You witnessed it. The dismissive comment in the meeting. The exclusionary behaviour in the kitchen. The inappropriate joke that landed with a thud.

You said nothing. It's over now, right? The moment has passed. Everyone's moved on.

Except they haven't. And neither has the cost.

The Personal Price 💸

Let's start with what happens inside you when you witness something wrong and stay silent. Researchers call it "moral injury" - the psychological wound that occurs when we witness actions that violate our deeply held beliefs and do nothing.

You don't have to be the target to be harmed. Witnessing workplace harassment is associated with poor psychological health Safe Work Australia. Bystanders experience guilt, shame, anxiety, and a gnawing sense that they've betrayed their own values.

That moment replaying in your mind at 2 am? That's your brain trying to reconcile the gap between who you believe you are and what you actually did when it mattered.

The Team Breakdown ❤️🩹

When you witness problematic behaviour and stay silent, everyone else in that room makes a calculation. If that happened to me, would anyone speak up?

The answer they land on is usually: probably not.

Trust erodes. 

When people don't feel psychologically safe - when they learn through observation that speaking up isn't valued or protected - team dynamics fundamentally change.

Collaboration becomes transactional. Innovation stalls because people stop taking risks. The high performers start scanning the job market. And the cycle perpetuates because now there are even fewer people willing to break the silence.

The Australian Reality 🤔

One in ten Australian workers report being bullied in the last six months. 37% have been sworn at or yelled at in the workplace Safe Work Australia. One in three workers have experienced sexual harassment over the past five years Australian Human Rights Commission.

Some industries are hit particularly hard. Public safety services, residential care, and civic services record the highest rates Act. But no sector is immune.

Here's the most damning statistic: only 18% of sexual harassment incidents are reported Australian Human Rights Commission. Which means for every incident that surfaces formally, multiple others happened, potentially, in full view of colleagues who said nothing.

The Economic Hit 💵

Workplace bullying costs the Australian economy an estimated $6-36 billion annually Foremind. Sexual harassment adds another $3.8 billion Our Watch.

At the organisational level, a company with 1,000 employees could expect to incur costs of between $0.6 to $3.6 million every year because of workplace bullying ResearchGate.

These costs show up as:

  • Absenteeism: people avoid hostile environments

  • Turnover costs: talented people leave

  • Productivity losses: stressed employees become unproductive

  • Compensation claims: that could have been prevented

  • Legal fees: that can be astronomical

  • Reputation damage: which people make important decisions because of

Yet, according to WorkSafe QLD, $1 spent on effective workplace mental health strategies returns $2.30! Prevention isn't just right - it's smart business. 💯

Who Really Pays? 🤯

The person being targeted pays in mental health, career trajectory, and physical and mental health. Two-thirds of people who were sexually harassed experienced negative mental health impacts Australian Human Rights Commission.

But witnesses pay too. Research shows bystander exposure leads to increased turnover, absenteeism, and reduced productivity. The cost of inaction is distributed across everyone who was there.

83% of women and 67% of men say they'd consider leaving a job that didn't treat harassment as a serious issue Our Watch. 

Bottom Line: Organisations that tolerate silence lose their best people.

What Could Have Been🤔

Perhaps the greatest cost is the hardest to measure: what could have been different if someone had spoken up?

How many talented people would still be contributing instead of being pushed out? How many innovative ideas were never voiced because people learned it wasn't safe to speak?

Every time we witness something wrong and stay silent, we're making a choice about what kind of workplace we're creating.

The question isn't whether silence has a cost. It demonstrably does.

The question is: are we willing to keep paying it? 🤯

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