Fostering employee voice in the workplace: the mediating role of employment relations climate and participative decision-making opportunity

Abstract

The present article addresses the debate on workers' participation in organisations by exploring members' participation within cooperatives. By proposing voice as a way of implementing participation at work, this research provides a micro-level analysis of how individuals' attitudes and perceptions affect employees' voice behaviours. Drawing on the attitude-behaviour theory, the research investigates how employee job satisfaction influences supportive voice behaviours, focusing on the mediation effects of the employment relations climate at work (ER climate) and participative decision-making opportunity (PDM). The data analysis reveals two specific indirect effects of job satisfaction on employee voice: the first through PDM, the second through both mediators investigated in serial (ER climate then PDM). The findings suggest that perceptions about the power of influence on decisions are critical for encouraging individuals to express their voice. The theoretical and practical implications are thus discussed, proposing avenues for further research.