Jane recalls scooping a job at a procurement firm immediately after graduation, a thing that filled her heart with joy and excitement. The job paid her a fair amount which was enough at that point, since she didn’t have many responsibilities to cater for. At the start, it all seemed well until she noticed something strange. She got disappointed when she discovered that it’s only the bosses who had a say in the planning and making of the company’s decisions. This placed her and her colleagues in a state of insignificance, she says. For her, if employees are not given a chance to air out their views, chances are, an organisation will not be able to be as productive. It’s relevant for employees to have a voice when it comes to the planning and execution of a company’s objectives. Employee voice refers to the contribution of employees in influencing organisational decision-making. It is more of giving people chances to express notions, concerns, and views with realism minus dread of social or workplace consequences. That means employees have the aptitude to inspire decisions at work through their feedback. Bonita Eliza, a business manager in a local branding firm says that distribution of information through employee voice aids people to link interesting content and form populations of interest, yet crafting new knowledge. By sharing one’s voice, she notes that employees can recognise others with similar interests and desires, thus forming both professional and personal relationships together which may make work both fun and fruitful. “Speaking up enables workers to build respect and supports employees to become great leaders. There is no doubt that people who express themselves openly in meetings will easily be given a chance to lead their groups or projects. Perhaps, people respect you for sharing your knowledge and opinions, and it ought to come with accepting others’ feedback. If your ideas are not taken in positively sometimes, it is okay, there is no need of shunning your views next time,” Eliza states. She also adds that the people that have mastered the art of speaking up improve faster than others in their careers as they have a composed voice that their colleagues respect and admire. Their voice may challenge the existing condition, nurture innovation, stimulate those that don’t have a voice, upsurge their market pertinence, and mostly offer guidance and earn trust from the industry they work in. Experts say that comprehensive communication allows employees of dissimilar backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives to come together under one mission and function effectively as an interconnected unit. When everyone feels like their voice is heard and their opinions are valued, companies can truly succeed. According to John Kalisa, a business person, communicating freely at work can assist employees to speak about an early warning or developing issues that could be making the workers unhappy or dragging the company behind hence seeking solutions as early as possible. This increases focus amongst workers as they are sure that the problems are solved, thus giving their attention and energy to work. He also carries on that with effective communicators, workers can discuss issues with their managers directly, something that results in stronger employee engagement. Additionally, Kalisa highlights that when people feel like they can speak up in the workplace, it empowers them to develop their own confidence but also seek the best ways to develop their skills within their role. When they feel comfortable asking for help or training to execute a task, it pushes them to improve their work, hence lifting the company too. “Listening and acting to employees’ requests proves that they are important and trusted in the company, therefore, making them happy, which in the end generates a healthy work environment. It also reduces negative attitudes as workers are assured that in case of a problem, they can speak about it and solutions are sought,” he states.
