Can Employee Opinions Help Companies Build ESG Strategies?

Employee well-being is becoming one of the most frequently cited challenges for companies, yet the social element of ESG often remains reduced to a checklist of benefits, training sessions and medical packages.

Research from SD Worx across 16 European countries found that most employees viewed their work positively, but roughly one in four remained dissatisfied. Nearly half reported dissatisfaction with the balance between their professional and private lives. Polish research cited in the material found similar satisfaction levels and a comparable share of employees reporting excessive workloads.

Paula Kwiatkowska, a senior HR consultant at Randstad Polska, said companies are increasingly using employee-satisfaction surveys. But she warned that the process fails when it ends with a report presented to management. Without transparent follow-up or decisions based on the findings, employees can become tired of surveys and more frustrated.

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The true test for an organization is closing the feedback loop. Unfortunately, we still encounter situations in which surveys end with a report presented to the management board.

Companies that build stronger organizational cultures use the results to change internal communication, according to Kwiatkowska. Leaders can discuss difficult findings with teams and work jointly on solutions. In ESG terms, she said, employee feedback should examine psychological safety, inclusion and whether workers feel able to influence their surroundings.

The material frames employee opinion as more than a measurement exercise. Asking for views without showing how those views affect the workplace can weaken engagement rather than improve it.

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The real ‘S’ begins with treating people as individuals and with mature participation, not with listing benefits.