Originally Published 9.17.2013

In a company that uses Lean Six Sigma as its process improvement initiative, you'll hear hundreds of jargon like DMAIC "dee-meyk" (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control), VOC (Voice of the Customer), CTQ (Critical to Quality), VOP (Voice of the Process), SIPOC (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers), and many more.

What is VoE and why is it important?

Voice of the Employee is the term used to describe the stated and unstated needs or requirements of the employees of your business.

It is no secret that employees who are satisfied in their jobs are more motivated, loyal, dedicated, and productive

By asking your employees what they care about, you can understand motivations and perceptions to create and maintain a loyal and committed staff.

VoE is More than Just an Employee Survey

Doing an employee survey is not the end but only the beginning. Doing feedback collection or an employee survey is the first step in your VoE journey (See Figure 1). What's important is you translate VoE, which is usually general statements, like "I want a cool boss", or "I want an attractive benefit", to CTQs (Critical to Quality), or measurable characteristics, like "I want a boss that gives feedback at the end of the day and not every 15 minutes", or "I want the flexibility to convert my unused Sick Leaves upgrade my health benefit plan".

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