New Research: “Workers Want a Say in Their Work”

“Voice gap,” which measures a worker’s perceived gap between desired and actual influence at work, significantly impacts job-related outcomes, such as job satisfaction, according to new research by ILR Assistant Professor Duanyi Yang.

“The findings were very straightforward,” Yang said. “A voice gap is significantly associated with lower job satisfaction and well-being, as well as higher burnout and turnover intention.”

The paper, “Does Voice Gap Influence Workers’ Job Attitudes and Well-Being? Measuring Voice as a Dimension of Job Quality,” was published on Nov. 22 in the British Journal of Industrial Relations. Yang and her co-authors, ILR doctoral student Dongwoo Park, Yaminette Díaz-Linhart and Thomas Kochan from MIT, and Arrow Minster from San Francisco State University, used survey data from 1,307 American workers to gather their findings.

Yang and coauthors distinguished voice gap on issues that benefit workers directly, such as their pay and working conditions, and on issues that are more related to the interests of the organization they work for, such as improving the organization’s performance. They found that a voice gap related to worker issues exhibited stronger and more significant impacts on job satisfaction, turnover intention, psychological well-being and burnout, compared to those related to an organizational-strategy voice gap. The researchers also found that workers who reported a larger voice gap on issues related to their own interests were more likely to vote for union representation.

“There have been several surveys in the U.S. measuring job quality, but most surveys do not include a ‘voice’ question,” Yang said. “Based on the results, we recommend incorporating the voice-gap measure in future job quality surveys to evaluate worker voice as a dimension of job quality.”

Yang added that the results also provide an opportunity for management and unions to think about how they can address workers’ problems.

“Workers want a say in their work,” Yang said. “While many companies implement open-door policies and listening programs, the absence of meaningful action can leave workers feeling unheard. When workers do not feel their managers are listening to their needs, they are more likely to pursue unionization as an alternative way to advocate for their concerns.”

Funding Acknowledgment

This research was funded in part through an ILR WIDE research grant. ILR WIDE brings together research, teaching, and organizational practices for diversity and inclusion education. This collaborative space creates opportunities for scholars to work alongside teaching specialists, students and organizations.

ILR WIDE has been made possible by a generous donation from Tim '82 and Robin Wentworth.