What You Miss Can Cost You
Recognition Rates on the Rise
Over the last decade, unions have won the majority of recognition elections, outperforming year over year winning 70% or better of the recognition elections held. In 2024, they won 80% of the elections held, 83% in 2025, and approximately 76% as of June 2026. By the time many employers realize organizing is underway, employee support has often already reached or exceeded the 30% authorization card threshold needed to file a petition.
"Listen to the whispers before they become screams..."
The Quiet Signals of Loud Problems
The early warning signs show up long before cards are signed. They appear in how employees question policy, fairness, and consistency; in repetitive concerns around the same issues; in shifts in how teams engage with supervisors and local leaders; in high or clustered turnover within certain facilities, shifts, or departments; and in the way vocal, influential employees become the primary source of guidance and information and begin shaping the narrative more than formal leadership. These are only a few leading indicators of vulnerability that rarely surface cleanly in internal tools.
Why Your Surveys Say “Fine” When Things Aren’t
Traditional employee‑experience and engagement surveys, town halls, and leader‑ or HR‑led roundtables often give employers a partial or misleading view, because results are shaped by how safe employees feel in the moment and by narrow multiple‑choice questions that rarely unearth their true sentiment.
Employees are less likely to be fully transparent through these internal mechanisms when they:
Question whether confidentiality and anonymity are truly protected.
Fear retaliation or negative consequences for blunt, honest feedback.
Doubt that leaders will act on what they share in a meaningful way.
Choose socially desirable answers that make them appear loyal, aligned, cooperative, and non‑problematic.
Have already seen action plans stall or fade, which reduces their trust in sharing real concerns.
Why Outsiders Hear What Insiders Don’t
This dynamic helps explain why union organizers, complete strangers with no formal tie to the employer often know more about employee frustrations than the organization itself. Employees feel more comfortable being candid with someone external, whom they perceive as neutral or an advocate, listening to their concerns, removed from the company hierarchy, and better positioned to explore options for meaningful change without immediate consequence.
Engaging external support to deep‑dive the climate harnesses that same dynamic in a constructive way.
An external, neutral resource can:
Build trust with employees who are reluctant to be fully honest through internal mechanisms.
Draw out the patterns and pain points that do not show in survey scores or scripted roundtables.
Translate those insights into clear, practical recommendations for leadership.
Develop a plan to follow through and monitor impact over time.
