Half of all employees are too scared to express their views at work, according to surveys conducted by The Discovery Group, a management consulting firm based in Sharon, Mass.
Discovery’s finding is based upon studies conducted in 55 organizations during the past several years. More than 50,000 employees were surveyed from a variety of U.S.-based manufacturing and service organizations. Employees were asked whether they feel free to voice their opinions openly in their organizations
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“They don’t speak up because of fear of retribution, job insecurity, a lack of management responsiveness, and an uncaring organizational climate,” said Dr. Bruce Katcher, an industrial/organizational psychologist and author of the study.
Katcher adds; “To increase openness, senior management must foster a spirit of openness, get rid of ineffective tools such as suggestion boxes, and train managers how to listen.”
According to the Discovery report, and Katcher, there are things that a company can do to make an employee feel more secure – more willing to share opinions and suggestions.
Senior Management Must Foster a Spirit of Openness. Ever notice the deafening silence when a senior manager asks a group of employees if there are any questions? Why does this happen? In the past many employees have witnessed that others were ignored, belittled, or embarrassed when they spoke up. Senior managers must consciously try very hard to ask for opinions and then listen carefully. Doing so will increase the probability that their direct reports will be more likely to be open to new ideas as well.
Get Rid of Suggestion Boxes. There is no better way to stifle openness than to tell employees to “stuff” their suggestions in a box. The use of such a policy clearly signals to employees that voicing their suggestions openly to their manager or senior management would be unacceptable or ineffective.
Train Yourself and Managers How to Listen. Listening is a critically important management skill that can help improve employees’ willingness to speak up. Some of the key principles include using “unconditional positive regard.”
“Try not to rush to evaluate opinions and suggestions,” said Katcher. “View all of them with a positive outlook.”
He also recommends using the technique made famous by “Colombo,” of continually asking questions and telling employees that you “don’t understand” or “are confused.”
For more information on the subject, see the report “Employees are Afraid to Speak
Up,” which can be accessed on the Web at www.discoverysurveys.com.
