In a recent LinkedIn post, Nick Inge discusses how confidential staff feedback can help York College strengthen engagement by making it easier for employees across roles to speak up. This article reports on Inge’s post and the ideas he shares there; it is not written by Inge.
“Great staff engagement starts with listening.”
Inge points to York College’s use of its iTrust account as a way for staff to share ideas, feedback and concerns when they arise, rather than waiting for an annual survey or a meeting. The approach, as he describes it, is intended to give every member of staff a voice and create a route for the college to respond.
Making feedback part of everyday work
According to Inge, confidential channels can make speaking up more accessible because employees do not have to wait for a formal consultation or decide whether to raise an issue in front of colleagues. He emphasizes the value of acting on what staff report and making visible that their contributions lead to follow-through.
“The college can then act on what they hear and people can see that speaking up leads somewhere.”
That link between listening and response is central to the post. A feedback mechanism may collect views, but Inge’s account places equal weight on what happens afterward: the organization needs to consider what it hears and show staff that raising a concern can prompt action.
Why staff perspectives matter in education
Inge situates the example in further education, where he says staff may be stretched and employees closest to daily operations can be among the first to identify problems or improvements. His argument is that those frontline perspectives are useful to an institution, and that organizations need ways to hear them in time to respond.
“When people feel heard, trust grows. And when trust grows, engagement follows.”
Inge presents trust as a consequence of feeling heard, and engagement as something that can grow from that trust. The post does not provide details about York College’s feedback volumes or measured outcomes, but it frames the practice as one part of building a workplace culture where staff can raise issues without fear.
From invitation to workplace culture
Inge closes by thanking York College staff for championing a culture in which speaking up is welcomed. He also poses a question to other organizations about whether they make it easy for employees to be heard, inviting discussion about staff engagement and workplace culture.
His message is that listening requires both an accessible route for feedback and a credible response. In the example he shares, confidential staff input is presented as a practical way to connect employees’ day-to-day knowledge with organizational action.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Nick Inge on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on November 5, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →