The Power of Silence

On this Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, I wasn’t planning on writing about silence but more about Black Friday or about insurance on rates. Where I work, I’m far from popular and have been the target of harassment even by HR. I determined that no matter what I said or did would be used against me. Yes, I work in a toxic environment.

Because of my job duties and the environment, I have chosen not to socialize much at work and to not talk much outside of it. Some people who I work with and are high on the pay scale and closer to the owner/CEO than I decided to convince me that the CFO had a crush on me. It didn’t make sense. It felt wrong because I’m low on the totem pole thus not in his peer group. It seems that they tried coaxing me to be interested enough to pursue him to eventually get fired for an unauthorized personal relationship.

My employer is family owned and small with no written employee manual and HR policies to follow. The silent code depends on who you are and how the family feels about you. Small businesses may not always invest in time or money to create proper employee engagement policies when funds can be used better elsewhere. Cheers to the ones that have them.

The power of silence is not ignoring people who are talking to you but it’s more of not offering personal information in conversations or not sharing about your life randomly. As a friend stated, “they can’t use it against you if you’re not talking,” which she is correct. Basically, I only speak of professional matters at work. In addition, my social media settings are for people who I don’t follow and are not friends with cannot read my posts because they have checked. In truth for me, my silence helped me see better like see others for who they truly are good and bad. See situations for what they are. Plus, see myself clearer for both the good and the bad. Things I wished I could’ve done better. A learning process to become a better person.

In closing, silence gives one power in situations that speaking might cause more problems of, “The what you say can and will be used against you,” type of scenario is cohesive on being quiet. Trust your instincts on what’s best for you.

Thanks,

Leslie Elizabeth David.