IMPORTANCE OF THE EMPLOYEE VOICE

The say employees have in matters concern to them is expressed as the employee voice. Employee voice can be seen as ‘the ability of employees to influence the actions of the employer’ (Millward et al 2000)

Employees get the opportunity to voice out their opinion, contribute to the improvement of organization by involving and participating in management decision making process. Though employees have a greater part in influencing decision making procedure, management retains the right to manage.

For employers, effective voice contributes toward innovation, productivity and business improvement. For employees, it often results in increased job satisfaction, greater influence and better opportunities for development.

Formulation of employee voice should not be static, but rather should develop

in line with technological and social developments. In recent years, as a result of the continual advance of social media, employee voice is evolving rapidly. The greatest difference is the shifting patterns of communication, from being one-way or two-way to being multi-directional. This has moved voice on from giving employees a say behind closed doors to enabling them to engage in an open forum.

According to Armstrong (2006), employee voice has four purposes:

•  Helps organizations to understand the employee attitudes about work

•  Presents a form of collective organization to management

•  Influences leaders’ decisions on work-related issues

•  Shows the reciprocal nature of the employment relationship.

What encourages employees to voice their opinion?

Senior managers play a significant role in creating the right conditions for employee voice, especially because they typically have the authority to choose which issues are addressed.

People will only speak up when they feel it is safe to do so. Reducing the perceived risk of speaking up is not only important to drive engagement and innovation, but also to ensure that whistle blowers feel protected. One way of making employees feel safe in speaking up through social media is to have platforms that allow anonymous contributions to be made.

There needs to be a clear explanation of what will be done with the comments once they have been submitted. The act of asking employees for their input in the first instance makes it more likely that they will be accepting of the outcome, irrespective of whether it was the decision they wanted.

Simply recognizing someone who has a workable idea that is actually implemented can give a huge morale boost to that individual. Having more channels of open communications and, therefore, more opportunity to put forward an idea will increase the likelihood of lurkers becoming more active members.

Benefits for employers - with a greater voice for employees:

• Employees’ skills and knowledge can be better used, leading to higher productivity, greater innovation and solutions to problems

• Employees feel more valued, so they are more likely to stay and to contribute more

• Conflict is reduced and co-operation between employer and employees is based on interdependence

• Organizational effectiveness can be improved by listening to staff who interact with clients and customers day-to-day.

Benefits for employees - employees benefit from:

• Having more influence over their work

• Higher job satisfaction

• More opportunity to develop skills

• Improved well-being.

References

ARMSTRONG, M. (2006) Handbook of human resource management practice. 10th edition. London: Kogan Page Limited.

Baczor, L. (2017) Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Employee voice [online] Available at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/relations/communication/voice-factsheet London [Accessed 27 November 2017]

Silverman, M. Bakhshalian, E. and Hillman, L. (2013) Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Social media and employee voice: the current landscape [online] Available at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/social-media-and-employee-voice_2013-current-landscape-sop_tcm18-10327.pdf [Accessed 27 November 2017]

What makes the next generation tick

NEXT GEN-TALENT

TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN YOUNG TALENT, ORGANIZATIONS MUST LEARN WHAT MAKES THE NEXT GENERATION TICK.

Members of the younger generation in the workforce don’t seem to play by the rules. When a boss says "jump," they don’t ask. "how high?" instead, they ask, "why?"

Most millennials are interested in more than just taking orders, earning paychecks and promotions. They want organizations to place more importance on employee well-being, growth and development. While some may disregard these thought as the foresight of youth, they are becoming too numerous to ignore.

Millennials will become the largest generation in the workforce in recent years to come.

Its hard to find and retain these young professionals. As demand for talent increases, the cost of labor will go up. And if organizations can't fill these roles, their ability to deliver successfully will go down.

Many organizations run an effective induction process by bringing in young college grads and providing them with a combination of training, coaching and on-the-job experience. Firms cultivate a sense of loyalty among team members by offering work-study programs, like apprentices working at the company while studying part-time.

Promise of exciting projects and world travel is another big pull for young professionals. To retain staff, having them in charge of small scale, low risk programs which are intellectually stimulating will keep them rooted and will embed learning. Therefore establishing the right learning environment is essential if employees are to be backed by moving from a technical to a strategic role. Providing personalized development opportunities by meeting employee expectations in all career levels, offering competent titles, identifying capabilities and promoting work-life balance may enhance values for employees in the organization.

Employees should be given reviews periodically by managers to ascertain whether they are ready to take the next step and what training and experience they may need to close skill gaps. The combination of development opportunities and the chance to take on leadership roles early in their career might help organizations to keep employee turnover low.

Reference

Fister Gale, S. (2015). PM Network, Who's next? 29(8), 38–43.

Leadership, Then and Now

Financial success still remains the ultimate goal, but the best path to get there has changed. The traditional leadership focus on results and production has now been heavily layered with innovation, disruption, leader as coach, and a heavy dose of emotional intelligence. Plus, the concept of long-term planning has been redefined.

Let's consider the evolution,

Yesterday’s Leadership Imperatives:

• Results trump everything. Finish the project on time, come in under budget, and hit the goals if you want to be recognized. Have the same expectations for your team.
• Follow the stated protocol. Use Best Practice as a guide, and limit coloring outside the lines.
• Data rules. Know your facts, inside and out. Always work in a systematic, methodical manner.
• Visibility is mandatory. Being seen in the office working long hours is the best way to get ahead and set a good example for your team.
• Seniority matters. Understand the org chart, and respect the chain of command.

Today’s Leadership Imperatives:

• Coach and develop others. Look beyond the immediate deadline, and take time to help team members learn and grow.
• Influence with emotion. Inspire people to share the vision. Provide compelling insights using metaphors, personal stories, and moving visuals that touch the head and the heart.
• Foster innovation. Think outside the box. Move past adhering to Best Practice and work on establishing new ones. Balance the pressure to hit short-term goals with creating new opportunities for the future. Take risks when appropriate.
• Allow for disruption. Encourage creativity and questions. Shake it up. Accept that some mistakes may happen on the way to a real breakthrough. Provide options for people to work when and where they are most productive.
• Give back. Weave social consciousness into the fabric of your work by volunteering, organizing a charity event or hosting a fundraiser.
• Communicate generously. Use frequent, clear messages to keep team members at all levels in the loop. Be as transparent as possible, and use social media for anywhere/anytime contact.

Leadership evolution is admirable, and companies that apply these updated strategies are reaping the benefits. When leaders are groomed with this set of leadership competencies, the organizations experience a significant increase in a number of key areas: productivity, employee engagement, loyalty, job satisfaction and most importantly profitability. Companies win. Employees win. Customers and communities win.

Despite evidence that strongly supports this new brand of leadership, some leaders are still operating exclusively under the old set of imperatives. Have you embraced the leadership evolution? If so, how has it changed your impact? If not, what’s holding you back?

Please leave your thoughts!


reference

Canaday,S. (2017). leaders then and now [online] Available at: https://www.saracanaday.com/ [Accessed on 05.11.2017]