Employee voice as a means to facilitate organizational safety and crisis preparedness

A comprehensive diagnosis of an organization’s preparedness for a crisis requires an examination of its climate beyond the influences from the management. This study emphasizes the crucial role employees play in establishing and maintaining a climate that will survive crises by examining the function of promotive and prohibitive voice in fostering a culture of safety. The current study proposed a model in which employee promotive and prohibitive voices impact organizational crisis preparedness through the mediation of organizational safety culture. 329 working adults participated in the study through answering an online questionnaire on MTurk. The data were consistent with the proposed path model, demonstrating the critical role that employee voice plays in creating a culture of safety, which ultimately leaves an organization adequately or inadequately prepared for a potential crisis event.