Employee engagement is not built through a survey. It is built through what happens after employees provide feedback.

At Palmer-Donavin, we have used our PD Pulse Survey since 2020 to better understand the employee experience across our organization. The survey gives our employees an opportunity to tell us what is working, where we need to improve, and what matters most to them in their day-to-day work.

Our Q3 results gave us another strong indication that our employees are willing to participate in that process.

More Than 93% of Employees Participated

This quarter, 93.2% of Palmer-Donavin employees completed the PD Pulse Survey. That level of participation matters. It gives us a broad view of the employee experience across our locations, departments, and teams and allows us to make decisions based on feedback from the people doing the work every day.

Our overall engagement score was 75%, five percentage points above the industry benchmark. Those numbers are encouraging, but the value of the survey goes beyond a participation rate or engagement score. The most important information comes from understanding what is behind those numbers.

Several consistent strengths emerged from our Q3 results.

Employees highlighted fairness, respect, teamwork, and a strong connection to Palmer-Donavin’s mission. Across the organization, employees recognized supportive environments where people work together, communicate openly, and understand what is expected of them. We also saw a strong connection between employees’ day-to-day responsibilities and the larger purpose of the business.

That connection is important. Whether someone works in distribution, manufacturing, transportation, sales, customer service, or one of our support functions, every role ultimately contributes to our ability to serve our customers. When employees understand that connection and teams work effectively together, the entire organization performs better.

Where We Can Improve

Strong engagement does not mean there is nothing to improve. Our employees also identified opportunities around communication and transparency, feedback and recognition, and accountability for quality work.

One of the recurring themes was the importance of understanding the “why” behind decisions and changes. Employees want to understand not only what is changing, but why it is changing and how it impacts their work. The results also reinforced the value of consistent feedback and recognition. Employees benefit from knowing where they stand, what they are doing well, and where they can continue to develop. These are not complicated concepts, but doing them consistently requires intentional leadership.

Turning Feedback Into Action

The value of an engagement survey is not in collecting data. It is in what an organization does with it. Following each PD Pulse Survey, our HR team works directly with managers to review their team-specific results. Leaders identify areas of strength, discuss opportunities for improvement, and develop action plans based on the feedback they receive. That creates accountability at the level where change can have the greatest impact.

Not every team has the same experience, and not every challenge requires a company-wide initiative. Sometimes the most meaningful improvement comes from a manager communicating more consistently, creating opportunities for employee input, recognizing good work, or setting clearer expectations. Our goal is to make employee feedback actionable rather than allowing it to end when the survey closes.

Engagement and Employee Ownership

Employee feedback carries particular importance at an employee-owned company. Our employees are not simply working for Palmer-Donavin. Through our ESOP, they have a direct stake in the long-term success of the business. That makes engagement more than an HR metric.

When employees speak up about how we can communicate better, strengthen teamwork, improve quality, or create a better employee experience, they are contributing to the performance of a company they own. The same is true of our responsibility as leaders. Asking for feedback creates an obligation to listen to it, understand it, and determine where action is needed.

Getting Better Every Day

We are proud of the participation and engagement reflected in our Q3 results. We are equally focused on the opportunities those results identified. There will always be areas where we can improve. That is part of building a strong organization.

What matters is creating an environment where employees are willing to share their perspective, leaders are willing to listen, and both are committed to making the business better. That cycle of feedback, accountability, and improvement is an important part of how we continue to Get Better Every Day.

If you are looking for a company where employees have a voice, a stake in the business, and an opportunity to contribute to its future, we invite you to explore career opportunities with Palmer-Donavin.

Visit palmerdonavin.com/about-us/careers to learn more.