Silenced by Fear

So often in the workplace, whether it be power-dynamics, fear of being singled out and stereotyped, or fear of repercussion we let it take over and this ultimately silences us. We give our fear the power and we become silent (chart using Canva story and solutions). #JamesMadeUsDoIt

A story from my experience

There was a girl who was hired on as a part-time temporary worker. This was her first job so compared to other staff she felt insignificant compared to their rank, experience, and confidence. Whenever she noticed something in the workplace she would ignore it or brush it off as she didn't realize the importance of speaking out. As a result, she ended up doing much of her manager's work and became frustrated with and annoyed but did not speak out. She did not discuss this with coworkers besides the random complaint here and there. if she had she may have realized their frustration level too. As a result of the management issues, almost the entire staff quit and she was left with the manager. Because of this she ended up doing more of her work than before. She was doing all management tasks, training new staff, and much more and her frustration and resentment grew to the point where she decided she had to leave the job. Later the same year she went back to purchase some product from the store and she noticed the manager had been let go and completely new staff were working there. Had she voiced her issues or problems she had noticed at the beginning things could have been different. Maybe if she and her coworkers had gotten together something may have changed. After this experience, she viewed her voice and power differently which positively changed her future work experiences.

“But no matter what happens, I spoke up, made a voice for myself..... I found my courage.” ― Jessica Sorensen

How Do We Change

It is important to change and grow. when something does not work to learn, adapt and try again. I believe this is the same for using our voice in the workplace. To bring about the change you want you cant expect it to simply happen, you need help it gets started. When we let fear dictate our actions, we usually lose out every time. There are many ways to help change our pattern of fear and silence but I have mentioned three important points in the picture above. 1. We need to see value in our opinions instead of brushing them off. Who knows, you may find that your opinion voiced gives voice to many others. you could be the starter of the change you want to see. 2. Although we may be afraid to, realizing our own power is important in freeing our voice. When we see ourselves as powerless, weak, insignificant, or small we are giving those things our power and not owning it ourselves. You can make things happen you just need to realize it and utilize that power. 3. Sometimes when we speak out alone it may hard to get our point across or it may not have the effect we had hoped for. That is why getting support is crucial. sometimes support is simply what we need to give us the confidence to speak out or many speaking out will increase the effect. Either way, being supported may give a louder voice to what you are trying to say.

“Speak up and speak clearly. I want to hear what you have to say because it matters. Let's listen to each other and respect one another's opinions. Although, they may be different, wisdom allows us to be responsible for our own feelings and actions.” ― Felicia Johnson,