Strong leadership goes beyond job titles—it’s about building engagement, improving performance, and earning trust. However, many managers find it difficult to turn employee feedback into real improvements. With Manager Access in the Trust Index™ Survey, leaders gain valuable insights that help them take responsibility for their teams and support a healthy, high-performing workplace.
Manager Access in the Trust Index™ Survey offers real-time insights that help leaders take ownership of their team’s experience, encourage positive change, and support a strong, people-first workplace culture.
According to Gallup, managers influence 70% of the employee experience. Yet, 75% of HR leaders report that their managers feel overwhelmed. Without the right tools and support, leadership effectiveness declines—and business performance can suffer as a result.
Manager Access helps tackle this issue by equipping leaders with clear, actionable insights—rather than overwhelming them with data. This allows managers to:
- Align decisions with employee sentiment to guide people-first strategies
- Identify key areas for team development and track measurable outcomes
- Drive accountability across engagement, retention, and performance metrics
How Manager Access Improves Leadership Impact
Without clear insights, even strong leaders can face challenges in improving team engagement. Manager Access addresses this by delivering tailored survey results to leaders across all levels of the organization.
- Department leaders receive focused insights into their teams’ experiences—while maintaining confidentiality
- Managers can monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as engagement, retention, and productivity
- Actionable reports support the development of data-informed strategies that strengthen culture and drive results
As noted by Julian Lute, insights and innovation strategist at Great Place to Work®:
“Effective leadership is about building high-performing, engaged, and purpose-driven teams. Great leaders don’t just manage—they inspire.”
Why Manager Access Is a Game-Changer for Leadership
A strong workplace culture doesn’t happen by chance. Leadership is shaped by the actions leaders take and the impact they create—not by their title alone.
Manager Access goes beyond traditional reporting. It serves as a strategic tool that supports measurable improvements in how leaders engage, support, and grow their teams. Here’s how:
- Stronger Leadership Accountability
Managers play a key role in driving engagement, retention, and team development. Manager Access gives them the visibility they need—and the accountability required—to lead with purpose.
- Supports leaders in building trust through listening, recognizing contributions, and developing talent
- Promotes open, constructive feedback between managers and their teams
- Helps set measurable goals and create action plans for ongoing improvement
- Informed Decision-Making Through Data
With access to team-specific survey results, managers can make better decisions rooted in real data.
- Identify strengths and uncover areas for growth
- Benchmark team results against company-wide performance
- Monitor progress and evaluate leadership impact over time
“You can’t improve what you don’t measure,” says Julian Lute.
- Higher Engagement and Stronger Team Performance
When managers are empowered with focused insights, organizations foster a culture where employees feel supported and heard.
- Engagement risks can be addressed early, before they affect retention
- Managers build practical strategies to improve communication and trust
- Teams benefit from a more consistent and positive day-to-day experience
Leaders are responsible for fostering engagement—and Manager Access gives them the insights they need to follow through with confidence.
Real Organizations, Real Results
Trek Bicycle: Strengthening Leadership Responsibility Through Insight
Trek Bicycle used detailed employee survey results to deepen leadership accountability across the company. With insights from the Trust Index™ Survey, teams were able to compare performance across departments and exchange effective strategies to support workplace improvements.
John Burke, CEO of Trek, describes this approach as “The Montgomery Principle”—named after a warehouse manager who recognized that building a great workplace is a collective effort.
The results?
- Manager communication improved by 24% across the organization
- Leaders used survey feedback to hold meaningful conversations with their teams
- Manager Access became an essential part of performance goals, with every leader including a Great Place to Work® objective in their OKRs
“Every key manager at Trek has a Great Place to Work objective as part of their OKRs,” says Burke. “It encourages regular dialogue with teams about how we can keep improving the workplace experience.”
Wellstar Health System: Building Trust Through Actionable Feedback
Wellstar Health System focused on helping its leaders take ownership by actively listening to employees and acting on their feedback. This approach reinforced leadership’s role in creating a workplace built on trust.
Leaders at Wellstar rely on Trust Index™ Survey data—especially through Manager Access—to ensure trust remains central to the employee experience and daily decision-making.
The results?
- Survey data helped leaders understand the impact of their actions and strengthen trust across teams
- 73% of leaders increased or maintained high trust scores, with an average improvement of 21 points
- Employee engagement significantly improved, with meaningful gains in respect and team connection
“Data from the Great Place to Work Trust Index survey is the most powerful way to show our leaders why culture matters,” says Samantha Ros, Director of Team Member Engagement.
WP Engine: Driving Alignment Through Trust-Based Insights
By reviewing insights from the Trust Index™ Survey, WP Engine uncovered a key challenge—ensuring that communication from leadership reached every employee in a meaningful way.
The data helped leaders close that gap and align employees more closely with the company’s goals and direction.
The outcome?
- Collected unified feedback from 1,300 employees across 10 countries to inform leadership decisions
- Established regular meetings with people managers to improve communication and reinforce shared objectives
- Created a more transparent, connected workplace where employees understand and align with company strategy
“This is an insight that could only come from the data collected by the Trust Index,” says Annette Alexander, Chief People Officer. “We realized there was a gap between how we thought we were doing and how our people were actually feeling—the data made that visible.”
Create Leadership Accountability with Trust Index™ Manager Access
Leadership isn’t defined by title or authority—it’s about taking responsibility and driving impact. Manager Access supports leaders in owning their team’s experience and using employee feedback to guide meaningful improvements.
Already a customer? Connect with your Customer Success Manager to activate Manager Access and empower your leaders with the insights they need to support engagement and performance.
Once Manager Access is enabled, organizations can invite leaders to explore their results within the platform and review relevant survey responses to begin identifying areas of focus.
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Want to know how your people feel about your hiring practices and workplace experience? Get Certified today and learn the answer to this question and gain many more insights along the way.
