Some employees don’t believe that talk is cheap. Nearly 30% of employees report that they offer more than 20 suggestions every year to their employers, reports Right Management, a talent and career management firm.

The Philadelphia-based company recently surveyed 614 individuals via the social media Web site LinkedIn. Overall, 57% of workers claim they frequently make suggestions in the workplace.

“We find that employees really want to be heard,” says Deborah Schroeder-Saulnier, senior vice president of global solutions at Right Management. “Making suggestions signals they are thinking about the performance of the organization and want to contribute over and beyond the requirements of the job. And this can be seen as a great opportunity by employers -- if they know how to take advantage of it,” she adds. 

Communication experts agree that workplace conversations in the hallways and staircases can spawn great ideas. The survey findings revealed that about 30% of respondents made more than ten suggestions, while only 6% offered no suggestions at all. What’s more, workers in management and C-level executives were most likely to make more than 20 suggestions a year, according to the survey.

Schroeder-Saulnier explains that employers sometimes fail to take full advantage of workers’ feedback. “We know from our research that two top drivers of employee engagement are feeling valued by senior leaders and having employee opinions count. Listening to workers is especially important because more and more people want to feel they are playing an active part in what happens in the organization,” she adds. “For employers the implications are pretty clear. Be sure employees feel heard and have the chance not just to share ideas, but to make them happen.”

Other key findings include:

• Sales people were most likely to make the most suggestions (50%), followed by HR professionals (28%).
• Women were more likely to make more than 10 yearly suggestions (61%), compared to men (46%).
• Workers aged 55 and older were more likely to make ten or more suggestions (76%) than those aged 25-34 (51%).

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