'Not safe enough': CEO says Singaporeans stay silent at work to avoid being penalised
Does Singapore's workplace culture lead employees to intentionally choose silence to avoid being penalised?The topic is at the centre of an online debate after Crystal Lim-Lange, the chief executive of leadership consultancy firm Forest Wolf, opined that workers are fully aware of the risks that come with speaking up.Lim-Lange, who is also an author, was speaking at Vogue Singapore's inaugural Wellness Day on Saturday (June 6).She later shared a clip of the dialogue session on her social media, where she said most employees «know» they will be penalised if they voice opinions.Lim-Lange explained in her post caption that employees will watch the room to see what happens to the risk-takers who speak.«Singaporeans don't speak up because they're damn smart,» she said in the video, adding that «they know that their workplaces are not safe enough» to do so.Hence, workshops about speaking up in the workplace would not work, she said.She explained that corporate leadership has to put up a mirror to itself first by fixing aspects such as psychological safety, inclusion, learner safety, contributor safety and challenger safety.