What would it take for you to speak out at work?
Find out how American employees feel about activism from the inside
In 2018, as membership in organized labor reached the lowest level since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began measuring this information (10.5%),[1] the bureau reported the highest number (485,000) of workers involved in labor actions (work stoppages, including strikes and lockouts) since 1986.[2] In addition, reports of other forms of employee activism on hot-button social and political issues have been emerging.
To understand this dynamic, in March 2019, Weber Shandwick and United Minds commissioned a survey with KRC Research to consult 1,000 U.S. full-time employees who work in companies with 500 or more employees.
The study found that American workers believe that they “are right” to speak up in support of (84%) or against (75%) their employer — and nearly four in ten (38%) are “employee activists,” that is, employees who speak up to support or criticize their employers’ actions over controversial issues.
Seventy-one percent believe employees can make a difference by speaking out on controversial issues that affect society. In fact, a majority of employees (62%) believe they can make an even greater impact on our world than the leaders who run organizations.
Today, “speaking out” goes above and beyond traditional labor issues such as wage, benefits, and workplace conditions. American workers are organizing and taking collective action on new topics, these actions are getting attention — and in some cases obtaining desired outcomes for politically and socially contentious topics or challenges to employer policies.
This includes conduct perceived to be out of step with a company’s mission statement or values, including climate change, daycare, diversity goals, gender and transgender equality, handling of sexual harassment claims, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and military contracting, and treatment of temporary and contract workers.
In one case, thousands of employees filed a climate change resolution during their Fortune 10 company’s annual meeting which the company opposed. Months later, the company took steps towards meeting the employee demands with an initiative to reduce carbon output.
In another instance, McKinsey & Co. employees took issue with their employer on a U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement (ICE) contract, eventually prompting the employer to exit the contract.
These examples demonstrate how collective employee action, outside of organized labor, has the power to change or transform a company’s policy or actions — seemingly without employer retribution that comes when an employee acts individually against the employer.
However, in many cases we also see employees speak up in support of their employers’ missions and values.
In one case, employees of a large retail chain posted comments on their own social media pages, stating they were proud that their employer removed a certain category of unhealthy products from their shelves.
In another example, we have seen a retail company’s employees speak up in support of their CEO’s environmental activism, and they, themselves, have donated more than 1700 hours of their time to various environmental groups in the past year.
Employee activism isn’t on everyone’s radar. Half of U.S. employees have heard about “employee activism,” but 37% have not and 13% are not sure. Awareness of employee activism is higher among Millennials (57%) and Gen Xers (50%) than among Baby Boomers (38%).
Although the belief that workers are right to speak up for their employer crosses generations about equally (more than 80%), the right to speak up against an employer is more pronounced among Millennials (82%) and Gen Xers (76%) than among Baby Boomers (65%).
Altogether, 38% have actually spoken up on a controversial issue that affects society. These are “employee activists.” Millennials (48%) report they have spoken up at work more than Gen Xers (33%) or Baby Boomers (27%).
Among employee activists, most (76%) have taken actions related to their employer in the last 12 to 18 months. The two most frequent actions are to talk with other employees about the issue (36%), followed by sharing an opinion or comment about their company that they saw on social media with others (26%).
Other actions range from expressing an opinion at a company meeting (22%), contacting the Human Resources department (21%), contacting company leaders (16%), sharing or posting on social media (17%) or a career site (15%), signing a petition (12%), posting a video on social media (11%), talking to the news media (6%), and attending a demonstration or march (5%). Rarely (3%) do employee activists quit their job and let their employer know they quit because they disagreed with the company’s stance.
Employee activists said they were mainly trying to get the attention of other employees (46%) and top leaders at their organization (43%) in order to influence their employer’s policies and actions (54%).
Others said they were aiming to influence general public opinion (35%) and the employer’s reputation (46%). Half said they did not get a response from their employer, but 44% did. Of those who got an employer response, 72% said it was supportive.
In many instances, employees are using new tools and platforms to take action, such as Coworker.org. These platforms allow employees to easily organize grassroots movements among both their fellow colleagues and the public.
Although a few individuals can have a big impact on an organization, the majority of employees stay quiet. Close to six in ten (59%) say they haven’t spoken up to either support or criticize their employer. And there is some suspicion about the motives of those who publicly criticize their employer: 36% say these employees are usually just trying to cause trouble.
However, among those who have not spoken up, 19% said they have considered it — suggesting there is the potential for more employee activism ahead.
Full Study:
References:
[1] 10.5% of wage and salary workers are members of unions: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf
[2] BLS reported “8 major work stoppages in educational services, 5 in health care and social assistance, 2 each in accommodation and food services, construction, and information, and 1 in utilities.” https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/eight-major-work-stoppages-in-educational-services-in-2018.htm
[3] Survey of 1,001 U.S. full-time employees 18 years and older conducted online from March 4–12, 2019.
About the Research
Weber Shandwick and United Minds partnered with KRC Research to conduct a national survey of U.S. full-time employed adults 18 years and older in March 2019. Employees work full-time and in organizations with at least 500 employees in a variety of industries and at different job levels. The sample drawn from a large national consumer panel and conducted online.
About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading global communications and marketing solutions firm in 79 cities with a network extending to 129 cities around the world. The firm’s diverse team of strategists, analysts, producers, designers, developers and campaign activators has won the most prestigious awards in the world for innovative, creative approaches and impactful work. The firm deploys deep expertise across sectors and specialty areas, including consumer marketing, corporate reputation, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, employee engagement, social impact, financial communications and crisis management, using proprietary social, digital and analytics methodologies. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com
About United Minds
United Minds is a management consultancy that specializes in transformation. Leveraging a deep bench of specialists, the company helps organizations deliver positive, lasting change by combining data-fueled strategy and creative communications solutions, engaging stakeholders in every part of the process. United Minds is part of Weber Shandwick, one of the world’s leading communications and marketing solutions firms. For more information, visit www.unitedmindsglobal.com
About KRC Research
KRC Research is a research consultancy that employs high-quality quantitative and qualitative opinion research methodologies to measure public opinion, identify and segment audiences, and identify opinion drivers to inform decisions, optimize communications, and evaluate impact. A unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), KRC Research conducts research among consumer and elite audiences in over 50 countries and in 30 languages for corporations, governments, not-for-profit organizations, and the communications firms that represent them. For more information, visit www.krcresearch.com.
For new business inquiries, please contact Ellen DeMunter at EDemunter@webershandwick.com
Edited by Lexi Mondot & Jennifer Shang
