What does it take to not stay silent? The role of personal and job resources in reducing silence at work

Purpose This study aims to examine the dual role of personal and organizational resources in reducing employee silence using the Conservation of Resources Theory. Design/methodology/approach Using survey data collected in 3 waves from 208 full-time employees, mediation and moderation analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Findings Core self-evaluations (CSE) significantly reduces employee silence, with occupational self-efficacy mediating this relationship. Employees with higher CSE demonstrate higher occupational self-efficacy, enabling them to overcome barriers to expressing their concerns and ideas in the workplace. We also find that perceived organizational support (POS) moderates the occupational self-efficacy–silence relationship. This finding underscores the role of organizational support in strengthening employees' willingness to speak up. Practical implications Managers and human resource practitioners may design interventions that mitigate employee silence, such as trainings to enhance employee self-efficacy in the work domain and implement policies and culture that foster a supportive climate to enable transparent communication. Originality/value The study identifies that employee silence is a defensive strategy and depends on the availability of personal resources in the form of CSE and occupational self-efficacy and organizational resources in the form of POS.