Employee Voice In The Workplace

Employees are given numerous rights through labor and employment laws. The National Labor Relations Act has given workers a “voice” that would have otherwise been stifled by their employers. Before the NLRA, the employers ruled the workplace with an iron fist. They were allowed coerce their workers to adjust to lower wages and longer hours without having a say. If workers were to strike, the employer could implore harsh methods like shooting guns at employees on strike in order to attempt to break the strike. The employer would not receive any type of punishment for killing or hurting their workers. The passing of the NLRA was much needed for employees. The law gives workers the right to concerted activities and through concerted activities …show more content…
The employer needs to make sure they do not discuss topics that would interfere the workers’ concerted rights. The employee participation committee can be a way for workers to discuss with each other problems they are having at work. Another way a workplace can implement employee voice in the workplace is by having anonymous worker satisfaction surveys to find out the growing concern of their workers. However, the employer can violate the NLRA several ways in use of employment satisfaction survey. Phillip Wilson writes, “The Board relies on a number of factors when determining whether a survey violates the prohibition on soliciting grievances, including the existence of union activity, the types of questions asked, whether participants are anonymous, whether the company has conducted surveys in the past, whether issues brought up in the survey are corrected and the timing of the survey.” (Wilson, 2004) It is important and illegal to not use employment satisfaction surveys as a way to curb …show more content…
An employer can implement social media policies to inform their workers what is they expect from them in their use of social media. An employer needs to make sure not violated their employees’ Section 7 rights in regards to their policy. A fifth example of worker voice matters is when a workplace investigation happens. An employer has the right to investigate problems in the workplace. The employee may be asked questions regarding issues at hand. An employer should make the investigation a timely confidential matter. One problem an employer can run into is violating their employee’s privacy rights. An article on Nolo writes, “The best way to avoid violating employee’s privacy rights is to ask—or search for—only what you need to know. Exercise restraint: Don’t search or monitor employees without a good reason. The further you stray from the complaint or alleged misconduct, the more likely you are to invade someone’s privacy.” (Nolo, 2015) The employer needs to remain unbiased and make sure the investigation stays focused. A sixth way a worker can voice their concerns is