Employee voice

Employee voice refers to the participation of employees in influencing organisational decision making. Employees are given a voice through informal and formal means to minimise conflict, improve communication and encourage staff retention through motivation and fair treatment (Stone, 2005). Employee participation is a form of empowerment and motivation that leads to increased productivity and retention^[1]

In July of 2013, an international workshop on the benefits of employee voice was organised by Dr Andrew R Timming, an employee voice scholar based at the University of St Andrews. The workshop, entitled, 'Strengthening Democracy at Work', brought together the world's leading employee voice researchers, including: Peter Ackers (University of Loughborough), John Budd (University of Minnesota), Tony Dundon (National University of Ireland, Galway), Stewart Johnstone (University of Newcastle), Andrew Pendleton (York University) and Andrew Timming (University of St Andrews). Also present were several practitioners. The workshop was funded by the Scottish Universities Insight Institute and the Russell Trust. The first day took place in Glasgow and the second day was held at New Lanark. The workshop participants discussed the benefits of employee voice for employees, organisations and societies. In short, when employers give employees a 'say' in the strategic direction of the organisation, all three levels benefit.

Informal and formal mechanisms

Employee voice is attained through both informal and formal mechanisms. Informal employee voice mechanisms include general conversation between employees and employers, email communication, employee feedback, social functions and meetings at the workplace. Employees can also influence corporate decision making through their actions, such as turnover and absenteeism^[2]

Formal mechanisms include communication tools implemented by an organisations human resource department, such as employee surveys and suggestion boxes. Some organisations promote employee voice through financial participation, such as share ownership and profit-sharing opportunities. Employee consultative committees and representation through trade unions are also formal ways of ensuring employees are informed and are given a voice in decisions that affect their employment^[2]

European Works Councils

In an international context, the role of employee voice varies immensely. The European model is fundamentally based on employee communication and consultation between employees and corporate management. European Works Councils were introduced through the European Directive 1994 to accommodate these goals and provided employees with an opportunity to gain access to senior levels of their employers. The European model has required amendments to improve its effectiveness in managing employee voice and legal compliance^[3]

Notes

References

• Davis, E,M, Lansbury, R,D (1996), Managing Together: Consultation and Participation in the Workplace, Longman, Australia
• McLean, P (2008), Employee Voice, MGMT341, International and Comparative Human Resource Management, University of Wollongong, delivered 19 August 2008
• Stone, R (2005), Human Resource Management, 5th edition, John Wiley & Sons, Queensland
• Timming, A (2007), ‘European Works Councils and the Dark Side of Managing Worker Voice’, Human Resource Management Journal, Vol.17, Iss.3, pp. 248–254