Employee voice: Creating a culture of active listening

Research suggests that employees who feel their voice is heard are 4.6 times more likely to perform their best work. As a result, employers looking to improve employee engagement and productivity, and hit their long-term goals and objectives, need to tap into their employee knowledge base.

Central to this is recognising that employee voice exists, the importance of an effective strategy and successfully implementing one to unlock the benefits they can provide.

In this article, we delve into the value of employee voice, the link between employee voice and organisational performance, and outline how employers can create an environment that allows employees to raise issues and contribute valuable insights.

What is employee voice?

Employee voice is about actively listening to employees and having effective, two-way communication. An employee voice strategy means providing employees with different channels, including both online and in-person, collective and one-on-one, to safely discuss and contribute their ideas, concerns and opinions.

This forward-thinking two-way communication not only helps employees feel their voice is heard but also helps senior leaders explain the rationale behind decisions that impact the workforce.

The value of employee voice

Employees who don’t feel comfortable voicing their opinions or concerns often remain silent.  This can be problematic, particularly if it leads to serious issues being overlooked, resulting in decreased job satisfaction and high turnover rates.

Like brands that act on customer feedback, an employer can use employee experiences and perspectives to access a more diverse range of insights that better reflect the organisation and its people.

As a result, a robust employee voice strategy can break down barriers and create empowered employees who feel both valued and engaged. According to studies, organisations that can engage their workforce in this way can experience up to a 21% greater profitability, highlighting the business case for promoting employee voice.

Key benefits of employee voice at work

By embracing employee voices in the workplace and utilising the additional insights they can gather as a result, employers can reap a number of considerable benefits that can contribute to enhanced organisational performance.

Let’s look at the top 5 benefits you could access with a successful employee voice strategy.

1. Boost employee engagement, productivity and retention

Employee wellbeing is crucial to the success of any organisation, with studies showing that workers are 13% more productive when they are happy. However, less than a third of employees are engaged at work, just 9% say they are enthused, and nearly half wish their organisation did more to address employee feedback.

By actively listening to and acting upon employee ideas, concerns and suggestions, employers can create an environment where employees feel empowered and heard. This approach is key to boosting employee engagement and retention and creating teams that are committed to their daily work and the organisation’s long-term goals. Remember, when employees feel heard, they’re more likely to be productive, innovative, and loyal to their organisation.

2. Drive innovation

Organisations that enable employees to share their thoughts, concerns and perspectives can tap into a treasure trove of fresh ideas that would otherwise be missed.

In addition to keeping employees engaged by allowing them to feel like they can contribute to decision-making processes in the workplace, access to these ideas can also contribute to employers achieving their long-term goals and objectives by facilitating innovation which leads to continuous improvement.

3. Encourage knowledge sharing

When teams and employees work in silos, information is rarely shared with other teams or departments across an organisation. This can lead to missed opportunities to share knowledge and valuable expertise.

By implementing an effective employee voice strategy, employers can encourage their workforce to be more open and collaborative. Doing so helps to ensure that knowledge is shared throughout relevant parts of the organisation, building trust between teams and thereby fostering increased team building and collaboration in the future.

4. Identify training needs and skills gaps

Successfully identifying the specific areas where teams or individual workers need upskilling allows employers to implement training that helps employees reach their full potential, drive productivity and progress in their careers.

With a robust employee voice strategy in place, employers can build a level of trust with their workforce that makes this process easier. As a result, senior leaders can better identify skills gaps, ensure the delivery of additional training and, in some instances, recruit more team members.

5. Improve employer branding and reputation

When there are no internal options for employees to voice their concerns, some may turn to external channels, for example, their personal social media accounts. This can publicly damage an organisation’s reputation and discourage potential candidates who might otherwise be tempted to apply for open roles.

Furthermore, actively listening to staff can help employers create a more inclusive workplace by allowing employees to highlight factors which contribute to inequality. Once these are understood, employers can address issues, enhance diversity, and create an inclusive culture, something 69% of millennials and Gen Z workers say makes them more likely to stay with an employer.

