A recent survey from The Predictive Index paints a sobering, but not surprising, picture about the workplace perception gap.

• Nearly half of employees (46%) believe their boss only somewhat or rarely understands their contributions.

• Another 44% say they’ve been overlooked due to misperceptions.

• Almost half (48%) feel their contributions are undervalued by leadership.

• Another 43% say the feedback they receive doesn’t match their actual performance.

• Finally, one in five workers believes they’re more capable than they appear.

Taken together, these numbers expose a simple truth: too many employees feel unheard and undervalued – or as I like to put it, they believe they were meant for more. That reality isn’t just bad for morale—it’s a missed opportunity for boosting the business. The people closest to the work often see solutions and improvements that leaders miss. But when those voices aren’t captured in a consistent, structured way, the ideas seldom see the light of day.

That’s where systematic continuous improvement (SCI) comes in. It’s not enough to encourage suggestions in a casual, once-in-a-while fashion. One-off activities—whether it’s a suggestion box or an occasional brainstorming session—rarely move the needle very far on improvement. Real impact comes when organizations create a routine process for employees to share ideas, follow through on them, and produce results.

When companies make that commitment, employees not only feel valued—they deliver meaningful improvements in efficiency, quality, safety, performance and more. Bottom line, listening isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s the smart thing to do.

If you want to tap into the full potential of your workforce, don’t settle for sporadic suggestions. Click on the link below, and let’s talk about how you can build a living, breathing process for systematic continuous improvement.

Schedule a free 30-minute discovery call

BONUS: When you sign-up for a call, you’ll get a step-by-step description of the Continuous Improvement Team Huddle.

Great is the enemy of better!