In times of change, listening is your greatest asset

Change is no longer a project with a start and end date in the Australian workplace; it is the new baseline, writes Steve Bennetts.

Change is no longer a project with a start and end date in the Australian workplace; it is the new baseline. Over the past year, a staggering 76 per cent of employees have navigated significant organisational shifts, from leadership transitions and restructures to the adoption of new technologies.

It would be easy to assume this constant flux would lead to widespread change fatigue and disengagement. However, new research tells a different and more optimistic story. The Qualtrics 2026 Employee Experience Trends Report, which surveyed over 2,000 Australian workers, uncovered a critical trend: change fatigue isn’t caused by the work, it’s caused by the silence.

When organisations actively listen to their people during transition, resilience and engagement thrive. Our research shows that Australian organisations that increased the frequency of employee feedback saw engagement levels soar to 90 per cent. In stark contrast, those that scaled back or reduced listening saw engagement plummet to just 34 per cent.

This 56-point gap is a strategic imperative for every HR leader. This finding challenges the narrative that the Australian workforce is exhausted, and shows that Australian employees are not resistant to change itself, but to being ignored or not heard during the process. Leadership transitions, which 37 per cent of Australian employees experienced this year (well above the global average of 29 per cent), are moments of extreme risk, but they are also the moments of greatest opportunity to build trust.

Retention crisis of the ‘ignored’

For HR professionals concerned about talent retention in a competitive market, the “cost of silence” is quantifiable. When listening decreases, Australian employees’ intent to stay drops to a dangerous 31 per cent.

In an environment where over three-quarters of the workforce is navigating some form of upheaval, “standing still” on your engagement strategy is no longer a neutral act; it is a recipe for a talent exodus. To maintain a stable workforce, listening must be treated as a proactive survival tool.

AI: A productivity signal, not just a compliance risk

The conversation around workplace tools is also evolving, particularly with the rise of AI. One of the most misunderstood trends in this year’s report is the rise of “shadow AI”. While 56 per cent of Australian employees now frequently use AI at work, only 22 per cent rely exclusively on company-provided tools.

As HR leaders, we must resist the urge to view this through a purely “compliance” lens. This is a powerful employee experience signal. Your people are telling you they are overwhelmed and are proactively seeking ways to be more effective. When employees create or utilise their own AI solutions, they are trying to solve a productivity gap.

The role of HR is to partner with IT to provide secure, approved AI tools that empower employees. If organisations don’t provide the infrastructure for this innovation, we don’t just inherit security risks; we miss the chance to strategically harness the creativity of our workforce.

Moving towards ‘integrated listening’

The good news is that Australian employees are ready to talk: 65 per cent say they enjoy giving feedback. The desire to be heard is there, but the “once-a-year” engagement survey is no longer fit for purpose.

The data shows a remarkable resilience in customer-facing roles, where engagement actually bucked global trends by rising five points this year. To unlock this same potential across the entire organisation, we need to shift towards a culture of continuous, integrated listening. This involves a move away from the static calendar and towards a more responsive approach.

Practically, this means implementing pulse checks immediately following a restructure or leadership change so that leaders can identify and resolve friction early. It requires us to capture insights during “moments that matter” throughout the employee journey instead of waiting for a fixed survey date. Crucially, it also demands that we close the loop visibly, ensuring that when employees take the time to share their feedback, they see it result in tangible changes to policies or tools.

Ultimately, change does not have to lead to disengagement. It can actually serve as a powerful catalyst for a stronger and more inclusive culture. When HR leaders commit to a strategy of active and frequent listening, they move beyond simply managing change. They begin to master it, fostering an Australian workforce that is both resilient and empowered to lead the way into the future.

Steve Bennetts is the head of growth and strategy for employee experience at Qualtrics.

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