How to encourage employee voice and start listening

A culture of listening and respect needs to establish a foundation of trust and confidence at the very top, starting with senior leaders and managers. Once the leadership team is on board, employers can work out a strategy and decide on the mechanisms they need to allow employees to make their voices heard.

People communicate in different ways, which is why employers need to consider several techniques, methods and channels to encourage employee voice in the workplace. Let’s take a closer look at how you can implement a successful strategy with employee voice mechanisms.

1. Use surveys

Employee engagement surveys, or pulse surveys, are a quick and easy way for employers to regularly monitor employees’ views. This involves a brief set of questions used as a touchpoint to gauge employee satisfaction, views, and opinions. Over time, the results can show employers which areas of the organisation are working well, and which need to be improved.

While these surveys can be an efficient way to check in, it’s important to ensure that all employees know their feedback is taken seriously. Studies show, for example, that only 62% of Baby Boomers believe management will act on their input, compared to 78% of Millennials.

2. Have regular one-to-ones

Some employees may feel uncomfortable voicing their feedback or concerns in a wider group context. However, a one-to-one conversation with a manager can create an easier space to talk. These chats don’t have to be time-consuming or high-level – a brief check-in can be fine if it’s regular – and any issues and ideas can be acted on, and views can be represented by managers in a wider conversation.

When these sessions follow the interests and ideas of employees, they can also be a useful way to identify training needs and help employees with career progression.

3. Embrace employee resource groups

An employee resource group, or ERG, is made up of a selection of employees who join a group based on shared identities, values or interests, usually on a voluntary basis.

While ERGs share some similarities with trade unions in that they both represent employee interests, ERGs are typically more focused on specific identity groups or shared interests rather than negotiating employment terms. ERGs generally focus on contributing to the personal and professional development of employees but can also act as valuable pools of knowledge and expertise.

By embracing and promoting ERGs throughout their organisation, employers can enhance their employee voice strategy with:

• Open forums for employees who share a common identity to meet and support each other
• Clear lines of communication from employees to leadership to voice concerns and solve problems

4. Hold town hall meetings

A town hall meeting is a way for employees to engage with leaders and hear more about how the organisation is performing and what the vision is in the short, medium, and long term. Typically, everyone gathers in a large space, or on a virtual group call, and the senior team provides insights into organisational results and high-level strategy.

This also creates an opportunity for two-way communication, with employees or an employee representative asking questions and contributing their ideas and insights to the conversation. Implementing these meetings engages employees in the strategic direction of their employer and allows them to feel that their voice is heard when it comes to decisions that might impact them.

5. Leverage digital collaboration

Some employees, particularly remote workers and hybrid workers, and those who struggle to open up in a group or during face-to-face conversations, may find it easier to voice their ideas and concerns in a virtual setting.

With that in mind, a successful employee voice strategy should make use of the channels at their disposal that provide employees with the opportunity to share their ideas, ask questions and engage more in discussions. This can include:

• Company intranet
• Online suggestion boxes
• Digital collaboration tools

Using tech in this way can also be useful for capturing data around employee’s specific experiences and perspectives. As a result, using these channels can make it easier for employers to identify themes in employee feedback, monitor workforce issues as they develop, and better understand the ideas and insights staff provide.

Build a culture that values employee voices

Providing employees with a range of options for voicing their opinions at work is vital, with HR practitioners who use multiple listening methods rating their organisational performance and reputation 24% higher than those who do not.

But an employee voice strategy doesn’t end there. Creating an environment where employees want to contribute their thoughts and ideas is crucial, and therefore rewarding participation is central to encouraging employee voice and subsequently enhancing employee wellbeing. This can all make up part of a reward strategy to motivate employees.

Finally, to truly benefit from the perspectives employees bring to the table and create a more inclusive and engaged workforce, employers need to focus on actions as well as listening. This means ensuring that employees feel their contributions are being heard and used to shape the decision-making process within the workplace.