The woke workforce – dealing with employee activists (part 2)

Employee activism is not a new phenomenon, but it is certainly taking on a new face in recent times. Having been working remotely for over a year now, the line between our professional and personal lives has become increasingly blurred. With traditional union membership in decline, employees are discovering new ways to voice their opposition to corporate decisions. The use of social media and sophisticated internal tools to enable collaboration means that the mobilisation of staff can be fast, effortless and anonymous and often much more effective than engaging in lengthy internal processes. Whether it’s individual action on social media (perhaps just a single tweet that goes viral), collective action via internal employee networks or whistleblowing complaints that are made public, the issues with which employees are now concerned go beyond their pay and benefits. Over the last year, and in particular following the tragic murder of George Floyd, it has become increasingly clear that employees’ expectations from their employer are growing.

Collective employee action has also been successful in shining a spotlight on the importance of ethics in business. Reflective of a more general rise in consumer activism, employees are steadily forcing their employers, and particularly their executive leadership, to consider how their business operations impact the society around them. It has become apparent that management cannot take business or strategy decisions in a vacuum or without being mindful of the company values that they have communicated to their staff. Corporate statements on social justice or environmental issues have been widely criticised where they are not backed up by tangible actions; employees now want proof of their employer’s commitment to social and environmental causes.

Given this shift in expectations and the power of collective action, it no longer seems tenable to dismiss an activist as someone who is just displaying unnecessarily disruptive behaviour in the workplace. Attempts by employers to stifle activist voices within their organisations, whether through overly-stringent policies or even dismissals, have seemingly backfired. So how should employers respond to this rise in employee activism in the workplace?

1. Values and culture

Employers should actively communicate their company values and culture to employees during recruitment and onboarding processes and throughout the lifecycle of the employment relationship. It is important that employees know what their organisation stands for – including what their organisation will tolerate and what it will not. This goes beyond a simple CSR agenda and should encompass meaningful principles that can guide the employer’s response to any future social justice, political or environmental incidents that may arise in the future. After all, even inaction is no longer neutral.

2. Greater transparency

What has become clear in the last 12 months is that there is no longer anywhere to hide. Employers need to be transparent in their business decisions – who they choose to do business with, how they determine and review pay structures, how they deal with misconduct allegations when they arise etc. It’s always worse if employees find out details later, so trying to hide controversial conduct or decisions is a high risk strategy.

3. Employee engagement

Perhaps most important of all, employers should actively listen to employees, so they are in a position to address their concerns before they spill over into the public domain. Again, this goes beyond basic employee surveys and requires engagement by senior leadership with employees at all levels. Businesses should also carefully monitor how their operational decisions may be impacting the wider society and in particular how they are being received by their employees.

Employers should also consider the use of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), as these can often be effective champions of the corporate brand. If employees feel they have contributed to their employer’s ethical choices, they are more likely to speak out about their experiences positively, which is key for attracting and retaining talent. To this end, it is increasingly important to enable meaningful CSR agendas that reflect the social causes employees care about. We have seen some employers provide additional paid time off for volunteering or protesting in relation to certain causes, while others have announced that they will match donations by their employees to particular organisations that align with their company values. It’s hard to be criticised if you are ally, so employers should try to identify ways to support employees even if the company cannot take a stand on a particular issue.

4. Diversity and inclusion (D&I)

It’s no longer possible to view the workforce as a homogenous group (even if that might be easier sometimes) and an effective D&I agenda will need to recognise that diversity cannot be valued only within certain parameters. Employee activism and D&I are inextricably linked; if employers are serious about cultivating a diverse workforce, they will need to be prepared and willing to embrace a diverse set of views and opinions within the workplace. This includes facilitating spaces where those views can be shared meaningfully in order to better understand the employee experience as it relates to different sections of the employee population.

5. Incident response plan

It always pays to be prepared. Employers should develop an action plan to react to social justice “incidents” and consider ahead of time what stance the organisation will take on key issues, both internally and externally. PR and communications teams should be ready to react to any such issues at short notice and it is often appropriate to consult with employee networks internally before publishing any external statements, especially in relation to issues which may directly affect them.

6. Policy review

Finally, now is a good time for employers to review their codes of conduct, disciplinary and grievance procedures and social media policies and consider if they are still fit for purpose. Such policies and procedures may now need to reflect a more nuanced approach; it no longer seems realistic to take the position that employees are completely prohibited from talking about their employer online. Instead, employers should consider what safeguards they can put in place so that employees know the limitations of what they can and can’t say or do online, perhaps requiring them to make it clear that their opinions are their own and do not represent the views of their employer.

Fair, balanced and consistent enforcement of such policies is also important. Organisations shouldn’t be seen to be taking disciplinary action against employees simply because they don’t agree with the views they are expressing. Employee activism online can often engage whistleblowing and/or discrimination issues which need to be considered carefully in the context of any resulting grievance process or disciplinary proceedings.

If you would like to learn more, you can watch our recent webinar, The Collective Voice: Employee Activism, here. In this webinar, I explore the rise of employee activism with a panel of international experts and consider how employers should respond to the increasing calls by employees for corporate social activism.