Working in silence7/14/2023 ![]() There are many different reasons for the start of employee silence in an organization. This is because mistakes caused by employee silence in these organizations can lead to the loss of life or serious damage costs to the organization. Organizations where considerable risk is involved such as airports and “hospitals should be especially mindful of” employee silence. Within the past few years employee silence has been happening more often in non-virtual organizations. Employee silence is a problem for more than just virtual organizations. This kind of organization is very susceptible to employee silence because there is almost no person-to-person communication, and it is very easy to ignore or misinterpret things like email. In a virtual workplace the only in-person communication is in small discussion groups. In a virtual workplace this is also true. Employee silence causes the most damage when employees and supervisors do not meet on a regular basis. Or, employees might not feel like they possess enough power to speak up and voice their opinions this notion is of particular significance when the organization is structured and set up as a hierarchy or bureaucracy.Įmployee silence can occur in any organization, most often in organizations where communication is suffering. They might not want to break away from the crowd and present an opinion that differs from the majority. Also, if their co-workers aren't speaking up, they might be inclined to close their mouths as well, termed "collective silence". (2003) state, “there is evidence from a variety of sources that employees often do not feel comfortable speaking to their bosses about organizational problems or issues that concern them.” Employees might be afraid of the outcome of speaking up, they might feel like nothing will change, they might simply feel intimidated with the subject matter that they wish to express, or they might feel intimidated by whom they would have to talk to. The question of why employees choose to communicate or not in an organizational setting is an interesting one. Their silence keeps management from receiving critical information that would allow their organizations to improve or address problems before they have adverse effects. ![]() Employees typically remain silent about conflicts with co-workers, disagreements about organizational decisions, potential weaknesses in work processes, illegal or dangerous behaviors, and individual/personal grievances. Unfortunately, many employees choose to remain silent because they do not want to share information that could be interpreted as negative or threatening. Indeed, when there is a problem in the workplace, employees have two options: remain silent or speak up. In an organization, this is interesting because it appears that silence is a communicative choice that employees may decide to adopt. Or it can be an unintentional failure to communicate or a merely a matter of having nothing to say (Tangirala and Ramanujam, 2008). This silence can be intentional or unintentional information can be consciously held back by employees. (2003) define silence as an employee's motivation to withhold or express ideas, information and opinions about work‐related improvements. One way this can happen is if employees do not speak up to a supervisor or manager. Incidence Įmployee silence, the antithesis of employee voice, refers to situations where employees suppress information that might be useful to the organization of which they are a part. This silence keeps managers from receiving information that may help to improve the organization. Employee silence does not only occur between management and employees, it also occurs during conflict among employees, and as a result of organizational decisions. This means the situation is not going to change for the better anytime soon. Milliken and Elizabeth Wolfe Morrison, Shades of Silence: Emerging Themes and Future Directions for Research on Silence in Organizations in many cases, they choose the safe response of silence, withholding input that could be valuable to others or thoughts that they wish they could express. Within organizations people often have to make decisions about whether to speak up or remain silent - whether to share or withhold their ideas, opinions, and concerns. ![]() This can happen if employees do not speak up to a supervisor or manager. Lack of communication within an organizationĮmployee silence refers to situations where employees withhold information that might be useful to the organization of which they are a part, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
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