The Importance of Giving New Employees a Voice!
There are a host of reasons why young, new, or inexperienced employees don’t speak up. And when new employees don’t speak up, you potentially miss out on some incredibly innovative ideas, you run the risk of actively disengaging new employees, and even worse, creating a situation where you are putting them, or other employees’ in harm’s way.
“Organizational silence” – the phenomenon where employees don’t always speak up even when they see a serious performance or safety issue, don’t ask challenging questions for fear of looking stupid, or don’t offer up any new ideas, is rampant in most workplaces. According to one study, 70% of employees failed to speak up in the face of a serious work-related issue. And when it comes to new employees, you need to be even more intentional about reaching out and creating a safe environment where they feel free to voice their concerns, speak up, and speak out!
As a reminder of this, watch my story to understand why there are nights where I still count all my limbs!
Michael Kerr is a Canadian Hall of Fame business speaker and the author of 8 books, including “The Jerk-Free Workplace.”
