The past month has signaled a shift in the role workers play in our economy. The US has seen union wins at Amazon and Starbucks, employee walkouts at Disney in response to their CEO’s reaction to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and deafening public pressure on companies to exit Russia in light of the war in Ukraine. While all of these stories have different origins and impacts, there is a strong throughline: the evolution and increasing strength of worker voice within companies and beyond.

While worker voice—the ability of a company’s employee base to have their needs heard by their employer, and ultimately have an impact on business decision making—appears to have strengthened recently, it is not clear that this shift will last. If worker power is rooted in temporary market factors such as low unemployment and the “Great Resignation,” then different market conditions could also weaken worker power.

Still, we are currently seeing a strengthening signal: that employees want more say, especially collectively, than companies typically acknowledge or leverage. According to Edelman’s 2021 Belief-Driven Employee research, 50% of employees surveyed say they can get a company to change anything about itself, and 76% say they will take action to produce or motivate urgently necessary changes within an organization.

We are clearly operating with fundamental shifts regarding the employee-employer relationship. It’s time for companies to take a new position on worker voice. There are business reasons to celebrate it. Worker organizers have shown remarkable leadership and commitment to improving their workplaces. Their success could also help companies make good on promises that are essential for maintaining the legitimacy and public support for capitalism.

Workers are often closest to the needs of a company’s customers and are a critical voice in driving product innovation. Distributing power among a greater number of employees within a company can lead to more democratic decision-making. This is particularly important in a world where public companies have such a strong voice in our country’s governance and democracy. Workers have direct sightlines on health and safety, sustainability, equity and inclusion, and what it takes to attract and retain talent. In a world of incredible complexity for business, workers are valuable sources of knowledge and leadership.

Read the full article about worker's rights by Danielle Holly and Miguel Padro at The Aspen Institute.