The Quiet Office Divide Nobody Talks About: What Happens When You’re Asked to Keep Secrets at Work

In today’s work environment, confidentiality may be viewed as a practical component of successfully completing work tasks, particularly when such tasks involve hiring practices, leadership transitions, or long-term business strategies.

While such a practice may seem mundane, studies have found that when an employee is privy to secrets in a work environment, a quiet revolution may occur within an employee’s mind, heart, and relationships. What may appear to be a simple managerial task may, in fact, generate a quiet divide within a work team.

The Pattern of Secrecy at Work

Within professional circles across the United States, there are many instances where employees are privy to information that cannot be shared openly. This may include internal restructuring, performance discussions, and even early stages of project development.


As stated in research published in PubMed, secrecy is not uncommon in organizations and is often linked to gaining a competitive advantage and privacy.

Nevertheless, when only a few members are privy to certain information, there is a division that exists between members who are privy to the information and members who are not. While this may not be intentional, it may affect the way members feel and view inclusiveness and fairness, and as such, it may affect the culture that is built in the workplace.

How Secrecy Creates Isolation

One of the lesser-known effects of secrecy in the workplace is the feeling of isolation that may develop. This happens when an employee feels that they are not able to openly discuss a particular matter. They may eventually start to distance themselves from discussions or situations in which the matter may be brought up. According to research cited by Stanford University, the lack of openness in the workplace may eventually create a feeling of loneliness, even in a very social work environment.

This isolation may not be immediately apparent to anyone else, but it may affect the feeling of belonging, which is important in a team. The employee may start to feel as though they are not part of the team, not because of anything negative, but because of the invisible wall that the secrecy may have created.

The Double-Edged Sense of Importance

It is interesting to note that being privy to confidential information can even translate to a feeling of importance or recognition. There are some employees who feel important when they are privy to confidential information. This feeling of importance, however, comes at a great emotional and mental expense.

The same Stanford University study indicates that even as an employee may feel privileged, the pressure of keeping a secret may be too much. This feeling of pride and pressure creates a complex emotional response.

A Quiet Workplace Challenge

It is not expected that the phenomenon of secrecy in the workplace will ever disappear completely, especially with the importance of confidentiality in many areas of business. However, being aware of the underlying effects of such a phenomenon may help an organization cope with it more effectively by being open about the need for such information to be kept secret and the importance of transparency.

What may seem like a normal part of the workplace may actually have underlying effects. The problem for many employees is not just about keeping a secret but about the silent changes that it may bring to their workplace and sense of belonging.