6 in 10 employees are hesitant to speak up at work, says survey: 'People are afraid to say the truth'

A majority of workers are reluctant to speak up about concerns at work, according to a new survey from executive coaching company Radical Candor.

It highlights a widening “trust gap” between leaders and workers, says Kim Scott, a CEO coach and the co-founder of Radical Candor. The findings are based on a survey of 600 U.S. employees, including HR staff, managers, executives and individual contributors, conducted between Feb. 24 and Mar. 30.

Leaders say that they “want to hear the honest truth about what’s happening,” Scott tells CNBC Make It: 45.8% of executives surveyed said that a lack of honest feedback is their primary concern.

At the same time, employees are afraid to speak up, Scott says. Among individual contributors, 45.2% report that psychological safety and trust is their top workplace concern, and 61.3% say that they often observe people staying silent when they have differing opinions.

“At a moment where so many companies are laying people off, people are afraid to say the truth,” Scott says.