Employees often hold back sharing information even when they believe what have to say could be very important for the organization/customer and/or themselves. This epidemic of silence is caused by four main reasons: not wanting to be seen in a bad light, causing issues, damaging work relationships and sense of futility (ie it won’t really matter).
Recent studies every single employee interviewee failed to speak up on an at least issue they believed had significant organizational consequences on key metrics, morale, bullying and employee retention.
One employee I spoke with said, “I can’t afford to lose my job so I’d rather stay silent and not make what I believe would be a significant improvement. The downside risk is too high for me.” That comment is what I hear in 90% of the organizations.
The bottom line implications are significant and it’s not improving.
“Why would I want to change jobs and go to another CPG company. Things won’t be much better. Silence ensures I don’t create issues for myself.” This senior manager is in a Fortune/Forbes Top 10 Workplace.
#feedback #leadership #psychologicalsafety #managers #executives #hr #employeeturnover #silence #performance
