Is SILENCE Golden?

You know how flight attendants and pilots never seem to shut up when the plane is on the ground or in clear air, but then as soon as there’s turbulence, nothing? Silence. You sit there in your seat, nervous and wondering what’s going on, and they don’t tell you a thing?


That’s what’s going on in a lot of businesses right now. Here’s a little communication hint: Silence is not golden when the economy is crumbling and people are scared. And here’s a little hint to employees: Your bosses are scared too.


So, it’s time for HR to step and be the calm in a storm. You know that your people can read. And what they’re reading right now is that there are lots of layoffs, unemployment is high and getting higher, the stock market is spinning like a whirligig, and their pay and benefits are affected. They’re sitting in their seats, nervous and wondering what’s going on. It’s time to tell them. ‘Silence is golden” is great for 3-year-olds. It doesn’t work for 30-year-olds.