Although the topic of diversity has advanced in the discourse and hiring of companies, actual decision-making has not followed this scenario. The result is the spread of “organizational silence,” when workers stop contributing in the workplace because they fear retaliation.
This reading appears in the national survey “Diversity without Power: who enters, but does not decide”, conducted by Heach Human Resources. The survey shows that the lack of psychological safety causes professionals to choose to remain silent in front of leaders, which limits the company’s gains.
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The survey, which interviewed 1,250 professionals from companies with 100 or more employees in January 2026, shows that silence is worsened by the perception that presence does not translate into influence.
The data shows that:
- 68% of professionals from different groups participate in strategic meetings, but do not have decision-making power;
- 61% report that their contributions rarely change decisions that have already been made;
- 57% they say they are consulted only to validate previous definitions.
- 54% of respondents avoid disagreeing with their leaders for fear of suffering negative impacts on their careers;
- 49% believe that exposing organizational problems can generate veiled retaliation;
- 46% state that measuring words during strategic meetings is a constant practice.
To measure this access to power, Heach developed the Diversity with Power Index (IDP), which ranges from 0 to 100. The national average was 52 points, which shows in numbers that inclusion is only partial.
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The worst performance among the indicators evaluated was precisely “real decision-making power” (47 points), closely followed by “psychological safety” (49 points) — a dimension that directly dialogues with silence and fear of retaliation.
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Risk to talent succession and retention
The study warns that the loss of influence occurs, paradoxically, at the moment of transition to positions of greater responsibility, the so-called intermediate leadership.
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While senior leadership has an average IDP of 67 points, the index plummets to 48 among coordinators and 50 among managers, weakening the companies’ succession pipeline.
For Elcio Paulo Teixeira, CEO of Heach Human Resources, maintaining this scenario comes at a high price for business continuity.
“When professionals participate, but do not decide, engagement erodes. The consequence of this is frustration, but, above all, an increased risk of losing talent and a vacuum in the training of future leadership. Diversity entered companies, but power remained concentrated. Without reviewing decision-making structures, inclusion becomes fragile and succession vulnerable”, analyzes the executive.
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Teixeira highlights that the current challenge is structural and requires companies to transform discourse into effective practice at decision-making tables.
“Today, the main bottleneck is no longer who joins the company, but who decides. Diversity without power cannot be sustained, and demands a high price in retention, innovation and business continuity”, he concludes.
