When employees stop believing they can make a difference
Katie Austin
Minutes
22nd September 2026
Wellbeing
Employee Engagement
Employee Experience
Employee Engagement
Employee Experience
We often assume that employees who are exhausted have too much to do. Their workloads are excessive, their deadlines are unrealistic, or they're struggling to balance competing demands.
And sometimes that's exactly what's happening.
But think about a different kind of exhaustion. The frustration of raising the same issue for the fifth time. Navigating a process that everyone knows is unnecessarily complicated. Contributing to a project, only to watch it disappear when priorities change.
Or completing another employee survey, knowing that the same problems will probably still be there next year.
These experiences aren't necessarily about workload. They're about something that can be just as draining: the feeling that your efforts aren't making any difference. For those of us working in employee experience, it's a distinction worth exploring.
When effort stops feeling worthwhile
Think about a time when you've worked incredibly hard on something you cared about. You might have finished the day feeling exhausted, but also satisfied because you could see what you'd achieved.
Now compare that with a day spent navigating unnecessary bureaucracy, attending meetings where decisions are repeatedly deferred or trying to influence something that seems impossible to change.
The difference isn't simply the amount of effort involved. It's whether that effort feels worthwhile.
Of course, meaningful work doesn't eliminate the risks associated with excessive demands. But when people feel they have little control over their working lives and no realistic opportunity to improve things, frustration can build.
Over time, it can also change how people behave.
What happens when people decide there's no point speaking up?
There's an interesting concept in employee voice research called acquiescent silence. It describes what happens when employees withhold ideas or concerns because they believe speaking up is unlikely to make a difference.
A 2026 UK study found associations between this form of silence, emotional exhaustion, negative workplace gossip and intentions to leave. The findings don't establish cause and effect, but they highlight why feelings of futility deserve attention.
What's particularly interesting from an EX perspective is that silence can easily be misinterpreted.
Fewer complaints might suggest that things are improving. Less resistance to change might look like greater alignment. But what if employees have simply stopped expecting anything to happen?
Perhaps they've raised the same concerns repeatedly or participated in listening exercises without seeing any meaningful response.
The problem hasn't necessarily disappeared. People may simply have given up trying to solve it.
Are our listening programmes part of the problem?
This raises an uncomfortable question for EX professionals.
Could some of our well-intentioned listening activities actually contribute to feelings of futility?
Consider the typical employee survey cycle. We invite people to share their experiences, encourage honest feedback and reassure them that their views matter. We analyse the results, present the findings and develop action plans.
But what happens next?
If employees don't see meaningful changes, or even receive an explanation of what happened to their feedback, the experience can reinforce the very problem we're trying to address. The next time we ask for their views, we're not starting from a neutral position. We're asking them to participate based on everything they've experienced before.This doesn't mean we should stop listening. It means we need to think more carefully about the expectations we create when we invite people to contribute, and how we follow through.
From collecting feedback to creating influence
One of the most useful distinctions we can make in EX is between giving employees a voice and giving them influence.
Voice is about having the opportunity to share ideas, experiences and concerns. Influence is about having a meaningful opportunity to shape what happens as a result.
An organisation might have extensive listening programmes, regular pulse surveys and employee forums. But if it struggles to translate those insights into decisions and improvements, employees may still feel powerless.
This is particularly challenging for EX, HR and IC professionals because we don't always control the things that need to change.We might identify a problem with leadership decision-making, an unnecessarily complicated process or a lack of management capacity. But resolving it could require action from several different functions. That's why effective employee experience work can't stop at identifying issues or presenting evidence. It also involves building relationships, influencing stakeholders and helping the organisation take responsibility for the experience it's creating.
What could we do differently?
If we want to understand whether futility is shaping the employee experience, there are a few useful places to start:
The common thread is shifting our attention from whether employees have opportunities to contribute towards whether those opportunities feel meaningful.
Perhaps we need to rethink what progress looks like
As EX professionals, we're often under pressure to demonstrate progress through activity.
More listening, more engagement initiatives, more communications, more action plans.
But activity doesn't necessarily translate into a better employee experience.
Perhaps we need to spend less time measuring how many opportunities we've created for employees to have their say, and more time understanding what happens after they've spoken.
Not every problem can be solved, and not every suggestion can be implemented. But people should be able to see that contributing isn't a pointless exercise.
Perhaps the real measure of an effective employee listening programme isn't simply whether people feel heard. It's whether they have good reason to believe that speaking up can make a difference.
And sometimes that's exactly what's happening.
