How Employee Voice Helps Community Engagement
It happens more than managers think: employees refrain from voicing an opinion about a major issue out of fear or because they believe their opinion will not matter.
Consequences
Employees who don't feel safe to speak up about problems or concerns can experience stress, anxiety and lack of motivation on the job. Negative emotions can spill over into other areas of the job.
If employees come to believe it is useless to bring up problems with their managers, they may generalize this belief to other human interactions they have outside of work, lessening their motivations to participate in the institutions in their communities.
Roots
Fear
Futility
Mum's the word: discomfort that comes with being the bearer of bad news
Not having a solution
Dread of being labeled
Valuable information is lost that can help identify and solve problems and prevent crises
High levels of stress: decreased life satisfaction, depression, drug and alcohol abuse and community and civic engagement
Breaking the Silence
Learn to Listen
Give everyone a chance to speak
Don't demand instant solutions
Conduct a Survey
Appoint an ombudsman
Reduce psychological distance