HR and managers
must work to promote
employee voice
When people feel listened to they are more committed and less
stressed. Line managers are key to several forms of employee
voice, explain HELEN SHIPTON and DANIEL KING
Abstract
Major changes in the modern work environment are challenging individuals’
abilities to influence their working conditions. There is a need to evolve our
thinking on what it means to have a voice in the workplace. Our research for the
CIPD questioned more than 2,370 employees across the UK to understand how
experience of voice influences broader feelings of job satisfaction; the main
channels for voice in organisations, and what issues are commonly raised by
employees; whether various types of voice are experienced differently across
workplace settings and workforce groups; and the barriers and enablers of
employee voice. We suggest that there are considerable gaps in opportunities
for employees to have a voice at work, affecting individual wellbeing and job
satisfaction, as well as organisational learning, resilience and innovation.
at improvements for
the organisation report
significantly higher levels of
burnout than those with low
scores, and overall neutral
commitment to the organisation.
Our work highlights the
importance of the line manager in
encouraging both forms of voice.
People are much more likely to
report that they have scope to give
voice where their line manager is
viewed as driven by ethical
principles. How employees
perceive and make sense of the
wider HRM environment also
matters greatly for
voice. Individuals pick up signals
depending on the way they are
appraised, developed, consulted
and rewarded that influence how
often they give voice, and the
types of issues they raise.
Key findings
Voice and job satisfaction
We investigated individuals’
satisfaction with voice; examining
their involvement in decisionmaking
and the scope they have to
articulate opinions to senior
management. Our findings
showed that employees working
in small and private sector
organisations are most satisfied
with their involvement in
decision-making at work, with
52% very satisfied
or satisfied within private
sector organisations and 61%
very satisfied or satisfied at
small organisations.
One explanation for these
findings is that smaller private
sector organisations tend to be
less hierarchical, thereby offering
more space for employees at all
levels to express their voice. Larger
public sector organisations may
be perceived as more bureaucratic
and less open to this direct form
of voice.
We also found that employees’
satisfaction with involvement in
decision-making is significantly
and positively related to their
overall job satisfaction. There are
several reasons why voice and job
satisfaction are strongly linked.
Expressing voice can foster
confidence and communicating
matters important to them means
Alternative perspectives on the purpose of employee voice
Strategic HR A different slant
What’s new
A strong and consistent narrative
in employee voice research has
been a weakening of voice as
collective mechanisms, including
trade unions, exert less influence.
Another thread in the debate has
been the importance of pro-social
voice (encouraging people to
make suggestions that are
beneficial for the organisation
through creating a work context
that requires and expects people
to behave in this way).
In our research we discovered
that although collective
mechanisms touch people less
than in the past (an exception is
the public sector), people greatly
value having a voice at work.
What’s more, despite recognising
the importance of this in
benefitting their team or
organisation, what people really
want is the chance to feel like
human beings in the workplace –
to be in a setting where others
listen to what they have to say
without passing judgement. Voice
efficacy – which counters feelings
of futility at work – reflects
employees’ feelings that their
voice matters even if no further
action ensues.
Uniquely, our research shows
that people who report high levels
of ‘human’ or ‘individual’ voice
are more committed to the
organisation, and significantly less
burnt out or stressed by their
work. On the other hand,
those whose voice is targeted
Organisational voice Individual voice
Description The purpose of voice is to increase
performance through higher engagement
and innovation
Voice is a fundamental human
right that is required for work to
have meaning
Purpose Individuals share ideas and suggestions to
improve the way the organisation is run
Individuals articulate matters that
are important to them
Organisational
example
Suggestion schemes Worker co-operatives
38 HR June 2019 hrmagazine.co.uk
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