UK employees feel silenced and ignored by employers

One in three employees in the UK would rather quit their jobs than voice their concerns at work.

A study conducted by The Workforce Institute has found a worrying gap between employee voice and employer action, as the vast majority (83%) of UK employees feel people at their organisation are not heard fairly or equally.

Nearly half (46%) also said they feel underrepresented voices remain undervalued by employers.  If left unresolved, employees who feel unheard by employers can disengage, fuelling turnover and hindering business performance.

An employee’s voice within an organisation is becoming an increasingly important factor in decisions to stay at a company. Research found employees given a fair voice are 27% les likely to quit.

There are a number of reasons for this trend. Firstly, in the age of acceleration, people have become more accustomed to voicing their opinions on online platforms and expect that same freedom at work.

At the same time, there has been a trend of businesses becoming more transparent around policies.  Most significantly, the pandemic has seen employers becoming more directly involved with the life experiences of its staff to maintain operations.

With that has come an expectation of an equal voice in the organisation, and those that don’t receive it grow frustrated and restless in their current role.

The Workforce Institute’s research also found nearly two in three (60%) employees feel their voice has been ignored in some way by their manager or employer.

This could have a significant impact on retention, as one in three (34%) said they would rather quit or switch teams than voice their true concerns with management.

Employee engagement is an important part of the overall employee experience, and if employees don’t feel heard, then their engagement and sense of belonging at work suffers.