Employee Silence and Psychological Safety: Insights from an Aviation Company with Broader Organizational Applications

This study investigates the relationship between psychological safety and different types of silence — defensive, diffident, relational, ineffectual, and deviant — within the context of employee-supervisor interactions. Additionally, it examines the impact of sociodemographic variables on the manifestation of silence and its association with psychological safety. The research included 486 employees from a Portuguese aviation company. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods with SmartPLS. The results indicate a negative correlation between psychological safety and all types of silence, suggesting that psychologically safe work environments reduce employees' tendency to withhold concerns. Furthermore, significant effects of sex, education, and seniority were observed in the adoption of silence. Based on these findings, the study proposes innovative strategies to enhance psychological safety and mitigate silence, fostering a more open environment for communication, innovation, and active employee participation.