Voicing the organization on Instagram: Towards a performative understanding of employee voice

Much is currently expected from what PR campaigns involving social media canaccomplish with regard to strengthening employee voice. Previous research on voiceas a specific approach to employee relations has primarily relied on the effects andmechanisms of voice. There is scant research dealing with the processes and practicesof employee voice. This article outlines a performative approach to conceptualizingthe practice of employee voice. It focuses on how employees perform voice in a PRcampaign involving Instagram takeover. The campaign was launched by a complexorganization in Scandinavia, aimed at countering negative attention in local news media and improving the reputation of the organization. This article analyses the conditions of voicing concerns in the campaign through the lens of a dramaturgical approach to social life. First, the findings indicate that voicing is a form of individual and collectiveperformance through which the meaning of work and the campaign are negotiated inrelation to both other participants and an imagined audience. Second, visual conventions and organizational culture were found to govern performances of voice on Instagram.Third, findings underscore the need to understand employee voice as a socially andculturally embedded practice