Introduction

Employee advocacy is the process of helping employees to be aware of their rights and responsibilities as employees, and to advocate for themselves when they have been treated unfairly. You can also call it an approach to conflict resolution that encourages a positive relationship between employees and the organization. 

Employee advocacy relies on the idea that a good working relationship between people is more likely to result in mutual success than when they are at odds with each other. In this article, we will discuss employee advocacy and its importance to an organization.

What is Employee Advocacy?

Employee advocacy is defined as the act of advocating for your interests as a worker. It’s an essential part of any job, but can be especially important in a workplace where employees and managers have difficulty communicating. 

The goal is to help employees feel heard and understood by their coworkers and to have their concerns taken seriously by management. When an employee knows that there is someone in the organization who will support them if needed, they are much more likely to stay with your company instead of leaving for a better opportunity elsewhere.

Employee advocacy involves negotiating your pay, benefits, or other work-related privileges with your employer. It also includes discussing problems or issues with management; asking questions about the business’ policies; and reporting violations of those policies. 

Employee advocacy can be used by both union and non-union employees and it can be very effective when used properly and carefully. 

Why Employee Advocacy is Important?

Employee advocacy is important because:

1. It helps to increase the loyalty of your employees.
2. It helps to make sure that employees are treated fairly and justly.
3. It allows employees to speak up for themselves and their rights.
4. It is a great way for employers to find out what motivates their employees and what drives them. It can also provide feedback for the company as a whole.
5. It builds trust between employees and management by showing them that they can be heard and respected and that no matter what, the company wants them to succeed.

Explore: 45 Employee Survey Questions [+Free Template].

Advantages of Having an Employee Advocacy Program

Employee advocacy programs are an amazing way to get your employees involved in the workplace. Here are some of the benefits you can expect from an employee advocacy program:

1. It helps reduce the number of work-related injuries and illnesses. By encouraging employees to communicate problems that they are experiencing in the workplace, you can help them feel more comfortable about coming forward and reporting problems because they know someone will be on their side. This can prevent unnecessary injuries or illnesses from occurring.
2. It improves productivity by providing a safe space for employees to share ideas and opinions. This allows you to get more out of each employee and make them more engaged in your company’s goals.
3. A third benefit is that it provides a way for employees to learn new skills while also improving their work ethic. By encouraging employees to become more aware of different industries outside of their own, they will become more familiar with various types of jobs and how they relate to one another.
4. It helps you build trust and loyalty among your employees. Who wouldn’t want to work for a company that values their input? It’s easy to see how this program can improve employee retention rates, which is something every employer wants.
5. You’ll be able to foster an atmosphere of collaboration and teamwork within your organization. By encouraging open communication between managers and employees, you’ll encourage a culture of cooperation and collaboration that will benefit everyone at your company. This is especially important when it comes to dealing with difficult situations like layoffs or other personnel changes—it’s important for everyone involved to have input into decisions like these so they can feel heard and understood by their colleagues as well as their superiors; if there isn’t enough time for feedback during these types of discussions (which is often what happens), then this could lead to misunderstandings down the line which could cause tension on both sides.
6. It reduces absenteeism and turnover in your workforce
7. It helps you avoid legal issues with your workers’ compensation policy

Read Also: 23 Ethical & Unethical Behavior Examples in the Workplace

What Are the Types of Employee Advocacy?

Employee advocacy is an employee’s actions that are meant to encourage company culture and values. There are many different types of employee advocacy, but they all have one thing in common: they help the company and its employees.

Some examples of employee advocacy include:

1. Company Swag & Merch. The company provides employees with products or services in order to show how much they care about their employees and create a positive working environment.

2. Internal Incentives & Recognition. The company gives employees bonuses or other rewards as a way to thank them for their hard work and dedication to the company.

3. Social Media Advocacy. The company encourages employees to share their views on social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook about their experiences at work, what they like about the job, etc. This can be done through hashtags or simply by having an open forum where people can post comments about their work environment or what they think could improve it (or not).

4. Incentivize Participation. This can include things like happy hours where people can catch up with one another or benefit days where they get discounts on products or services related to their job role.  

5. Provide Training. Employees need to learn new skills so they can stay competitive in their field and grow their careers. Training sessions are often held at work or online through video conferencing software such as Skype or Google Hangouts that allow remote participation from anywhere in the world (or even offsite).

6. Benefits For the Employees. Employees should be given benefits such as paid time off, flexible schedules, paid sick days, etc., which will help them feel valued by their employer while also helping them stay healthy so they can keep performing at their best without worrying about any health issues whatsoever.

What are the Differences between Employee Advocacy, Social Advocacy, and Brand Advocacy?

Employee advocacy is the act of encouraging employees to share their thoughts and opinions with the company. The company may use these comments as a basis for making decisions, or they can use them to help improve their product or service. 

Employee advocacy can also be used by the company as part of a larger marketing strategy: If a product is successful, other companies may adopt it and try to improve upon it, so having an employee advocate will help them understand what worked well about their own solution and what could be improved upon.

Social advocacy is similar to employee advocacy in that it involves encouraging people within an organization to speak up about issues that affect them. However, social advocacy is more focused on changing things outside of the organization, whereas employee advocacy focuses more on internal issues within an organization. 

Social advocates may work with external organizations that are trying to improve society as a whole, such as Greenpeace or Amnesty International; this approach takes advantage of the fact that many people have friends and family members who aren’t part of their immediate circle but have connections with those groups who are working on relevant issues.

Brand advocacy is when an employee uses their position at work to promote the business’s name and image on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. In this type of advocacy, employees use their positions within an organization to speak out on products and services. 

They talk about what they love about the product or service and how it can benefit others. This can be done by using company brand hashtags or posting content that relates to their employer’s products and services.

Therefore, the main difference between employee advocacy, social advocacy, and brand advocacy is that while one focuses on the employees of an organization, another touches on social issues while the latter focuses on products and services.

Examples of Employee Advocacy

Here are some examples of employee advocacy:

1. If a team member feels like they’re not getting enough feedback from their manager, the employee can ask for more frequent feedback or set up an appointment with the manager to talk about their performance. If the employee feels like they aren’t being listened to by a certain manager, they can ask for another manager who might be better suited for that position.
2. The same goes for mentorship. If you want to provide your employees with one-on-one mentorship sessions with your direct supervisor, ask them if it would be okay to have this person do so instead. This can help increase their confidence in themselves and give them more time to learn from someone who has more experience than they do.

Conclusion

Employee advocacy programs are a great way to ensure that employees are treated fairly and with respect. They can also help you identify issues and problems you may not have previously known about.

A good employee advocacy program should be well-defined, easy to navigate and provide clear guidance on how to get involved and what information is available. It should also be accessible in an emergency situation so that an employee doesn’t have to wait for someone else to step up.