New research published in the Journal of Applied Psychology finds that the way leaders describe workplace problems strongly affects whether employees speak up with suggestions. The team was led by Jeffery Thomas and Jonathan Booth from The London School of Economics, and included Mark Bolino from Oklahoma University and Phil Thompson of Virginia Tech. The authors explain that employee voice—making suggestions to improve organizational work—relates to performance, safety, creativity and ethical behavior.
The researchers analyzed responses from nearly 2,000 people across three studies: full-time employees, MBA students, and employee–supervisor pairs. In the first study, participants who wrote about potential losses showed a 16% higher willingness to speak with a supervisor than those who wrote about gains. The second study used a fictional performance review and found participants were 35% more likely to say they would speak up when a scenario suggested the entire team might fall short of goals rather than a single individual.
In real workplace data from employee–supervisor pairs in three industries, employees were 8–10 times more likely to speak up when issues were framed as a potential collective loss compared with a potential collective gain. The practical implication is clear: how leaders frame an issue matters for employee motivation to voice concerns.
- Frame problems as what the group could lose.
- Emphasize shared or team consequences.
- Use loss-focused wording to encourage suggestions.
Difficult words
- employee voice — making suggestions to improve organizational work
- frame — present or describe something in a particular wayframed
- collective — shared by or involving the whole group
- willingness — readiness or desire to do something
- implication — possible result or effect of an action
- motivation — reason or drive that makes someone act
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How could a leader change the wording of a problem to encourage employee suggestions? Give one or two example phrases.
- What possible advantages and disadvantages might come from using loss-focused wording in meetings or reviews?
- Can you think of a situation in your work or study group where framing an issue as a collective loss would make people more likely to speak up? Describe it.
