Do your opinions count at work?

And do you feel they're worth expressing?

As part of my work, I like to research and explore initiatives that could help create more productive, enjoyable and rewarding workplaces.

Some of the best workplaces I've experienced are those where people bring different skills and perspectives and feel comfortable speaking openly, even when they disagree.

The leaders I admire most are those who create the conditions for honest conversations and fresh, and sometimes radical, ideas. When this happens, it almost doesn't feel like work. It's raw, honest, respectful and inspiring.

In this context, I was staggered to discover Gallup research showing that in the US, only 26% of employees strongly agree that their opinions at work count for anything.

That's roughly one in four. Imagine that in a meeting room. What a waste of human potential if three in four people censor what they want to say.

I could understand this figure if it related to the 1950s. But this is 2026 data.

How much advice and insight are organisations missing out on because people don't feel able to speak up, or simply don't think it's worth the effort?

In my observation, most people want to look smart, capable and helpful at work.

Yet, I also understand that challenging established thinking or voicing an unpopular opinion can feel risky, particularly when the economic environment and job security is uncertain.

Today, more than ever, we need people to question how things are done, identify wasted effort and suggest better ways of working.

We don't just need frank and fearless advice. We need all kinds of advice.

Gallup also explored in their research what might happen if organisations created the conditions to double the proportion of employees who felt that their opinions counted, from three in ten to six in ten.

The potential benefits included 12% higher productivity, 27% less staff turnover and 40% fewer safety incidents.

These are potential outcomes, not guarantees.

But they highlight the opportunity for organisations to achieve more when people feel their contributions genuinely matter.

Psychological safety is part of the answer. People need to feel safe to speak up, question established thinking and offer a different perspective.

But that depends on how leaders respond when someone challenges their thinking or raises an uncomfortable issue.

If leaders are serious about better outcomes for their organisations and their people, they need to do more than seek agreement with what they already think or have decided.

They need to genuinely welcome challenge.

What do you think? What leadership behaviours have made the biggest difference to you speaking up?