How Employee Voice Unlocks Belonging, Trust & Long-Term Success

When people feel listened to, they feel they belong. That’s the foundation of every successful employee owned business. Here, employee voice expert Helen Moreton shares what it takes to build real dialogue, let go of control, and make employee voice a positive force for connection and growth.

Image: EO voice expert, Helen Moreton

We’ve all got one of those moments when the possibilities of employee ownership fall into place and suddenly the model makes sense on every level. 

For Helen Moreton, that first watershed moment occurred when she joined that most iconic and historic employee owned business, John Lewis Partnership (JLP). 

“I thought, oh my goodness, what is this?” she recalls. “People wanted to listen to me. They seemed to genuinely care about me as a person, not a number. They valued my opinion.”

That experience set Helen on a path that’s defined her career for more than twenty-five years. 

Today she’s one of the UK’s leading experts on voice in employee owned businesses (EOBs). She chairs the Co-owner Councils for Riverford Organic Farmers, Go Ape, Yeo Valley and the Best Connection, holds Independent Trustee positions at Lush, Architype, and Espace, as well as serving as Chair of the Trust Boards for Go Ape, Hockley Mint, and Turley. She also recently co-founded h2eo coaching, which provides coaching for founders and leaders of EOBs. Not to mentioning teaching a voice course for the eoa.

Suffice it to say, Helen’s an authority. And while no two EOBs will ever undertake the same journey, it’s clear that any Great EO business must put employee voice at the epicentre of its operations.

Why Voice Matters More Than Ever

“We can see from the data that when people feel listened to, it has a meaningful impact on their work lives,” says Helen. “Hearing those voices and opinions matters ever more in today’s working world.”

Whatever your own views, it’s undeniable that recent years have been mired by volatility, financial uncertainty, and societal division. Although no business can offer a true social barometer, it often acts as a microcosm. What’s happening in one will invariably affect the other. It’s small surprise then that Helen sees a rising emotional need for belonging at work.

“A large percentage of adults in the UK feel lonely [In 2022, 49.63% of UK adults reported feeling lonely occasionally, sometimes, often, or always according to the Campaign to End Loneliness]. Many don’t have that sense of connection. Employee voice in all its forms is vital to creating community and inclusivity.”

When people have the psychological safety to speak up – and know they’ll be heard without fear of repercussion – the benefits ripple outwards. It strengthens trust, fuels creativity, and helps people feel part of something larger than themselves. In so doing, people feel motivated and empowered and bring their own ideas to the table.

“Employee ownership gives us an incredible opportunity to design workplaces where that sense of belonging is real,” says Helen. “But we have to be intentional about it.”

Beyond Profit

One of Helen’s frequent cautions to businesses that have recently transitioned to employee ownership is not to start their communications around financial return.

“Of course, redistributing wealth, profit, and power more equitably is important,” she says. “But if the first message people hear about employee ownership is that they’ll get money back, that’s all they’ll think EO is.”

Instead, she encourages an approach where reward is balanced with responsibility and tax-free bonuses are on a level with nurturing open and inclusive workplace cultures.

“We need to explore what ownership really means for different organisations. Having a voice that matters and that can have a meaningful impact is an absolute lever we should be pulling in EO businesses.”

This, she says, was something John Spedan Lewis understood over a century ago when he first set up employee councils within JLP. “He knew that if you truly listened to the people doing the job every day, they’d have ideas and solutions he could never have imagined.”

That philosophy is as true today as it was a hundred years ago. “If we stay true to that thinking, we enable executives and teams to realise the power that EO and voice can have. Listening not only builds psychological safety, it’s also a really savvy thing to do from a business perspective. The workforce will see solutions and ideas leaders simply can’t.”

Letting Go of Power

But for employee voice to flourish, leaders must be willing to loosen their grip. Written down, it sounds simple, but it’s often the hardest part for founders as their business transitions to employee ownership.

“It starts with leaders being willing to let go of some of the power they currently hold,” says Helen. “That takes belief, humility, and a bit of vulnerability, admitting that we don’t have all the answers.”

It also requires putting the right structures in place. “Formal bodies like employee councils or forums help to maximise the opportunity to capture and amplify voice effectively. If you don’t have these in place, especially in smaller businesses, finding other ways to gather, organise, and promote employee voice is vital to success. The structure and mechanisms really matter.”

Rob Haward, Managing Director of Riverford Organic Farmers, knows all too well about letting go. “What’s been wonderful to see at Riverford since we became employee owned in 2018 is a federation of power, leadership, and responsibility from few to many,” he says. 

“To do this one key step was to get much more comfortable sharing more information on big decisions, financial performance, team performance, and business challenges more widely with the council and beyond. 

“This open information sharing provides the context that enables our council (and co-owners more broadly) to contribute so positively to the decisions we make and the challenges and opportunities we might face. It was a leap to move to being so transparent, but a critical one to harness the power of the council in the business.”

For another perspective on letting go, we spoke to Nick Hall, Managing Director of Go Ape.

"Whilst it’s never easy for the founders of a business to let go, Tris and Becs [founders Rebecca and Tristram Mayhew] were confident that Go Ape's employees with their passion for the business and its values would be the best custodians of Go Ape in its next adventure. Moving to employee ownership was about trust and belief in the people who make Go Ape what it is,” he says.

“Since becoming employee owned, the Board has worked hand-in-hand with the Employee Council and Trustees to make sure everyone has a voice and that’s changed the way we lead Go Ape for the better.  

