The main themes that will shape employee engagement in 2027 are: confidence and anxiety about AI transforming jobs, the shift from the annual survey to continuous listening, AI-powered analysis of open-ended comments, the growing workload of middle managers, burnout and sustainable workload, perceived fairness in hybrid working, skills-based careers, pay transparency, the voice of non-desk employees, and data security. In this post, we explain what each trend means and how it should be reflected in your employee survey.
- In 2027, one of the strongest drivers of engagement will be the confidence or anxiety employees feel about how AI will change their jobs.
- The once-a-year survey is giving way to continuous listening systems made up of an annual survey, pulse surveys and lifecycle surveys.
- Middle managers are under growing pressure; measuring manager engagement separately is becoming increasingly important.
- For each trend, the post includes a sample statement you can add to your survey.
This post is based on observations we have gathered from the employee research we conduct in the field and from global trends, and it is updated every year.
1. AI: Confidence or Anxiety?
AI tools are rapidly changing the content of many jobs. Some employees see this as an opportunity that makes their work easier, while others worry about the future of their role. This difference in perception increasingly shapes engagement: how transparently the organization manages the transformation, and the reskilling opportunities it offers employees, are key to turning anxiety into confidence.
What it means for your survey: Measure separately the impact of AI on employees' work and the support they feel they receive for this transformation.
"My organization provides the training and support I need to use AI tools."
2. From the Annual Survey to Continuous Listening
The comprehensive once-a-year survey is still the core measurement tool, but on its own it is no longer enough. Organizations are moving to "continuous listening" systems that supplement the annual survey with pulse surveys tracking the impact of actions, lifecycle surveys run at moments such as onboarding and exit, and stay interviews. The biggest risk of these systems is survey fatigue, so keeping surveys short and consistent with one another matters more than how many you run.
What it means for your survey: Use the engagement index from your annual survey unchanged in your pulse surveys so you can compare the two measurements. For lifecycle surveys, see our post on employee experience survey questions.
3. AI-Powered Analysis of Open-Ended Comments
Classifying thousands of open-ended comments by topic used to be a job that took weeks. Text analysis and AI tools are shortening this considerably and making what employees say in their own words as visible as the numerical results. As a result, open-ended questions will play a bigger role in surveys. Two things are critical, however: having an expert validate the coding frame and the results, and protecting confidentiality given that comments may contain personal data.
What it means for your survey: Use AI with human oversight; for details, see our post on AI analysis of open-ended comments. Design open-ended questions to understand the reasons behind the results; for examples, take a look at our post on open-ended employee survey questions.
4. Middle Managers Under Pressure
Middle managers are held responsible for their teams' engagement while carrying a growing load from flatter organizational structures, larger teams, hybrid team management and transformation projects. When managers' own engagement drops, it shows up directly in their teams.
What it means for your survey: Examine managers' results as a separate group and add statements specific to the manager role. To evaluate managers from employees' perspective, see our post on manager evaluation survey questions.
"As a manager, I have enough time and support to manage my team well."
5. Burnout and Sustainable Workload
Pressure for productivity and shrinking resources are increasing workloads in many organizations. Even in teams that appear highly engaged, burnout risk can stay hidden: employees work harder because they are committed to the organization, and at some point they burn out. That is why it pays to measure the sustainability of workload alongside engagement.
What it means for your survey: Analyze the engagement index together with workload statements. Groups with high engagement but low workload scores are the ones that need the most attention.
"I believe I can sustain my current workload over the long term."
6. Perceived Fairness in Hybrid Working
Hybrid working has become permanent in most organizations; now the focus is on the clarity and fairness of the rules. Return-to-office policies, flexibility applied differently across teams and the visibility of remote employees all affect perceived fairness, and therefore engagement.
What it means for your survey: Rather than measuring flexibility itself, measure the clarity and consistency of the rules, and examine the results broken down by working model. For breakdown analysis, see our post on segmentation in employee surveys.
"Flexible working rules at my organization are clear and applied fairly to everyone."
7. From Titles to Skills: Skills-Based Careers
Organizations are beginning to define careers not only as a ladder of job titles but in terms of skills gained and internal mobility. For younger employees in particular, the question "what am I learning here?" is as important as "what is my next title?" An employee who cannot find a new role inside the organization looks for one outside.
What it means for your survey: Add statements on learning and internal mobility to the career category alongside promotion.
"If I wanted to move to a different role at this organization, I would have the opportunity to do so."
8. Pay Transparency
The European Union's Pay Transparency Directive requires employers in member states to disclose pay ranges and report gender pay gaps. Although the directive's direct impact is on organizations operating in the EU, multinational companies in Turkey and Turkish companies operating in the EU are also affected by this trend. Employees' expectations about pay are shifting from just "how much I earn" to "how my pay is determined."
What it means for your survey: In addition to the level of pay, measure how well the pay-setting process is understood.
"I know how pay is determined at my organization."
9. The Voice of Non-Desk Employees
Production, retail, logistics and field employees make up the majority of the workforce in many organizations, yet because they have no corporate email address, they are the least heard group in surveys. Their participation can be increased with mobile-friendly surveys, QR codes, kiosks and time set aside during shifts. What we often see in the field is that when this group's voice is heard, the organization's priorities shift noticeably.
What it means for your survey: Track response rates separately for white-collar and blue-collar employees; if necessary, use a shorter, simpler version of the survey for field employees. We cover ways to increase participation in our post on employee survey response rate.
10. Data Security and Trust
More analysis of employee data, the introduction of AI tools and surveys linked to HR systems are leading employees to ask "how is my data being used?" more often. Trust in anonymity and data security remains a prerequisite for participation and honest answers, and organizations must also meet their obligations under KVKK (Turkey's Personal Data Protection Law).
What it means for your survey: At the start of the survey, explain clearly what data is collected, who can see what, and whether AI tools are used. For details, see our post on anonymity and KVKK in employee surveys.
A Short Checklist for Your 2027 Survey
- Is your engagement index comparable with last year's?
- Are you measuring the impact of AI on work and the support employees receive for this transformation?
- Are you analyzing managers' own engagement and workload separately?
- Are you reading engagement results together with workload results?
- Does the career category cover learning and internal mobility?
- Is there a separate channel plan for reaching field employees?
- Is there a process for analyzing open-ended comments and protecting their confidentiality?
- Have you set a date for sharing results with employees?
You can find statements aligned with these trends, organized by category, in our post on employee engagement survey questions.
Frequently asked questions
What will affect employee engagement most in 2027?
The main factors are confidence and anxiety about AI transforming jobs, managers' growing workload, burnout risk, career and skill development, perceived fairness in hybrid working arrangements, and pay transparency.
Which questions should be added to employee engagement surveys in 2027?
It is worth adding statements about the impact of AI tools on work and the support received for this transformation, managers' workload and support, the sustainability of workload, skill development opportunities, the fairness of hybrid working rules, and how clearly the pay-setting process is understood.
Is an annual employee survey still enough?
The annual survey is still the core tool for seeing the overall picture of engagement and the priority areas. However, more and more organizations are supplementing it with pulse surveys during the year and short surveys run at moments such as onboarding, promotion and exit.
