What builds a company and brings significant change is the joint efforts of employees and the insights or ideas they suggest. When an employee is unable to speak up and for instance share their innovative ideas or what they think should be changed, the company suffers from it. Managers have a responsibility to encourage employees to speak up and feel confident enough to bring forth ideas that can build the company. Speaking up should not be forced or pressured, rather, making employees feel relaxed and comfortable enough to share their opinion should be the goal. Alphonse Mbarushimana the program manager at National Child Development Agency says managers are responsible for providing public speaking skills- providing sessions where an employee can acquire those skills that help them feel confident enough to speak up. Also, they should provide an environment that makes employees feel valued and confident enough to share their thoughts, he says. “Managers should engage their employees in everything, consulted about any changes and also involve them in decision making. This gives them a feeling that they are also part of the company and they are heard,” he says. Protais Niyigaba manager at Virunga Park says that there are so many factors that could be stopping an employee from speaking up but it is the manager’s task to get to know why. “There are so many points that make an employee shy. First, some employees feel shy to speak because they do not feel safe mostly psychologically. This can be due to many factors, like managers who do not take feedback as beneficial. Some managers want to stay in their comfort zone and react in a threatening way that may stop the employee from giving any other feedback.” He also adds that it’s key to note that sometimes people may look shy but are actually not! It could be that they are not given an equal opportunity to speak and be heard. It is an incumbent task for the manager and their team to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute and be listened to, Niyigaba shares. “We sometimes tend to favour the extrovert personality, but most of the time we miss the important contributions from introverts just because we do not create a safe environment for them to contribute,” he explains. Alice Uwera a graphic designer at Gulf First, a shipping and logistics company says she is the type of person who only gets to talk when asked to, noting that this gives her comfort, “so my manager knows how to get me to talk easily. I think managers should get to learn about their employees first- how they are and how to handle them, then it should be easy for them to make them speak up,” she says. How to make employees speak up “Managers can create platforms, meetings, where everyone has a turn to speak, be listened to and given constructive feedback. Managers can put in place a strategy to get contributions from any language for employees who fear to speak because of language barrier,” says Mbarushimana. According to Forbes.com here is how to make your employees speak up: Understand extroverts versus introverts Individuals process information differently. Extroverts are usually comfortable debating a concept extemporaneously, while introverts would generally like to have time to gather their thoughts before engaging in a discussion. Start with validating their value Be aware of what that value is for that team member and speak directly to it. If someone is shy, they are easily intimidated. Don’t force them to be who they’re not Respect the shy employee. Don’t force them to be who they are not. Draw out who they are. A quiet or shy employee may tend to be a strong thinker, insightful, inquisitive. There’s nothing wrong with speaking up and not being afraid to share publicly your thoughts, but having a forum where your more introverted employees are encouraged to contribute outside of meeting times will reveal often that the quietest are the best listeners, John M. O’Connor a multi-year career coach, outplacement and career services leader based in North Carolina noted in a Forbes article ‘Considerate Ways To Encourage Shy Employees To Share Their Input.’
