Involvement and Influence

Jan. 15

Written By Worker's Compensation Board Of Nova Scotia -

Involves including employees in discussions about how their work is done and how important organizational decisions are made.

What is involvement and influence?

Involvement and influence can be found in a work environment where workers are included in discussions about how their work is done and how important decisions are made. Opportunities for involvement can relate to a workers’ specific job, the activities of a team or department or issues involving the organization as a whole.

An organization with good involvement and influence would be able to state that:

Workers are able to talk to their immediate supervisors about how their work is done.
Workers have some control over how they organize their work.
Workers’ opinions and suggestions are considered with respect to work.
Workers are informed of important changes that can impact how their work is done.
The organization encourages input from all workers on important decisions related to their work.

This video was developed by The Mental Health Commission of Canada, in partnership with Ottawa Public Health with content adapted from The Mindful Employer.

Why is involvement and influence important?

When workers feel they have meaningful input into their work, they are more likely to be engaged, have higher morale and take pride in their organization. Additionally, it may increase their willingness to produce extra effort when required. Job involvement can therefore be associated with increased psychological well-being, enhanced innovation, and organizational commitment.

If workers do not believe they have a voice, they may show a lack of concern or experience helplessness. Not feeling or being involved can lead to distrust and distress, greater turnover and burnout.

FAQs

• Foster a culture where all employees have some level of responsibility, autonomy and accountability. It is best to avoid micromanagement if possible.
• Combine top-down and bottom-up approaches to work-related decisions, where leaders and workers are able to provide input and feedback. Ensure formal and informal approaches for obtaining input and feedback on how to make improvements to work (e.g. via suggestion boxes or opinion surveys).
• If appropriate, provide employees with control over job design, how their work tasks are organized and how responsibilities evolve.
• Provide training to help employees maintain a sense of control over work, including providing support on priority-setting and time management.
• Provide coaching, training and mentorship in effective communication skills, including interpersonal problem-solving and conflict management skills.
• If appropriate, provide training and supports that allow teams to operate independently (e.g. self-directed work teams).
• When making changes in the workplace, minimize the impact by communicating effectively, and providing reasons for decisions.
• Particularly during times of change, encourage worker participation and involvement.
• Encourage discussions between managers and direct reports about how work is done and how it could be improved.
• Provide timely responses to employee suggestions regarding how work could be improved or enhanced.
• Maintain current and accurate written job descriptions that specify roles and responsibilities.
• Include an expectation for employee involvement and input in all job descriptions.
• Ensure that all employees have an identified contact person (e.g. supervisor, office manager, union steward) for issues pertaining to how their work is done.

Next Steps

Encouraging involvement and influence in the workplace

A work environment where employees are included in discussions about how their work is done and how important decisions are made.
• Enhanced performance and productivity.
• Greater employee motivation and job satisfaction.
• Employees take an active role in addressing challenges at work.
• Positive employee/labour relations.
• Do issues related to involvement and influence present a greater risk for particular groups of employees (e.g. new employees, certain jobs, shift workers, etc.)?
• What are the strengths in your workplace in terms of involvement and influence (e.g. what do you do well and what should you continue doing)?
• What could your workplace do to improve in this area (e.g. what could you do more of and what could you do less of)?