This phrase means that it is better to say nothing than to speak.
It was also a title of a song that was recorded by the American rock band the Four Seasons.
After reading Gretchen Rubin’s book, Life in Five Senses, I feel that silence also means tuning out all the “noise” that we are bombarded with every day.
In the workplace, it may seem impossible to be able to function in utter quiet but for many that is the only productive way to work.
As much as some companies are making their employees come back to the office, I think they should think twice about making it a mandatory five-day-a-week, show-your-face mandate.
As for me, I need perfect solitude especially when I am writing a report or even this blog.
When I was working for one of my employers, my boss told me I would have my own office but eventually when we moved to a new building I had to share a small office
with an even smaller partition with a colleague.
My concentration suffered as did my productivity.
I even tried to come in early or stay late but she always seemed to be there.
Even her being so called “quiet” was not up to my standards.
It was always a relief when she was on a business trip or even better when she was sick for a few days!
As I am writing this now in my home office, I can hear birds chirp and the occasional vehicle driving down the road.
This may not be total silence but it is far better than the tapping of a colleague’s keys on their laptop, people chatting, and the whir of the heating system or air conditioner.
I am sure many leaders don’t give much thought to any of this unless it affects their performance but isn’t about time we focus on this?
I know when I can’t concentrate, I get easily stressed out and I may even get snippy (this may be hard for some of you readers to believe, but it is true).
Instead, companies are trying to maximize their workspaces by squeezing more cubicles into an area or using my least favorite option, the open office floor plan.
I realize there are conference rooms but most of my corporate clients only have one or two of them and they are mostly used for trainings or large-scale meetings. 
It would be prudent for corporate leaders to consider a handful of “quiet” rooms not for relaxation purposes but to be used for writing, analyzing data, or “thinking”.
These rooms would have minimal office equipment and furniture so as not to distract the user and could be booked ahead of time.
To do this, it may be true that an executive’s office suite must be cut in half but take one for the team and give up some space in the name of silence and happier and more productive employees!