Employers need to “talk and listen to staff” to ensure sustainable business success, according to in-depth research published today.  

The report ‘Releasing Voice for Sustainable Business Success’, from the Involvement and Participation Agency (IPA) and Tomorrow’s Company, calls on employers to help employees speak up. 

Workplaces without active, confident and vocal employees will not be able to achieve ongoing success, it said.  

The research found that organisations where employee voice is supported and encouraged show it improves decision making, stimulates innovation and drives engagement and productivity.  

Encouraging staff to speak up and feel heard also has the benefit of improving workers’ job satisfaction and self-value at work, it added. 

The report’s findings are based on a large survey of employers, case studies and analysis of annual reports.  

Examples of good practice highlighted in the report include cultures that express a deeper faith in their workforce as the solution to challenges rather than just a source of problems and cost. 

However, the report also said that there are few companies that have found ways of encouraging and supporting employees to speak up safely and without fear, and to feel heard. 

The report’s authors urge employers to challenge traditional ideas about organisational design, command and control management and the ‘us and them’ attitude to employee opinions. 

David MacLeod, co-chair of the Engage for Success employee engagement task force, said: “ The importance of feeling listened to – and therefore valued and respected – at work, by colleagues, by line managers and by the organisation as a whole, cannot be over-estimated.  

"We know that it is one of the key factors influencing how much employee value their organisation, and that being heard is vital for authentic workplace relationships based on trust.” 

Nita Clarke, director of IPA, agreed: “Voice is a critical part of achieving sustainable business success – it is no longer an option but an essential part of creating value through the multiple relationships organisations have with their stakeholders.” 

The chief executive of Tomorrow’s Company Tony Manwaring also said that without voice, value cannot be created. “Value is not only created through people, it is co-created through people inspired by a common purpose, working to shared values, inspired and engaged, giving more of themselves to a common and shared endeavour,” he added. 

Towers Watson’s director of organisational surveys and insights Nick Tatchell said tapping into employee voice was “critical to delivering sustainable engagement, innovation and continuous improvement”. 

“Companies that take voice seriously stand to benefit enormously from employee insights on business issues that matter,” he said.