The Cost of the Conversation Gap on Workplace Health – Bravely

workplace health

Bravely’s The Cost of The Conversation Gap on Workplace Health Report studied the things employees talk or don’t talk about at work using data collected from more than 500 full-time office workers in the US.

Some main findings from this report include:

  • 70% of employees are staying away from tough conversations at work, same as what people did in 2009. Almost half of the employees admitted that they didn’t want to get into difficult conversations due to the fear that it might worsen the situation. 46% of them also added that they didn’t think these conversations would change the situation based on their judgments on their organization leadership and past experiences.
  • 60% of employees who claimed to have access to manager trainings, diversity and inclusion programs and other benefits offered by their organisation to reduce the gap still admitted that they have been avoiding tough conversations.
  • 80% of people who didn’t speak up about their frustration at work are more likely to post negative reviews on Glassdoor or other review platforms. They also tend to complain to coworkers more which spreads negativity and toxicity within the organization.
  • 77% of employees at startup companies and 78% of employees at large organizations (more than 10,000 employees) reported having avoided difficult conversation compared to 60% of employees at medium to small companies who have done the same.
  • There is no big difference between managers and individual contributors when it comes to dealing with difficult conversations at work with 68% of 65% of them (respectively) didn’t want to start tough conversations.
  • According to the survey, employees who have been working at least 1 – 2 years at their current organisation have a higher tendency to avoid difficult conversations compared to new employees. 80% of LGBTQ+ employees stayed away from tough conversation because of their negative past experiences.
  • 60% of respondents claimed that there was an HRBP that they would feel comfortable talking to. However, only 19% of employees would go to HR when they have a problem, even when they weren’t able to resolve the issues with their managers.

Bravely provides benefits in support of workplace health.

Full report here.