What Is Employee Voice And Why Is It Important?

Read about what employee voice really means, and why it should be a priority in your business communication and feedback structures for 2021.

If you are the kind of company who wants to build a strong relationship with your workforce and your wondering how after the disruption of Covid-19, you should have employee voice prioritised. It’s by far one of the most important aspects of a solid company, contributing to increased innovation, productivity and motivation - but only if voice is truly heard.

Let’s take a closer look at employee voice and why it is so important:

What Is Employee Voice?

Employee voice is in a nutshell, your two-way engagement with your workforce. It is the way that your employees are able to communicate their feelings, opinions and views on anything that affects them in their job and the way you listen. It can be shared individually, or as a whole organisation, and it can be submitted in a multitude of ways such as:

• Surveys

• Voting systems

• Feedback channels

• Private company social media/ messaging

• 1-2-1’s

• Group feedback sessions

Usually multiple feedback routes are preferable to any one method as it ensures a multitude of different voices and types of encouragement for employees to share.

Why Is Employee Voice Important?

There are many, many reasons that employee voice matters. When it comes to individual employee happiness, it has a huge impact. Research shows that employees feeling involved in decision-making (and feeling heard) is linked positively to how satisfied they feel at work.

For organisations, the benefits of prioritising employee voice are endless. It is known to improve employee wellbeing and overall satisfaction, which can only boost productivity, innovation and employee motivation. Highly engaged teams are known to show 21% greater profitability and employees who feel heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to do their best at work.

To further shine a light on the importance of engagement to employees, evidence shows that employees not only benefit from it, but they expect it as part of wellbeing support from their employer. 85% of employees expect their employer to support them when it comes to work/ life balance. So if you want the very best talent, you have to be actively listening to what your employees want and need.

Even better, truly hearing diverse opinions and voices within your organisation will give you the power to truly understand the talent in your workforce. It enables you to hear underrepresented voices, and the voice of people who may have been too afraid to give invaluable feedback in other situations.

This honesty and rich mix of perspectives can only benefit a business that truly wants to be sustainable, ethical, balanced and forward-thinking.

“To win the marketplace you must first win in the workplace” - Doug Conant

Engaging each employee using multiple platforms to enable strong two-way communication can only benefit your business and employees in multiple ways. If you know your employee engagement needs some work, consider your current employee voice approach today. Changing it for the better could be exactly what your organisation needs for better employee satisfaction and retention, and to gain an overall business boost.