Employee voice

Introduction

Why employee voice is essential element for the organization? How Organization is listening to their employee? Do employees’ voice could be benefited for both Organization and employees?   Defining the concept of employee voice is the opportunity to influence management decisions play an active role in organization performance. As per Boxall and Purcell (2003) ‘Employee voice is the term increasingly used to cover a whole variety of processes and structures which enable, and sometimes empower employees, directly and indirectly, to contribute to decision-making in the firm.

Source: You tube

Framework of employee voice

Source: Armstrong 

Trends of employee voice

Employee voice is powerful tool which influence to decision made by the employer. When there is a Positive voice, we can expect higher level of performance, innovation, staff well-being, staff retention and create open working environments where people feel valued. Employees’ voice plays a role in both employee participation and involvement. According to Williams and Smith (2006) ‘Participation which is about employees playing a greater part in the decision-making process by being given the opportunity to influence management decisions and to contribute to the improvement of organizational performance’. 

Forms of employee voice

Participation: employees playing a major part in the decision-making   process by being given the opportunity to influence management decisions and to contribute to the improvement of organizational performance. As Williams and Smith (2006) explain, the term ‘participation’ refers to arrangements that give workers some influence over organizational and workplace decisions.

Involvement: employee voice is centered on employment contracts and matter affecting employee. According to Williams and  Smith (2006) suggest that this term is most usefully applied to management initiatives that are designed to further the flow of communication at work as a means of enhancing the organizational commitment of employees.

Virgin Group (owns by British business giant Sir Richard Brenson) is a very popular Company for employee voice in globally. Organizations are keen to have employee voice because the concept gives win-win situation for the organizations as well as employees. Who knows, one suggestion could be a million dollar idea (Brenson, 2015). The Company has been practicing by direct voice, in which employee communicate with individual and groups hence company achieved their business growth and higher performance through employee participation and involvement.

Employee voice in the Beximco pharmaceutical 

Employees voice is encourage significantly in the pharmaceutical sector to seek feedback from staff. Beximco pharma HRM has identified value of the employee voice because in this sector job responsibilities is significantly high, therefor practicing voice in the Company is essential. Beximco pharma HR team has implemented many strategies for encourage the employee voice in the workplace such as:

• Asking for employee input
• Good support, guidance and resources
• Accept, remember or overlooked requests
• Recognized hard work
• Focusing on positive feedback
• Checking up on employees on a personal and professional level 

Conclusion

A company with employees’ voice is emotional application of employees and it will leads to employee’s motivation and satisfaction so then it will help to attract, retain great people and higher performances.  

References

Armstrong. M, (2009). Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 11 edition. London:  Kogan, P.935-939.

Michael. B , Wilkinson. A, and Dundon.T, (2018). Employee voice: conceptualizations, meanings, limitations and possible integration. [Online]   https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325817560_Employee_voice_conceptualisations_meanings_limitations_and_possible_integration [Accessed 10th May 2020] 

Virgin, (2015).How to keep your best staff. [Online]                             https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/how-keep-your-best-staff [Accessed 12th May 2020]  

Employee voice . You tube                                                                   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_PUxQL5ZHY [Accessed 12th May 2020]