But think about a different kind of exhaustion. The frustration of raising the same issue for the fifth time. Navigating a process that everyone knows is unnecessarily complicated. Contributing to a project, only to watch it disappear when priorities change.
Or completing another employee survey, knowing that the same problems will probably still be there next year.
These experiences aren't necessarily about workload. They're about something that can be just as draining: the feeling that your efforts aren't making any difference. For those of us working in employee experience, it's a distinction worth exploring.
When effort stops feeling worthwhile
Think about a time when you've worked incredibly hard on something you cared about. You might have finished the day feeling exhausted, but also satisfied because you could see what you'd achieved.
Now compare that with a day spent navigating unnecessary bureaucracy, attending meetings where decisions are repeatedly deferred or trying to influence something that seems impossible to change.
The difference isn't simply the amount of effort involved. It's whether that effort feels worthwhile.
Of course, meaningful work doesn't eliminate the risks associated with excessive demands. But when people feel they have little control over their working lives and no realistic opportunity to improve things, frustration can build.
Over time, it can also change how people behave.
What happens when people decide there's no point speaking up?
There's an interesting concept in employee voice research called acquiescent silence. It describes what happens when employees withhold ideas or concerns because they believe speaking up is unlikely to make a difference.
A 2026 UK study found associations between this form of silence, emotional exhaustion, negative workplace gossip and intentions to leave. The findings don't establish cause and effect, but they highlight why feelings of futility deserve attention.
What's particularly interesting from an EX perspective is that silence can easily be misinterpreted.
Fewer complaints might suggest that things are improving. Less resistance to change might look like greater alignment. But what if employees have simply stopped expecting anything to happen?
Perhaps they've raised the same concerns repeatedly or participated in listening exercises without seeing any meaningful response.
The problem hasn't necessarily disappeared. People may simply have given up trying to solve it.
Are our listening programmes part of the problem?
This raises an uncomfortable question for EX professionals.
Could some of our well-intentioned listening activities actually contribute to feelings of futility?
Consider the typical employee survey cycle. We invite people to share their experiences, encourage honest feedback and reassure them that their views matter. We analyse the results, present the findings and develop action plans.
But what happens next?
If employees don't see meaningful changes, or even receive an explanation of what happened to their feedback, the experience can reinforce the very problem we're trying to address. The next time we ask for their views, we're not starting from a neutral position. We're asking them to participate based on everything they've experienced before.This doesn't mean we should stop listening. It means we need to think more carefully about the expectations we create when we invite people to contribute, and how we follow through.
From collecting feedback to creating influence
One of the most useful distinctions we can make in EX is between giving employees a voice and giving them influence.
Voice is about having the opportunity to share ideas, experiences and concerns. Influence is about having a meaningful opportunity to shape what happens as a result.
An organisation might have extensive listening programmes, regular pulse surveys and employee forums. But if it struggles to translate those insights into decisions and improvements, employees may still feel powerless.
This is particularly challenging for EX, HR and IC professionals because we don't always control the things that need to change.We might identify a problem with leadership decision-making, an unnecessarily complicated process or a lack of management capacity. But resolving it could require action from several different functions. That's why effective employee experience work can't stop at identifying issues or presenting evidence. It also involves building relationships, influencing stakeholders and helping the organisation take responsibility for the experience it's creating.
What could we do differently?
If we want to understand whether futility is shaping the employee experience, there are a few useful places to start:
- Look for recurring frustrations. Which issues have employees raised repeatedly, and what's prevented progress?
- Explore what people have stopped talking about. Are there concerns employees no longer raise because they believe nothing will change?
- Be clear about the boundaries of influence. Explain which decisions employees can shape, what constraints exist and why certain suggestions cannot be implemented.
- Make progress visible. Show people what's happened as a result of their feedback, including smaller improvements that remove everyday frustrations.
The common thread is shifting our attention from whether employees have opportunities to contribute towards whether those opportunities feel meaningful.
Perhaps we need to rethink what progress looks like
As EX professionals, we're often under pressure to demonstrate progress through activity.
More listening, more engagement initiatives, more communications, more action plans.
But activity doesn't necessarily translate into a better employee experience.
Perhaps we need to spend less time measuring how many opportunities we've created for employees to have their say, and more time understanding what happens after they've spoken.
Not every problem can be solved, and not every suggestion can be implemented. But people should be able to see that contributing isn't a pointless exercise.
Perhaps the real measure of an effective employee listening programme isn't simply whether people feel heard. It's whether they have good reason to believe that speaking up can make a difference.
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