When management actions seem to become disconnected from an organization’s stated values and expressed beliefs, this disconnect causes tension. When workers feel powerless or proper avenues fail to exist, employees advocate for change by new means: they go public. This can result in damage to brand, reputation and operations.

The employee activism we see today is a new expression of an age-old dynamic. For as long as companies have existed, when friction has occurred between employees and executive leaders, employees have banded together to take collective action.

First, the best way to prevent employee activism is to make sure employees at all levels are exposed to your corporate strategy.

While it can seem unnecessary to dwell on strategic objectives that exist out of sight on a daily basis, the more complete an understanding employees have of why certain business decisions are made and how they impact the future, the more likely you are to quickly find common ground when a disconnect occurs. You can’t build understanding when you’re working from two different sets of facts.

Second, systems of dialogue must exist and actively take place to maintain employee relations.

When executives and employees talk, you not only share information but build trust. With trust comes perspective, patience and allowance. Our deep expertise in employee relations consulting involves building organizational dialogue: not only structuring communication systems but coaching and developing leaders (including and especially middle managers, whose roles are crucial) and creating cultures that encourage collaboration.

When these workforce conditions exist together, the odds of an ugly and prolonged bout of activism diminish enormously.