Our company recently held a virtual meeting with executive management where mid level managers were encouraged to share their ideas, opinions and grievances. Needless to say, there were a lot more grievances than I'll ideas and opinions, but for some reason, people choose to keep quiet.
I am obviously not in the minds of everyone but if I had to guess a few reasons why things turned out that way it'd probably be accurate. One thing I am doing is speaking for myself and making conclusions based on my own personal experiences. After all, we all experience the company in equal measure so I believe what resonates with me has to be similar to what is affecting others.
One of the reasons for the relative silence was the was the feeling of inevitability. I had resigned myself to the fact that even if we spoke up about areas we felt were grey, there would be justifications why they are so and nothing will change. It turned out I wasn't so paranoid or nihilistic after all, as my point was proven with the few issues that people did bring up.
The only way I see things improving in the future is by making my exit. However, in order to do that I know there's still some work to be done at my present company. I'll keep paying my proverbial dues until that time comes, while reducing my sound of dissatisfaction until that exit.