'Singaporeans don't speak up because they're damn smart'
Singaporeans are not speaking up at work because they know their workplaces are not safe enough for them to do so, a leadership expert said last week.
Crystal Lim-Lange, founder and CEO of consultancy Forest Wolf, made the remarks at Vogue Singapore's inaugural Wellness Day on June 6, 2026.
"Singaporeans don't speak up because they're damn smart," Lim-Lange said in a video of the event that she posted on Instagram. "They know that their workplaces are not safe enough to speak up."
She said employees make a calculated decision each time they consider voicing an opinion, asking a question, admitting ignorance, or challenging a superior, where they weigh whether doing so will be rewarded or penalised.
"Will I be rewarded or will I be punished?" she said. "For a lot of us, it is that we know that we're gonna get punished — and that's why people don't speak up."
Lim-Lange's remarks saw widespread engagement on Instagram, with many users agreeing with the CEO.
"Most of the time, people get punished. Bosses like obedient people," one user commented. "The only time people start speaking up is when they are not intending to stay in that workplace anymore."
Another user said that leaders tend to get "upset" when employees speak up at work, noting that some take these comments personally.
"At the end of the day, it seems like we can't rock the boat no matter how supportive they are. Turns out that they are only supportive and nice when we stay in our lanes and don't make managers anywhere remotely uncomfortable."
What should employers do?
Lim-Lange identified a variety of conditions that organisations need to foster to encourage employees to speak up.
These include psychological safety, inclusion, learner safety, contributor safety, and challenger safety, according to the leadership expert.
"If you don't do that, nobody will speak up," she said in the Vogue Singapore event.
In a separate statement to Mothership, Lim-Lange added that leaders should also reward thoughtful dissent because it signals that employees are invested in outcomes.
"It shows they have skin in the game," she said. "I get more worried when there is silence in the room."
Quieter voices should also be heard at work, according to the CEO, with spaces that allow them to openly share their own failures and challenges, so that others feel safe enough to be vulnerable.
