How to Help Employees Speak Up

As an owner or manager, you want to know when employees feel bullied or stressed out by their workload or have knowledge of problems in your company. You also want them to speak up with any ideas they have to help you grow your business.

A recent Harvard University study found that one out of six employees is fearful of speaking up. In another study by the Association of Professional Office Managers Foundation, 40.4% of respondents said there was no company appointed person they could direct complaints to.

Here are some tips to help employees communicate better with you or their supervisors:

Help employees develop new skills: Invest in programs that teach employees new skills and new ways to be efficient and that motivate them to reach their personal and professional goals. This will help employees gain self-confidence.

Show them they are valued: Find ways to acknowledge wallflowers. Take attributes they have and build off of those. When people feel valued, they enjoy their job more and are more open to making connections with coworkers and managers.

Give them practice: Meet weekly with employees for the purpose of gaining their trust, building their confidence and helping them get experience speaking their minds in meetings. Let them know you are hoping they contribute because you value their opinions. Rotate meeting chairs, so that everyone has a chance to practice leadership. Weekly problem solving and goal-setting meetings are a surefire way to help quiet people get acknowledged for their contributions. Speaking up in meetings is all about practice.

Create a culture of feedback: Feedback is a two-way process. As a manager, you are telling and learning. Feedback involves knowing where processes and people are failing, and understanding what employees are thinking. Let employees know that you expect constructive feedback so you can do your job better. Make it a habit to e-mail employees leading with a question, such as, “In what ways could we have done this project better, quicker, cheaper, etc.?” E-mail is a good communication mode for people who tend to be soft-spoken.

Ask yourself what your role is: If employees are not speaking up about their problems, concerns and feedback, it may be that the problem lies with you, not with them. Is their timidity a response to a quality in you? What defensive behaviors might you be using that may be causing fear in others? A simple exercise in self-awareness — simply asking yourself how you may be contributing to an employee’s reluctance to speak up — will go a long way toward helping you understand your role in creating a culture of intimidation.