silence is louder than the survey itself. It erodes trust, lowers participation, and turns employee listening into a performative exercise instead of a driver of culture and performance.

That’s why we’re excited to announce the launch of Listen Up: Your Practical Guide to Building Employee Listening Programs that Strengthen Culture and Drive Performance, created in partnership with CultureC and written by culture expert Craig Forman.

Why We Created This Book

At Nectar, we talk to HR leaders, people teams, and executives every day. A common theme keeps showing up:

“We’re collecting feedback—but we’re not confident it’s actually leading to change.”

The problem isn’t a lack of tools.
It’s not survey fatigue.
And it’s not that employees don’t want to be heard.

The real problem is trust.

Employees stop speaking up when they don’t believe their voice will matter. Leaders struggle when feedback lives in dashboards instead of decisions. And organizations miss early warning signs because listening becomes a checkbox instead of a discipline.

This book was created to reset that conversation.

A New Way to Think About Employee Listening

Listen Up reframes employee listening as more than a survey or engagement score. Instead, it positions listening as:

• A system, not a moment
• A relationship, not a request
• A leadership responsibility, not just an HR task

At the core of the book is a simple but powerful rhythm:

Collect → Understand → Act → Repeat

When organizations follow this cycle consistently—and visibly—employee listening becomes a strategic advantage instead of a missed opportunity.

Why We Partnered with CultureC

We partnered with CultureC because they share our belief that culture work should be practical, human, and actionable.

CultureC brings deep expertise in organizational psychology, employee listening, and culture transformation. Their work focuses on helping organizations move beyond collecting feedback to actually building trust through action and follow-through.

This partnership reflects a shared mission:

To help organizations listen better—and act faster—so employees feel seen, heard, and valued.

What You’ll Get Out of the Book

This isn’t a theoretical guide or a list of best practices that sound good on paper. It’s a hands-on resource built for real-world complexity.

Inside the book, you’ll learn how to:

• Design listening programs employees actually trust
• Increase participation without pressure or gimmicks
• Make sense of both quantitative scores and open-text feedback
• Identify what matters most—without chasing noise or outliers
• Take action in ways that build credibility instead of skepticism
• Support managers without overwhelming them
• Turn feedback into momentum, not confusion

Whether you’re:

• Running engagement or pulse surveys
• Trying to rebuild trust after feedback went nowhere
• Supporting leaders who want clarity, not more data
• Or building a long-term listening strategy

This book is designed to meet you where you are—and help you move forward with confidence.

Listening Isn’t the End of the Work—It’s the Beginning

One of the most important ideas in the book is this:

Listening only works when it leads to visible action.

Employees don’t expect perfection.
They expect progress.

When people see that their feedback leads to thoughtful decisions, clear communication, and real follow-through, trust grows. Participation increases. And culture becomes something you build intentionally—not something you react to after it breaks.

That’s the kind of listening this book is about.

Download the Book

Ready to turn employee feedback into trust, clarity, and action?

Download Listen Up: Employee Listening Essentials

Whether you’re just getting started or refining an existing program, this guide will help you listen better—and stick the landing.

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