Does Your Workplace Have A Silent Problem?

1st November 2024

A climate of silence is bad for business. Employees stop communicating problems and bad behaviours go unchecked. Trust and innovation thrive where people feel free to speak up. For that to take place, organisations must ensure employees' psychological safety so that they can communicate problems and not fear being undermined. Lucy Kallin shows how to flip the culture of silence.

When we think about safety at work, physical safety often comes to mind first. But psychological safety, the freedom to voice an opinion, challenge inappropriate behaviours and share ideas without fear, is equally important. In an inclusive workplace employees feel free to speak up, creating a culture of innovation and trust.

When psychological safety is absent, a climate of silence takes hold. In such workplaces, employees feel that raising concerns or ideas is either pointless or risky, fearing repercussions or believing their concerns won't lead to meaningful change. In this environment, fear thrives, and bad behaviours can go unchecked.

This silence doesn't just harm individual well-being - it poses significant risks to your organisation in critical ways.

Fostering a sexist culture
When employees are too afraid to speak out against inappropriate behaviour, it creates a breeding ground for sexism and discrimination. In climates of silence, men are 50 per cent less likely to feel committed to interrupting sexism and 40 per cent less likely to feel confident in doing so.

Over time, this silence normalises harmful behaviours. Allowing a sexist environment to thrive results in women leaving, innovation being stifled and potentially an organisation's reputation being damaged.

Creating an "in" and "out" crowd
In a workplace where silence reigns, employees who don't fit into the dominant group, whether by gender, race, sexuality or ideology, often feel marginalised or excluded. This exclusion creates a hostile environment where people are constantly reminded that they do not belong.

Without allies, meaning supportive colleagues, who are willing to step in to call out sexist or racist behaviour, these employees may choose silence as a self-protective measure to avoid ‘rocking the boat' to prevent further alienation or retaliation. Six out of ten employees from marginalised racial and ethnic groups report that they are constantly on guard against bias and discrimination on their teams. This is mentally exhausting and curtails their ability to thrive.

Employees not in the ‘in crowd' are less likely to engage, innovate, or stay with the company long-term, losing invaluable talent and potential.

Cultivating a climate of fear
In organisations where psychological safety is lacking, fear can permeate the workplace. This fear often prevents employees from flagging serious issues or challenging dangerous practices.

Following the tragic Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003, which killed seven crew members, it was found that NASA’s management culture ignored eight ‘missed opportunities’ to prevent the accident. Engineers’ concern were stifled. Similarly, the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal, which resulted in an £11 billion fine, occurred because employees were too afraid to speak up about failed emissions tests.

A culture of fear doesn’t just damage morale, it puts your organisation at severe reputational and financial risk.

Undermining DEI efforts and genuine inclusion
Finally even the best-intentioned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts are doomed to fail in a climate of silence. Catalyst research shows that employees are four times more likely to perceive DEI efforts as authentic when organisational leaders actively counter the silencing of voices.

A worrying trend is the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in the workplace. Recent data from Pregnant Then Screwed found that more than 435,000 mothers in the UK have been silenced through non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) following workplace discrimination, bullying, and harassment. This legal silencing only serves to perpetuate toxic behaviours.

When employees feel safe to speak up without fear of retribution or indifference, they are more likely to engage with and support DEI initiatives. However, if employees feel that speaking up will result in punishment or indifference, they are less likely to engage with DEI initiatives. This undermines the perception and reality of inclusion, leaving your organisation vulnerable to higher turnover and increased costs associated with recruitment and retention.

How to counter a climate of silence
To build a healthier, more productive workplace, organisations must dismantle a climate of silence by creating a culture of psychological safety. When employees feel psychologically safe, they’re able to take risks knowing that honest mistakes will not be held against them. They can communicate problems at work without repercussion and feel confident that their teammates will not undermine their efforts or work. We recommend six steps for organisations to take.

Encourage open communication. Create safe spaces for employees to speak up about concerns without fear of retribution. Regularly ask for feedback and demonstrate that employee input leads to meaningful change.

Establish clear policies. Implement and enforce policies that prohibit discrimination and retaliation. Make it clear that the organisation does not tolerate behaviours that silence employees.

Promote allyship. Encourage all employees, especially those in positions of power, to actively interrupt harmful behaviours and support colleagues who speak up.

Measure and report. Regularly assess the workplace climate through surveys and audits, and transparently report on the findings. Use this data to drive continuous improvement in building a culture of openness and inclusion.

Leadership accountability. This is a leadership responsibility to build a psychologically safe workplace, and managers and leaders must be equipped with the skills to handle complaints constructively and ensure they understand the importance of not dismissing or ignoring feedback.

Zero tolerance. Everyone needs to know that they are expected to support and enforce an inclusive culture where harassment is not tolerated.

Conclusion

Addressing a climate of silence isn’t just a "nice to have": it’s essential for the survival and success of your business.

A climate of silence harms both individual employees and the organisation as a whole. It fosters bad behaviour, creates divisions and undermines inclusion efforts. Without psychological safety, businesses lose valuable talent and stifle innovation. Unchecked behaviour can also spiral into malpractice, legal consequences and severe reputational damage.

The tone of an organisation is set from the top, and the most successful leaders know that great results come from embracing diverse voices and creating a culture where innovation can thrive. Now, more than ever, it’s essential for leaders to take action and create a workplace that champions openness and inclusion.

Author
Lucy Kallin is the Executive Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at Catalyst, Inc.

Note
This article is from the London School of Economics blog. To read it with links to more information go HERE

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