New Radical Candor Report Reveals 6 in 10 Employees Are Afraid to Speak Up at Work

Untrained managers, feedback issues, and AI-related concerns are fueling a growing trust gap in the workplace

• 46% of Executives said a lack of honest feedback across the company was their top concern.
• 67% of HR leaders have observed workers remain silent about concerns
• 70% of people have never been taught to solicit or give feedback before becoming managers
• 73% of the time, inaccuracies show up in AI-assisted work; More than 50% of workers and managers say AI quality concerns are only sometimes or rarely acted on.

MENLO PARK, Calif., May 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today’s workplaces are currently experiencing a growing trust gap between employees and company leadership. The primary pain points include a new generation of managers who are struggling, a lack of direct feedback, and growing concerns about the accuracy of AI as companies rush to adopt new tools. Those are some key findings from Radical Candor’s newly released report “The Trust Gap: State of the Workplace Insights”.

Radical Candor’s survey of 600 workers across the U.S. reveals that this trust gap has formed, and is widening, due to cycles of ineffective feedback, silence, and a lack of people and leadership development, especially at the management level.

“When an untrained manager hears criticism from an employee, too often they punish the messenger rather than reward the candor - that’s where psychological safety gets destroyed and the trust gap begins,” says Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor. “The trust gap will close when leaders invest in teaching their managers to solicit and reward criticism, to give specific, sincere praise, and to give kind, clear criticism that helps employees succeed. Better, more candid conversations, result in the kind of communication and accountability that executives want from their organizations.”

Getting to the Root of Feedback Fails
Executives crave honest communication across their company. 46% of executives feel there’s a lack of honest feedback across the company. They blame the lack of accountability and management skills. However, employees say the reason is fear of retaliation. 45% of employees don’t feel safe at work, citing psychological safety and trust as their top workplace concern.

Silence is a huge problem, one that is underestimated by executives. While 48% of executives feel they observe people staying silent when there are issues, the number jumps significantly to the levels of silence that employees (61%), managers (63%), and HR teams (67%) observe.

Additionally, only 24% of HR teams have observed feedback that is both direct and respectful in the workplace. Drilling down into why feedback ultimately fails, 62% of all respondents say that feedback is too vague and doesn’t address the real issues.

Managers are Barely Managing
Today’s managers are struggling; everyone is aware, and it could become a crisis tipping point for companies if not addressed swiftly. 51% of HR workers report that manager capability and confidence are their top workplace concern, and 54% of employees say they rarely or never get feedback from their managers.

This is not surprising, as 71% of those in managerial roles today were never given the opportunity to practice giving or receiving feedback before becoming managers. Managers are feeling the pressure, with 48% citing burnout as their top concern. They are exhausted, unclear on priorities, and losing trust in leadership. One person wrote, “Many companies now appear reluctant to support middle managers who are often the scapegoat.”

AI Adds More Complexity to Feedback Issues
Companies rush to invest in AI, and as a result, leadership and people development are getting lost in the shuffle. While 58% of executives admit they aren’t investing enough in their people, it’s their managers (68%), HR teams (71%), and employees (76%) who are really feeling the strain of not having the training they need to do their jobs.

Yet, most shockingly, in this race to accelerate the use of AI across everything, employees report inaccuracies in AI-assisted work 73% of the time. Often, they don’t point out the problems, as more than 50% of workers and managers say AI quality concerns are only sometimes or rarely acted on. This creates a new and unusual feedback situation.

“When leadership says they are doing layoffs because AI is automating jobs, employees do not have an incentive to speak up about mistakes AI is making or problems it is creating, especially when the CEO is so excited about this shiny new AI tool,” says Scott. “The more we automate, the more we need leaders who prioritize building a culture of feedback.”

The “Trust Gap: State of the Workplace Insights” report also features tips and advice to help companies:

• Create a workplace culture where employees feel rewarded for speaking up
• Learn why feedback is the fundamental building block of good management
• Understand that, in this new age of AI, human skills are still what will matter most. Your employees are assets to invest in, not costs to cut.
  

More data and useful tips can be found in “The Trust Gap: State of the Workplace Insights” report, which can be downloaded here.

Methodology
The data featured in “The Trust Gap: State of the Workplace Insights” report is based on surveys completed by 600 U.S. respondents between February 24th and March 30th, 2026.

About Radical Candor
Radical Candor is an executive education company founded by Kim Scott and Jason Rosoff. The company helps organizations build high-performing, collaborative cultures through its proven feedback framework, which emphasizes caring personally while challenging directly. Through keynotes, workshops, and coaching, Radical Candor equips teams worldwide with the skills to communicate effectively, strengthen relationships, and drive results. More information about Radical Candor can be found at https://www.radicalcandor.com/.

Media Contact
Gina Giachetti
gina.giachetti@aboutcomms.com

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