Forging New Voice Mechanisms From a Crisis—Employee Voice on Social Media During COVID‐19

ABSTRACT

External crises, such as the COVID‐19 pandemic, have increased job insecurity and overall uncertainty in the labour market. Crises like these can suppress employee voice; that is, employees may feel unable to express their ideas and opinions about their work, including dissatisfaction or criticism, because they may be worried about disagreeing with management and being seen as ‘rocking the boat’ in times of uncertainty. Nonetheless, this study finds that employees' desire to voice during the global pandemic led to them finding ways to speak up through social media (SM), with anonymity being a critical facilitator. Findings reveal that employees realised that SM affordances allowed them more agency over the agenda for voice regardless of prevailing voice norms. Despite open criticism not being well received by management, employees refashioned SM, which was primarily used for top‐down communication before the pandemic, into more of a bottom‐up voice mechanism. In doing so, we answer the call of researchers to explore the state of voice during a crisis and the potential of SM as a possible voice mechanism during such times.