“Being open, honest, and transparent even when it feels uncomfortable, has been a big part of the journey. Sharing vulnerability has helped us build a culture where people feel safe to speak up and take ownership. It’s not just a new structure, it’s a new way of working together.”

For Helen, the best transitions are made by founders who choose EO for the right reasons – such as balancing the distribution of wealth and immediate financial return. “If you’ve chosen EO over other models, you’re likely already in the right mindset to share power more equitably.”

Yet, she says, it’s still remarkable how often people tell her that “nothing has changed” after a transition. “Your whole business has been sold, and yet nothing feels different, you’ve still got the same people and ways of working. But if you’d sold to an unknown buyer, none of that would be guaranteed. So, the foundations for voice are already there, it’s just a matter of taking that next step.”

The Middle Management Challenge

While senior leadership teams often connect closely with employee voice councils and elected bodies, the middle management layer can sometimes be a missing link. But activating this oft overlooked part of the corporate structure can mean the difference between good and Great EO.

“Your experience of the business is only ever as good as your line manager,” Helen notes. “If they don’t care, promote EO, or listen to you, it can have a huge impact on how you see the whole organisation.”

That’s why she always invests in engaging this layer when she works with businesses. “We run sessions on what employee voice actually is, why it matters, and how to support it. It doesn’t just happen by accident, you have to nurture it with purpose.”

This middle tier, she says, is also crucial for cascading messages effectively across large businesses. “Often, the hardest part is playing back to employees how their voice has influenced decisions. If you don’t close that loop, people stop believing their voice matters.”

The Evolution of Voice

Helen describes employee voice as an ongoing, evolving process. “Work never stops. There are always new challenges, new programmes, new initiatives coming down the line.”

The most effective voice structures look ahead as well as respond to the present. “It’s about creating agendas that consider both what’s happening now and what’s coming in the future,” she explains. 

“If leadership has a big programme planned nine months out, start involving employee voice forums early. Let them test ideas, challenge thinking, and act as ambassadors. You’ll end up with better decisions and people already invested in making them work.”

Sometimes, employee voice groups might push back and that’s healthy. “Leaders shouldn’t be afraid when employees say ‘we don’t think we should do that right now’. There might be good reasons such as timing, priorities, or the need to embed something else first.”

The key, she says, is transparency. “Explain the why behind decisions. When leaders do that, I’ve seen them completely align with employee voice groups on what really matters.”

On the subject of employee councils, Rob from Riverford, has plenty of sage advice. “I love working with our council and whether your business is employee owned or not I would recommend that any progressive CEO has a staff council set up that they can use to help them and their team make good decisions,” he says. 

“Having a communication route that is complementary to the traditional management hierarchy, that taps you straight into the thinking and ideas of the people who work in your business (who are usually the ones closest to the product and the customer) is gold dust.”

Communication vs Engagement

Helen draws a sharp distinction between communication and engagement.

“Communication is about sending messages out. Engagement is about creating dialogue,” she says. “The intent is different. Engagement means you’re open to hearing back.”

That might mean using a mix of tools – from polls and intranet to in-person sessions – to reach different people in different ways. “When businesses really invest in engagement beyond communication, it pays dividends.”

Helen’s proprietary Three I’s framework (Inform, Insight & Influence) explores how employee voice can shape meaningful change within EOBs. “The influence and impact of voice is only understood if it’s shared. You have to make sure those conversations don’t just stay in the room where they happened.”

Diversity & Representation

True voice, Helen says, depends on diversity, as much of thought as geography, role, and background.

“We need to make sure the opportunity for voice is there for everyone,” she says. “That means hearing from people across protected characteristics – age, sexuality, gender, ethnicity etc. – as well as different functions and sites.”

She recalls a moment at Riverford that underlined this point. “We were discussing EDI, and one of the younger colleagues asked, ‘Have we got the right people in this room to even have this conversation?’ It really stuck with me.”

The same happened in a discussion about parental leave. “We need to create channels that actively inspire participation and bring in diverse viewpoints,” she adds.

Honest Conversations in Uncertain Times

Helen acknowledges the tough climate many businesses are currently facing from economic pressures, stalled investment, and ongoing uncertainty. But that, she argues, makes open dialogue even more vital.

“Leaders might be having difficult conversations about the future, but that doesn’t mean employees aren’t already thinking about the same things,” she says. “Just because you don’t talk about it outside the leadership team doesn’t mean your people aren’t concerned.”

Even without clear answers, shared understanding goes a long way. “Not everything will have a solution, but at the very least, acknowledging it helps. It builds trust.”

But building trust is by no means easy. “We want all co-owners in Riverford to act as leaders when needed, able to respond and improve the business as opportunities and challenges arise. In such a rapidly changing world the idea of a few directors, removed from the day job, making all the decisions and then issuing them to staff, is madness,” says Rob from Riverford.

“Being resilient, adaptable, innovative and empowered to make change must be a collective endeavour. Doing this well in an uncertain world facing huge technological change will be critical to business success. Employees having good information and a voice is a big step toward achieving this collective responsibility.”

Working Together for the Long Term

For Helen, inviting everyone into the long-term sustainability of the business means everyone wins.

“I love the role I do for employee owned businesses, whether on trust boards or chairing councils. I get to hear so many diverse viewpoints and help bring those together to shape and influence the business. It’s a privilege that people want to share their voice to make the business better for those who work in it and for its long-term future.”

That, she says, is the very essence of employee ownership. “If we stay aligned to our shared goals, staying true to our values, doing the right things in the right way, protecting the business for the future then we’re not going to go far wrong. This isn’t us versus them. It’s all of us working together for the same purpose.”