Long pauses between superiors and employees in the workplace are a no-no. 

In the international bank branches of a not very distant Singaporean business past, the repetitive rigmarole of the senior executive fly-in, including the requisite town hall and stand-up buffet lunch, was an exercise in pulling teeth.

There were the planted questions, the unrevealing, clumsy attempts at small talk, and the welcome sight of defrocked local expat bankers skulking about, looking like their wings had been clipped.

Truth to Power - Not

It was no exercise in speaking truth to power, and many were thankful the whole ordeal was temporary, and quickly forgotten.

But a recent survey by online language learning platform Preply indicates that Singaporeans find the modern open plan office chock full of hidden psychological potholes.

First Dates

For almost two-thirds of them, the most cringe-worthy sources of potential workplace PTSD are online or virtual communication – speak the Zoom call – particularly when an unhinged, awkward silence crops up.

That result came in just behind casual conversations with strangers and first dates, implicitly showing the importance of job and careers to the average Singaporean.

Gender Disparity

Another source of unease was when the silence fell during conversations with superiors, something that affected 42 percent of respondents.

There was also a clear gender disparity, with almost half of women (48 percent) feeling that way while a bit more than a third of men (36 percent) did.

Collegial Familiarity

«In contrast, silences among colleagues are far easier to tolerate, with only 25% of respondents finding these moments uncomfortable,» Preply indicated.

In wider society, age also played a role with 30 percent of city-state residents between 55 and 64 feeling quite ok with the pregnant pause, while only 12 percent of 16-24 year olds did. 

Quick Trigger
The survey examined 21 countries, concluding that the awkward silence has a «peculiar power to unnerve», although the more anxiety-prone among us probably already knew that.

Singapore’s self-consciousness trigger was 6.6 seconds of silence before discomfort set in, just under the survey’s average of 6.8 seconds.

The Most Patience

Brazilians topped the list, experiencing pangs of deep inquietude after only 5.5 seconds while predominantly Buddhist, and mindful, Thailand came in last, just behind the Netherlands and Japan, with Preply saying that silences in those countries were seen as considerate as opposed to maladroit.

«People in Thailand can endure the longest period of silence without feeling uncomfortable, suggesting they could last 8.1 seconds without feeling the need to speak – 1.3 seconds longer than the global average. In the Netherlands, nearly a third of people reported that they don’t find silence uncomfortable at all, reflecting a cultural acceptance of quiet moments in conversation,» the learning platform indicated.