Why Employees Are Afraid to Speak?
Surajit Roy
Risk Analyst at Baker Hughes | Leveraging AI for Global Trade Tariff (HTS/HSN) & ECCN classification. Focused on reducing trade compliance risks with data-driven insights and process optimization. CoO, SAP-GTS, FTA
This then usually gets back to the employee’s internal fears of not being able to speak up when they know that is what the employer wants, which further reinforces people's fears and prevents them from having the ability to make any sort of change. In the past we have always worked in an environment where if you didn't like something; you went up to your manager and said it or stood up for yourself and told him your opinion, which was obviously disregarded and met with little support or acknowledgement.
Why Employees Do Not Talk About Their Issues Publicly?
1. Fear of Recruitment or Looking Weak.
Corporate management as well as the leadership of the company also play a role in this. The fact is that most employees don’t show fear in situations where they may be facing reprimand, losing their job, or being transferred. Unfortunately, the leadership does not understand this and usually when problems are addressed in a public way, such as in an organization newsletter, complaint, or at a staff meeting the leader may take the blame for the outcome instead of looking at ways to resolve the problem. In this article I will show you how leaders can help your employees feel secure in their position and how by changing their behaviour they can increase the security of the entire team or organization.
2. Door is Not Really Open.
So, your door is not really open to anyone else anymore. Your employees don't talk up because they don't feel like they can; instead, you will come to them asking them to give you feedback on what is going on and how things are going. When asked if they are happy with the service or the pace of the business, employees say "it is great, but I don't feel like I can impact the bottom line like I used to. And I certainly don't like the pace."
3. Are You Working With A Unskilled with Practical Candor Employee?
In a workplace where the boss talks to employees in front of a mirror in the morning and makes assumptions about their behaviour based on those responses, it's easy to build unwarranted resentment toward your fellow employees-and it's not always easy to tell an Unskilled with Practical Candor who you're working for. Here's a quick way to tell: If you've taken a poll at the office cafeteria and most of the responses are from Unskilled with Practical Candor employees who don't share your values and ideas, it's likely that they'll continue to do so. Employees Unqualified with Practical Candor are rarely receptive to others' ideas or suggestions.
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4. Appearance of Challenging Authority.
The appearance of challenge in the workplace can lead to the demise of a company. Sometimes the appearance of a challenge is not enough to get you fired, but the employees lack the courage to voice their opinions and many times they are afraid to speak up for themselves because they fear they will be fired for expressing unpopular opinions. You may think that it is always good politics to agree with the boss and to promote the views of your company to stay in business, but I beg to differ. Today most people are taught to believe that it is good business to be corrupt and to help the bosses keep their job.
5. They Might Just Keep Them to Themselves!
There are many reasons why employees don't talk about their bad experiences, but the most common one is that they have been convinced that it's not worth the effort. Let me tell you from personal experience that talking about bad experiences with your boss can dramatically improve your career and create a positive work culture.
Ways to Encourage Employee Speaking Up
One of the best ways to encourage employee speaking up is to make sure they feel like they can speak up and to tell you what's on their mind. This often stems from feeling like they can't speak up for themselves and that you're not going to support them in their career. This is a mistake that is often made by companies, especially in the early stages when newcomers are coming into the company. To encourage them to speak up and to get feedback they need to feel like you are willing to listen and that you understand the environment they work in.
The best way to do this is to ask them to share with you what they need. Even if they don't know how to answer this, you still need to ask anyway as it's important to hear their point of view and know their viewpoint on an issue before moving forward. When they tell you they need more information you need to be upfront with them and tell them that you will find the information and will be providing it. This will show them that you are going to support them and that you value their input and that you are willing to make a difference in their working environment.
One of the other ways to encourage employee speaking up is to make sure they know there are other people who are also wanting to give feedback. It's OK for them to feel like there's not enough of them and that other people are turning away from them. The important thing to do is to make sure the feedback they are getting is real and legitimate. If they feel other people are not giving them feedback that's going to reflect negatively on them.
Conclusion
Now however, with new technologies and the ability to communicate more with co-workers and clients alike via the internet, it's much easier to express your opinion and get support and acknowledgement from others. This is a great opportunity for employees to communicate and take responsibility for their actions. However, there is also another reason why employees don't speak freely against the discrepancies within the company. The internet facilitates anonymity; anonymity creates a sense of peace and self-worth amongst those who feel that they are communicating and participating in a worthwhile activity. People want to be involved and part of something which is of value to them and so they will normally hold back and say nothing and sometimes even withdraw from participation.
Lead Manufacturing Engineering Technician - Industry 4.0 at Eaton
2 年Many people are afraid to speak up because they worry about retaliation or that they are putting a target on their back for the next layoff.
??Brand Comms Consultant. Marketing Advisor. Strategic Copywriter. Presenter and Speaker. ??I ensure businesses & professionals build strong reputations & dominate their markets?? Let's do phenomenal things together!
3 年Thanks for sharing this insightful piece, Surajit Roy!
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3 年Awesome