Dissemination events
Employee Voice and Working Lives in the West of Scotland – Dissemination 5th June 2026 13-16.30 at the University of Strathclyde
We presented our outcomes at our final dissemination of our ESRC funded research project ‘Amplifying Employee Voice and Hearing the Unheard: A Multidisciplinary Study of Contemporary Working Lives in De-industrialised Communities’ conducted by a research team a the University of Strathclyde. The event brought together academics and external partners such as IPA, CIPD, and representatives of unions, Scottish Government, employers and civil society organisations to discuss 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.
As well as hearing from the project Team, we will also be joined by Katie Stickland (Knowledge Exchange Manager, CIPD), Sarah Dawson (Head of Operations, IPA) and Helen Martin (Head of the Fair Work Convention Secretariat, Scottish Government) who will share their reflections on the findings.
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).
CIPD Evidence Live Lab 5th November 2025 15.20-16.05 at the CIPD Annual Conference in Manchester
The power of your people – amplifying employee voice to drive engagement. Your employees are talking – but are you truly listening? In a world of endless touchpoints and data, the most valuable insights can often remain unheard, having an effect on productivity and engagement – but how can organisations ensure they are responding to the here and now? Hear from our Strathclyde team members, Professor Stuart McIntyre and Professor Dora Scholarios who will set out recent survey evidence from Scotland on the opportunities available for employees to speak up, as well as the extent to which workers feel they can potentially influence decisions on the issues that matter most to them. They’ll then discuss the implications of these survey data for organisational practice.
Past events
CIPD webinar: How should we be thinking about collective voice in 2025? 27 August 2025 12:30pm-1:30pm (online)
The Employment Rights Bill 2025 marks an important shift in the UK employment relations landscape, and on 1 July the UK government published a roadmap for the delivery of the Bill. A key concern of the reforms is how employers collectively engage with their workforce. The purpose of this session is to offer insights on the challenges and opportunities associated with developing and embedding effective collective employee voice.
The session will be delivered by a team of expert researchers from Strathclyde Business School, Glasgow, who will draw upon insights obtained as part of current three-year research project, ‘Amplifying Employee Voice and Hearing the Unheard’. The project, which has involved working closely with a wide range of employers across various sectors, as well as trade unions and other stakeholders, is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council as part of their Transforming Working Lives programme (Project Reference: ES/W009951/1). CIPD is a project partner.
Speakers
Dr Kendra Briken, Senior Lecturer, Strathclyde Business School. Kendra’s research focusses on the intersection of work and technology, and how they impact on working lives.
Professor Ian Cunningham is Professor of Employment Relations at the Department of Work, Employment and Organisation, University of Strathclyde. His research interests include employee voice, worker health and disability, employment relations in non-profit organisations and employment relations in social care.
Professor Stewart Johnstone is Professor HRM and Employment Relations, University of Strathclyde. He as a well-established interest in employee voice and participation, as well as employment restructuring, and HRM in SMEs.
For more information, please visit the Department of Work, Employment and Organisation LinkedIn profile.
