What is Effective Voice?
Effective voice can make a safe environment where dialogue and challenge are dealt with constructively and where workers views are sought out, listened to and can make a difference.
Effective voice underpins the other dimensions of fair work. Meaningful dialogue helps deliver on opportunity, security, fulfilment and respect.
Effective voice also supports wider social priorities like equality of opportunity, equal pay, learning and skills, and occupational health and safety.
It is clear from international evidence that workers want a voice, not only to resolve problems and conflicts (which is important) but also to engage and participate constructively in workplace decisions. Effective voice improves workers’ experiences of work as well as improving organisational performance.
Effective Voice and Fair Work
Effective voice can include:
Individual voice channels like:
- Staff intranet
- Employee/worker surveys
- 1:1 meetings
And collective voice channels like:
- Trade unions
- Staff associations or forum
- Staff networks or equality groups
Employers should provide a mixture of both individual and collective voice mechanisms. Based on the evidence, trade unions are the best mechanism to facilitate collective effective voice and unionised workplaces often have better outcomes across all dimensions of fair work.
Benefits for Individuals
For individuals, the opportunity to have an effective voice reinforces their rights as 'individual' citizens. Voice channels improve information sharing, encourage cross learning, resolve conflict and reinforce consensus.
Through trade unions, effective voice is associated with a range of individual benefits like agreed working time and holiday arrangements, training provision, training duration, improved health and safety outcomes and access to flexible working.
Benefits for Employers
Effective voice not only benefits individual workers, it also benefits employers and businesses. Effective voice encourages workers at all levels in organisations to engage and put forward views and ideas in ways that can stimulate change and improvement. Dialogue improves the quality of information, which in turn improves the quality of decision making.
Genuine effective voice mechanisms can deliver commitment to decisions that are made - even from those who disagree - and contribute to a positive work culture. Effective voice is essential for the delivery of all fair work dimensions, offering tools to enhance the quality of work, which underpins productivity, innovation and inclusive growth.
Explore another dimension
Opportunity
Opportunity
Fair opportunity is the chance to access and progress in work. It helps creates a more equal, inclusive and cohesive society.
Security
Security
Security of income can contribute to greater individual and family stability and promote more effective financial planning, including investment in pensions.
Fulfilment
Fulfilment
Fulfilment can also arise from positive and supportive workplace relationships that promote a sense of belonging and this overlaps strongly with respect as a dimension of fair work.
Respect
Respect
Respect at work enhances individual health, safety and wellbeing. Dignified treatment can protect workers from workplace related illness and injury and create an environment free from bullying and harassment.