There is a growing belief that a culture of silence is becoming more prevalent in workplaces. Both employers and employees are calling for a clearer definition of the term, as well as more information on how to prevent and manage such a culture.
Annette Nylund, a lead process analyst at the Swedish Agency for Work Environment Expertise, is the project manager for this ongoing effort. She points out that Swedish research on the culture of silence is limited and has often focused on specific industries. For instance, trade unions have conducted surveys highlighting the presence of a culture of silence within certain sectors. Additionally, employers in public sectors have taken initiatives to increase knowledge about the culture of silence and have developed tools to prevent and manage it.
Annette hopes that the agency’s work will take a comprehensive approach that has not been done before.
Our hope is to define the term 'culture of silence.' We will also measure the prevalence of this culture in workplaces across the country and examine whether there are differences between the public and private sectors
Three Substudies for Clearer Results
To better understand and analyze the presence of a culture of silence in Swedish workplaces, three separate studies are being conducted. These studies aim to provide an in-depth mapping and comparison of the phenomenon.
The first study is a systematic literature review of existing research. The goal is to develop and clarify the definition of the culture of silence in the workplace, identify the actors behind it, and explore the factors that drive this culture.
The second study will map the prevalence of the culture of silence in Swedish workplaces through a survey and register data, largely designed based on the findings from the literature review.
Finally, the third study will compare the survey results and register data from Sweden with those from 33 other countries.
The agency has enlisted the help of experts who have researched the culture of silence both internationally and in Sweden—Lotta Dellve, a professor at the University of Gothenburg, and Michael Knoll from Leipzig University, a guest researcher at the University of Gothenburg, along with several colleagues. They bring different perspectives—Lotta Dellve with the latest insights from a Swedish study on the culture of silence in Gothenburg and broader knowledge of Swedish conditions. Michael contributes a decade’s worth of knowledge from studying the culture of silence in various international contexts.
Workshops with Labor Market Partners
Together with representatives from labor market stakeholders, two workshops have been held—one in January 2024 and another during a research conference in June organized by the Forum for Working Life Research (FALF). FALF serves as a meeting place and a collective force for working life research in Sweden. The conference is organized to promote, nurture, and develop current working life issues and international contacts in this field. This year, one of the themes is the culture of silence. Annette Nylund attended, along with Michael Knoll and Lotta Dellve.
In the first workshop, the setup of the literature study was discussed, while preliminary results were discussed in the second. Several researchers from the University of Gothenburg also participated in the second workshop. The need for practical tools to prevent and manage the culture of silence was emphasized. This issue will continue to be discussed throughout the autumn.
At a larger symposium during FALF, primarily attended by researchers, the definition of the culture of silence in the workplace was also discussed. Additionally, the potential contributions of the Swedish mapping were presented. The need for ongoing research was highlighted, and suggestions and possibilities for utilizing various data were presented and discussed.
The literature review is scheduled to be presented in the fall of 2024, and the other two substudies are expected to be presented in the spring of 2025. All three substudies will be published in both Swedish and English.