As the demand for knowledge workers rises, a growing number of businesses are realizing that employee feedback is essential for developing business intelligence. Yet, organizations frequently discover employees to be largely silent. The present research explores and examines inter-relational factors influencing employee upward voice via six mixed-method multi-level studies.

The insights gleaned from the exploratory study and a comprehensive review of existing literature aided in formulating our research objectives. These objectives were subsequently tested through three field studies (n=182, n=197, and n=342) and helped highlight the role of employee differences and lateral/diagonal voice trails in upward voice. In the latter two experimental studies (n1=161 and n2=240) VR simulations of work environments were employed in conjunction with skin conductance response (SCR) to gauge the role of employee affective mechanisms. Employees' willingness to voice was found to be impacted by their perceptions of voice risks and relational uncertainties in the workplace.

We contribute to further the understanding of complexity of relational ties in employee voice scholarship besides broadening the management perspectives on employee voice behaviour.