The power and impact of employee voice

American author and management expert Ken Blanchard once famously said “None of us is as smart as all of us” – and we like to think that wonderfully sums up how the impact of collective employee voice can lead to organisational success.

Having a voice at work can make a fundamental difference to how employees experience their work – improving job satisfaction, sense of belonging, creativity, trust in leadership and better decision-making. Employee voice is a powerful tool, and we’re here to show you that by putting practices in place to encourage your team to be heard and express themselves – you’ll all reap the benefits.

• Increased job satisfaction
• Sense of belonging and loyalty
• Trust in leadership
• Creativity and innovation 
• Better decision-making

Increased job satisfaction

One of the greatest advantages of effective employee voice is increased job satisfaction. This is because when people are encouraged to share their thoughts, it creates a sense of ownership and involvement in decision-making. This involvement gives employees a greater sense of control and influence over their work, resulting in job satisfaction.

The concept seems simple enough, however in 2022 a study showed that only 17% of British workers said they love their job. So, what can be done to unlock employee voices and in turn job satisfaction? You can start with us here at Stribe! With our science-backed pulse survey software you will gain a clear understanding of how satisfied your employees are and how they’re really feeling when it comes to work.

Sense of belonging and loyalty

It’s human nature for all of us to feel a sense of safety and belonging. And research shows that companies that prioritise employee voice will have teams that feel a stronger connection and sense of loyalty to their organisation – resulting in healthier recruitment practices and lower turnover rates. By actively encouraging and implementing employee feedback, you will create an environment where everyone feels heard and respected. Start by… 

• Opening communication with a variety of methods, including team meetings or feedback channels (Stribe’s anonymous surveys are a great way to do this). 
• Supporting diversity and inclusion by really inspiring your people to think outside-the-box and propose unique ideas and perspectives. 
• Encouraging social interactions by creating opportunities for colleagues to connect with each other – this could be via team building activities or casual work events.

Trust in leadership

According to Edelman Trust Barometer, organisations with high levels of employee trust outperform their peers by nearly three times in revenue growth. But how can trust be achieved?

Building trust begins with listening to your teams. When leaders actively listen to employee voice and address feedback with action, it shows a genuine commitment to well-being and success. Again, it’s such a simple notion, yet one that so many organisations unfortunately can’t seem to satisfy. At Stribe we’ve worked with hundreds of leaders and their teams, so you can trust us when we say we know what effective listening looks like – and it includes three core elements.

1. Undivided attention – It is so important to be attentive. When speaking to your team remove all distractions, avoid multitasking, maintain eye contact and show genuine interest in what they’re saying. 
2. Reflection and acknowledgment – Show you have understood what your employee has communicated by summarising their points back to them. You can also ask open-ended questions to encourage elaboration and clarity.
3. Validation – Validate their feelings by showing you appreciate their point of view and/ or experience. You should also talk about next steps and timelines so your employee knows that they have been heard and some form of action will be taken.

If levelling up your team’s leadership skills is something you need to implement at your workplace – it really doesn’t have to be difficult. We’d recommend getting in touch with the team at FLOCK Coaching – they’ve created a super-accessible digital AI coach that helps you improve your leadership skills in just 5 minutes a day – giving actionable insights in bite-sized, high impact sessions.

Creativity and innovation

We’re sure this one will come as no surprise to you – but when employees feel empowered to share their thoughts and insights, it boosts their motivation, leading to increased creativity, problem-solving and idea generation. McKinsey found this to be true – concluding that businesses that prioritised employee voice and engagement are 1.5 times more likely to be innovative leaders in their industry.

There are a number of ways you can engage your team to open up more and share their ideas – this could include group brainstorming sessions where no concepts – big, small or wild – are off the table. This helps uncover a wide range of creativity. Feedback loops are also a fabulous way of understanding your team’s feelings on ideas – which can also be done via our pulse surveys.

Better decision-making 

When we combine happy employees who are heard, with an environment that nurtures innovation and leaders who are trusted – we have the magic recipe for a workplace that makes better decisions for its people. Gallup backed this up with a study that found organisations that engage their employees in decision-making see a 21% increase in profitability. By actively seeking and listening to employee feedback, you’ll identify blind spots, uncover creative solutions and alleviate risks. Employee voice is powerful because it brings fresh insights to the table, challenges assumptions and inspires critical thinking. 

Employee voice is your secret sauce because it’s your team’s collective intelligence – as our friend Ken said – “None of us are smarter than all of us.”

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