Amplifying Employee Voice and Hearing the Unheard: A Multidisciplinary Study of Contemporary Working Lives in De-industrialised Communities

Event Date: 4 June 2026

Speaker: Professor Stewart Johnstone, Department of Work, Employment and Organisation, and project colleagues – Project Dissemination - Employee Voice and Working Lives in the West of Scotland

Time: 1-5pm
Venue: CW507b – Cathedral Wing, University of Strathclyde Business School

The final dissemination of the ESRC-funded research project ‘Amplifying Employee Voice and Hearing the Unheard: A Multidisciplinary Study of Contemporary Working Lives in De-industrialised Communities’ will bring together academics and external partners such as IPA, CIPD, and representatives of unions, Scottish Government, employers and civil society organisations to discuss our first findings.

Funded as part of the ESRC Transforming Working Lives programme (2022-2025), the project team have completed an extensive cross-sector study of employee voice and contemporary working lives in the West of Scotland. This has involved the completion over 200 interviews in the region, as well as a nationally representative survey of employee voice among workers in Scotland.

The project team will report on findings from detailed employer case studies in retail, social care, hospitality, and the public sector, as well as sharing insights on the role of the Inverclyde Advice and Employment Rights Centre.

Some key findings include:

• Most workers reported having access to voice opportunities though these varied by organisation and sector, ranging from union representation and employee surveys to open door policies and informal interactions
• Workers generally felt informed about what was going on, and that they could make their views known to their employer   
• A common concern, however, was that even when they were able to express themselves and felt genuinely listened to, they were less confident that their views would make a difference to some matters. This was especially apparent in relation to key employment relations issues such as pay, working conditions and job security, as well as organisational strategy.
• A feeling that their views would not make a difference was one of the main reasons workers gave as to why they might choose not to raise concerns or make suggestions at work (others included not wanting to cause trouble or to be seen to complain).

If you would like to attend, please use this Eventbrite link.

Published: 2 June 2026