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Freedom to speak up: when people stay silent

A good climate for speaking up does not mean everyone agrees. It means people dare to raise mistakes, disagreement and what is not working – and that something happens when they do. Here is how to read the number and act on it.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 3 min read

What the law says

Chapter 2 A of the Working Environment Act gives employees the right to report censurable conditions, and names an unsound working environment as an example. Retaliation against someone who reports is prohibited.

aml § 2 A-1Employees have the right to report censurable conditions in the employer's business.aml § 2 A-4Retaliation against an employee who reports is prohibited.aml § 2 A-6Businesses that regularly employ at least five people must have written routines for internal reporting, drawn up together with the employees.

The climate is what decides whether these rights are used in practice. A routine on paper does little if people do not believe it is safe to speak up, or that anything will happen.

What Orgpuls asks

The factor «Freedom to speak up» is measured with three statements, answered on a five-point scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree:

  • «I can report censurable conditions without fearing consequences»
  • «When someone reports a problem, something is done about it»
  • «Disagreement is raised openly here, not in the corridor afterwards»

Read the number right

  • Which statement is lowest? Fear of consequences is different from reports not being followed up. The first is about safety, the second about follow-up.
  • Who does it concern? A low score in one department often points to how the manager there meets objections.
  • The comments – if few people write in the free-text field, that too may say something about the climate.

Common causes

The climate is shaped most by what happens right after someone speaks up. Typical causes of a low score:

  • reports and suggestions that never get an answer
  • managers who get defensive or irritated when people disagree
  • disagreement smoothed over in the meeting and aired in the corridor afterwards
  • experience that whoever spoke up was labelled difficult
  • no clear place or way to speak up

Three measures that work

Answer every report within five daysEvery deviation report and every suggestion gets a named answer: what will happen, or why nothing will. No report is left lying. Time: Ongoing. Watch: «When someone reports a problem, something is done about it»
Workshop: What stops us from speaking up?The team writes down, anonymously, situations where they chose not to speak up. The leader listens without defending, and you end with two concrete changes. Time: 90 min. Watch: «I can report censurable conditions without fearing consequences»
The leader asks first and speaks lastThe leader asks for objections before decisions and thanks those who raise them. Disagreement is written down instead of smoothed over. Time: In every meeting. Watch: «Disagreement is raised openly here, not in the corridor afterwards»

The research behind it: research on psychological safety (Edmondson). What moves the number most is what the leader does in the moment after someone speaks up.

Measure whether it helped

Run a short pulse on the factor a couple of months after the measure is in place. If the number does not move, the measure missed the cause, and you need to go back to the group and ask again. Read more about getting from results to measures and going through the results with your employees.

Sources

This is general information, not legal advice. We checked what the law says with Lovdata and Arbeidstilsynet in September 2026.

Read more
Integrity and dignity: respect, boundaries and protection against harassmentRespect, boundaries and protection against harassment. What the law says about integrity and dignity, how to read the number and three measures that work.Read the article →Support from managers: when the score is lowA low score on support from managers in your work environment survey? What the law says, how to read it, common causes and three measures that work.Read the article →

See where you stand

Orgpuls measures «Freedom to speak up» and ten other factors anonymously, and suggests measures where the number is low. The first 15 days are free.

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