When people feel like they have an impact in the work, when they feel valued and respected, they’re more likely to be happier and more engaged employees. The need for agency is something the management consultancy United Minds has been monitoring closely, and it’s what they believe will play a significant role in workplace engagement and satisfaction in the coming years.

United Minds has been tracking employee sentiment for a decade. Their first survey, taken back in 2014, focused on the emerging notion of employee advocacy. Today, that’s part and parcel of the workplace. Though they’ve added or subtracted questions over the years, the goal has always been the same: to understand how sentiment is changing across the global workforce.

In 2024, “we were really curious to see, given what’s happened in the last five years, how these expectations have shifted,” said Anthea Hoyle, managing director, North America, at United Minds during a From Day One webinar. The good news is, Hoyle and her team found that workplace sentiments have improved. Overall, employees are happier with pay and with benefits, and they’re more likely than in the past to feel connected to company leadership. “Everything that leaders, communicators, and HR professionals have been doing in the last few years to improve people’s experiences of work seems to be working.”

For instance, almost three-quarters of respondents told the firm that people in their workplace treat each other with civility and respect, and 70% say they’re able to balance work priorities and personal life. As the employee experience improves, so do employee expectations, Hoyle said. “The bar keeps getting higher, and as we’ve seen in the last few years, there is greater  awareness of the role that employers play in people’s lives, the types of experiences people want from work, and the expectations people have of employers to make these changes possible.”

Among those higher expectations is that employees want to work for organizations that trust them to act independently. Employees who feel they have agency are more likely to be satisfied at work, more likely to advocate for their employer outside of work, and more likely to stick around. There are four levers employers can pull to improve the employee experience and agency, said Ellyn Michalak, senior principal at the firm.

First, a strong company reputation matters. “In the external world, your company has a positive reputation on what they’re doing to impact society. That really helps employees feel a strong sense of connection to you as an employer,” Michalak said.

Secondly, encouraging supportive managers is important. Avoid the “frozen middle,” said Michalak, describing managers that can, inadvertently or not, stunt progress within an organization. They need to connect with their employee base. “If you can crack that direct manager nugget, you’re looking at employees feeling more valued. They will agree that their employer cares more about health and well-being because they have that direct access to their managers.”

Third, leaders at the top need to set the tone for a healthy culture, which can then spread to the rest of the organization. And finally, Michalak said, link all of these goals with consistent communication. Those who unify their strategies with communication “can move the needle on mental health and well-being and employees perceiving how well the company is doing.” If they do, she explained, “morale is likely to be higher.”

If your end-of-year surveys are painting a different picture of employee sentiment in your organization–maybe one that’s not so rosy–it’s not necessarily cause for alarm. Employers just need to figure out why they’re bucking the trends. The root cause may be obvious, like recent layoffs, a company acquisition, a change in leadership, or just a struggling sector. “All of these things have a big impact on people’s day-to-day working lives and feelings of commitment and certainty,” Hoyle said.

If the results aren’t what you want them to be, identify where you want to land at the end of 2025 and then lean into the four pillars: “Equip your managers to really drive that feeling of having people feel like they’re making an impact.” Hoyle said. “Partner with your communications teams and bring home those stories of people making an impact and really generating that sense of pride. And make sure that people feel rewarded and recognized.”

Editor's note: From Day One thanks our partner, United Minds, for sponsoring this webinar. 

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the Economist, the BBC, The Washington Post, Quartz, Business Insider, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife.