Listening to the Voice of the Employee: how to promote people’s involvement with companies

Human resource management has evolved rapidly and effectively in recent years, as companies have increasingly recognized the importance of giving employees a voice. A work environment where employees feel valued and listened to is crucial for the productivity of companies and the well-being of teams.

However, in order to achieve this goal, it is essential to think from a practical and functional perspective that provides employees with the tools they need to make their voices heard.

In this article, we will explore the importance of the employee voice and highlight how companies can use effective tools to promote the active participation of their people.

The Importance of Voice of the Employee

First of all: what is Voice of the Employee?

Also commonly known as “Voice of the Employee”, Employee Voice refers to the ability of employees to express their opinions, concerns and ideas within the company. This goes far beyond traditional performance appraisals and formal feedback processes with managers. We’re talking about creating a safe space where employees feel comfortable sharing their perspectives, opinions, concerns and suggestions, regardless of hierarchies or organizational structures.

Why is it so important to encourage listening to the Voice of the Employee?

The implementation of a good “Voice of the Employee” listening process allows the company to achieve:

1. Development and continuous improvement: when employees have the opportunity to express their opinions freely, companies can more easily implement significant changes to improve the culture and promote a healthy working environment.
2. Involvement and Retention: employees who feel listened to are naturally more involved and satisfied in their jobs, helping to retain talent in companies.
3. Innovation: Voice of the Employee is a rich source of innovative ideas. People who feel valued and listened to are more likely to contribute good ideas and innovative suggestions.
4. Positive Organizational Climate: the act of listening to employees promotes a positive organizational climate, increasing trust and strengthening relationships between teams.

Tools to Amplify the Voice of the Employee

To reap the benefits of Voice of the Employee, companies need to invest in and rethink their internal communication tools and processes. How to do it?

1. Increase active listening in managers: invest in training team leaders, encouraging them to listen actively and value the opinions and ideas of the people in their teams.
2. Measuring or enveloping: realize pesquisas regulares de engagement para obter feedback dos colaboradores sobre diversos aspetos da empresa, desde a cultura organizacional às políticas de trabalho.
3. Confidential feedback: allow employees to report anomalous situations confidentially, so that they can feel safe to share concerns without fear of reprisals.
4. Internal communication platforms: use platforms such as Vip Connect to promote internal communication. These tools have open communication channels that facilitate collaboration, the sharing of ideas and open discussion.
5. Incentive programs: reward and encourage employees who contribute valuable ideas, promoting a culture of innovation and participation. A powerful tool for this is Vip Incentives, which can be integrated directly with the internal communication platform, Vip Connect. Whenever an employee contributes a good idea, they can be directly rewarded by offering prizes.

What are the consequences of not valuing the Voice of the Employee?

1. Loss of talent and increased turnover: talented and proactive employees can feel frustrated when they realize that their suggestions, ideas or opinions are not valued. And then look for that validation in new job opportunities.
2. General demotivation: if employees feel that their voice and opinion don’t count, they will naturally feel demotivated. This type of demotivation grows progressively and ends up spreading as a widespread opinion among employees, who naturally communicate with each other.
3. Stagnation and lack of innovation: when you stop listening to the proposals and new ideas of employees who deal with very specific issues on a daily basis and from different perspectives, the company can miss out on various opportunities to adapt to the new realities and needs of the market.
4. Ethical and legal risks: by not creating a whistleblowing channel for its employees, the company runs serious legal and ethical risks by not complying with the European Whistleblowing regulations.

In short: the voice of the employee should never be underestimated, as it is a driving force with massive potential for organisational success. Companies must create a comfortable environment where employees feel safe to share ideas, concerns and suggestions. Open communication and collaboration can contribute significantly to team motivation and the consequent success of an organization.

Find out more about our engagement platform that will enable you to boost and reward the “Voice of the Employee” in your company. Whether confidential or shared, you can take the employee voice to another level within your company, in a completely tailored way.