Why Singaporeans still struggle to speak up at work

It is no secret that Singaporeans are often seen as a reticent people.

Back in 1997, a writer to The Straits Times asked: “When the simple human act of speaking up or asking questions is such a herculean hurdle for most Singaporeans, would it not be wishful thinking to nurture a nation of thinking adults and students to cope with the many challenges ahead?”

Today, the challenges that require people to “speak up” and “ask questions” are far greater. Our workplaces are increasingly more globalised. There is a growing emphasis on innovation, collaboration and human engagement at work. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly.

Nearly three decades have passed. Has the situation improved?

A 2025 writer to The Straits Times did not think so. Drawing on more than two decades of experience as an educator, he observed “trends of increasing student reticence in classrooms”. He suggested that Singapore could benefit from making drama lessons compulsory in schools. 

Getting students to speak

My own experiences point in the same direction. About 20 years ago, I was invited by the English Department of a local university to give a talk on communication skills to about 150 third-year students. To encourage participation, I brought chocolates and toffees. That didn’t work well. After much cajoling, finally came three questions. Two were from foreign students.

Years later, as a university professor, I observed the same tendency among my own students. Many required nudging and encouragement before they were willing to share comments they might have.

Despite my suggestions on how they could overcome inhibition – such as preparing a question or comment in advance and reading these out in class – I even had students who had not uttered a word by the final lecture before the exam. They would rather forgo the 15 per cent of the final grade allocated to class participation.

On one occasion, I resorted to using the Padlet app, which allowed students to respond to questions through their mobile phones. While this helped increase class participation, missing was the spontaneous exchange of views in real time through the human voice.

The corporate workplace

This fear of speaking up follows many of us into the workplace.

Earlier in 2026, I was asked to conduct an in-house run of my SMU Academy course on public speaking for employees of the Singapore regional office of a global company, after the company’s management observed that its Singaporean team tended to be reticent during meetings compared with their counterparts and lacked confidence in expressing their views.

More recently, leadership and personal growth expert Crystal Lim-Lange sparked discussion on speaking up after her public comments that Singaporeans often remain silent because they do not always feel psychologically safe at work. That observation resonated with many on social media. 

That is not surprising. If many Singaporeans already struggle to speak up in the safe environment of a classroom, how can we be expected to behave differently in workplaces, where there is no guarantee of a safety net, and career and performance evaluations may be involved?

History and education

In a conversation about the Singaporean trait of reticence, invariably a finger would be pointed at our education system. This would be simplistic and unfair.

Singapore’s older generations grew up in an era where discipline, hard work and social order were seen as necessary for nation-building. There was little emphasis on the value of debate and the expression of diverse viewpoints.

Instead, individuals who demonstrated diligence, reliability and technical competence were rewarded in school and at work. These values were fit for their time. They served Singapore well and helped transform a vulnerable young nation into a prosperous and stable society. Subsequent generations grew up imbibing this culture in both their work and personal lives.

The education system of that era reflected those priorities. It was largely traditional, with an emphasis on knowledge acquisition and character formation. Examinations rewarded correct answers and academic rigour. There was less emphasis on open-ended discussion in the classroom, and students were trained to master established knowledge rather than question it.

Over the past two decades, however, Singapore’s education philosophy has evolved significantly. As the economy became more knowledge-intensive and innovation-driven, the emphasis shifted from rote learning and obedience towards nurturing students who can ask questions, think critically and express their views with confidence.

The Ministry of Education today wants students to be inquisitive learners who ask “why?” rather than simply memorise answers. Teaching approaches have increasingly incorporated discussion, inquiry, project work and open-ended learning activities.

At the same time, the school classroom culture is also evolving to encourage speaking up outside of curriculum time, with teachers serving as role models.

These changes are important. But cultural habits formed over generations do not disappear quickly. It may take time before these educational reforms see their full effect.

Economic implications

Our culture of reticence has enormous economic implications.

The first concerns “employee engagement”, which reflects the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in the workplace. Research shows that engaged employees contribute to stronger organisational performance, innovation and high productivity. 

Many factors may influence employee engagement levels, including leadership quality, organisational culture and personal development opportunities. But employees who readily voice ideas and concerns are more likely to feel invested in their organisations. 

This is where Singapore faces a big challenge. According to Gallup’s 2026 survey on workplace engagement, Singapore ranks 109th out of 144 countries for employee engagement. With 14 per cent of Singapore employees found to be engaged, we sit below the global average of 20 per cent and in the lower third of the countries in the ranking list. Several ASEAN countries perform considerably better. 

If Singapore can raise the employee engagement level of our workforce, the gains in our national productivity growth could be substantial.

AI-enabled workplaces

The second economic concern relates to the rise of artificial intelligence, which makes the need to speak up even more urgent. AI excels at processing information, automating routine tasks and generating content. What it cannot fully replace are the distinctively human ability to exercise judgment, raise concerns, challenge assumptions and build relationships. 

History is full of failures that could have been prevented had someone voiced concerns. In an AI-enabled workplace, employees are the last line of defence against bad decisions, safety risks and customer harm. All of these depend on people engaging constructively with each other, fostering trust and working as a team, and this premium on communication is likely to rise further.

Employees who can persuade colleagues, articulate concerns and contribute original thinking will remain valuable. Those unable to speak up will find it increasingly challenging to find jobs in an AI world, especially white-collar jobs.

Call to action

The challenge before us is not merely to produce competent workers, but also to nurture confident contributors to this new world of work. We must as a nation redouble our efforts to change our culture of reticence to one of engagement. And we should do so as a matter of urgency.