Employee Voice and Community Engagement
Roots of Silence
Why is this a problem?
Community Engagement
Tips for Breaking the Silence
Main steps to encourage voice
Learn to listen
Give all a chance to speak
Don't demand instant solutions
conduct surveys
appoint an omsudman (independent listener outside of hierarchy)
Reduce psych. distance between employees and employer
Convince employees that you really want to hear their opinions
Create a workplace where people feel that it is safe to speak
Futility
Discomfort with bringing bad news
Fear negative consequences
Not having a solution to offer
Dread of being labeled negatively
Society as a whole
Workplace/Employees
Dec in productivity
Cognitive dissonance
Stifles innovation and collaboration
Not getting valuable info that could solve problems or prevent a crisis
May become passive decision-makers in other realms like gov.
Spillover effect - hurts their homelife
High stress - depression, drug abuse
Many companies involved in their communities in some way
Positive org conditions (self-direction, etc) - more likely to volunteer
AKA civic engagement
Negative conditions: less likely to be engaged, and more likely to have a mindset primed to focus on negative stimuli