The Workplace Chill

"Why didn't they speak up?"
"Because they were afraid."
"Why would they be afraid? Haven't I told them that we want their candid opinions?"
"Yes, but no one believed you."
"Why not?"
"Because many of them have experienced retaliation when they worked for other employers. They've been zapped despite the 'we're all family' speeches. Some have encountered problems here. After all, there are plenty of sharks in the workplace."
"Maybe in other companies, but not here."
"Do you really believe that?"
"Certainly."
"Then you need to learn more about your management team. You have a few sharks on the payroll."
"But we have a lot of good people who review any proposed terminations."
"True and yet terminations are only part of the picture. It's easy to start getting poor assignments or to get transferred to Siberia. Promotions can dry up."
"That would be pretty obvious, wouldn't it? Someone speaks out and then bad things start happening."
"Retaliation sometimes comes years later. Its ability to induce fear partly stems from unpredictability."
"So the sharks are feared because they retaliate?"
"No. They are feared because people sense that they are capable of retaliating."