Given the pervasiveness of employee silence, this article explores different forms of employee silence and silence antecedents. In particular, this article classifies employee silence using two dimensions: the target’s solicitation and the employee’s decision basis of conscious silence desirability. Drawing on relevant literature, it is proposed that employee silence can be classified into three distinct forms: unsolicited predetermined employee silence, unsolicited issue-based employee silence, and solicited target-based employee silence. When considering antecedents of employee silence, we claim that unsolicited predetermined employee silence is an outcome of personality traits, that unsolicited issue-based employee silence is triggered by functional motives, and that solicited target-based employee silence is determined by social relationships and relational experiences. By investigating forms of employee silence, this article provides important implications for theory and managerial practice.

Drawing upon conservation of resources (COR) and attribution theories, we develop a help‐giving discontinuity model. From the COR perspective, we theorize that when help‐giving is perceived to be obligation, prevention‐focused self‐regulation is triggered, which induces help‐giving discontinuity to prevent further loss of resources. Additionally, when a low likelihood of receiving reciprocated help is perceived, prevention‐focused self‐regulation is activated, which induces help‐giving discontinuity due to insufficient replenishment of resources. From the attribution perspective, we propose that a co‐worker's lack of effort and recurrence of the same task‐related issue promote dispositional attributions, which result in help‐giving discontinuity. Our model, therefore, provides an important theoretical base for future research investigating why some employees continuously help others while others do not.

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Building upon the extant leadership research, we explore the phenomenon of leaders’ intentionally withholding of relevant information to subordinates. In particular, we conceptualize leadership silence and propose three distinct forms of leadership silence, including safeguarding silence, undermining silence, and disengaging silence. We also incorporate attribution theory and show how subordinates pinpoint the causes of leadership silence. We then discuss the accuracy of subordinates’ attributions of leadership silence. Finally, we present the theoretical contributions and managerial implications.

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