Caution With Coworkers

Coworkers are individuals; what one of them believes, says, and otherwise does will not have to be the same as the beliefs, words, or actions of others.  I cannot know their intentions, perceptions, or worldview just from outward observation.  If one has a legitimate complaint against a high figure in a workplace or against anything in how it is run that is irrational, coworkers would hopefully also recognize these things independently or be open to having them pointed out.  The same issues might affect them, not that something has to affect someone personally to be irrational, unjust, and worthy of opposition.  How fellow workers react depends on them, and they will not by necessity be sympathetic or by necessity respond with secret backstabbing or open hostility.

It is possible for the listener to be/become either an ally or an enemy.  Yes, a coworker who seems unlikely to tell a manager or employer about anything from a sarcastic comment to firm pushback against inherent stupidity in management might still do it.  It could be on accident, or with the purpose of gaining the approval of a corporate leader, or to merely pass on a statement with a neutral attitude.  There is no single motivation for this.  In the case of accidental divulgence, there is no motivation at all since it was not intended.  However, coworkers, despite making themselves seem like ideological allies or personal friends, might be willing to do anything that will give them an advantage in appearing helpful to corporate heads that are not rational.

It does not follow from the possibility of coworkers betraying you that they will, and for certain things, either when it comes to incompetence or intentional exploitation, coworkers communicating is the easiest way to alert others that something damaging has occurred.  There is not always a basis for expecting nothing at all but betrayal.  Openness does indeed benefit rational or oppressed people, and if everyone results corporate stupidity (even if not everyone does so rationalistically), it will be harder for it to endure.  Still, purposefully or not, coworkers could do anything from incidentally exposing one's objections to unwanted listeners all the way to maliciously sharing such things, perhaps even misrepresentations of them, with company leadership to land one in trouble.

Caution is a pragmatic trait in many workplace environments for these reasons, for someone could be penalized for doing nothing wrong and even for objecting to irrationalism of many kinds that marks the expectations for so many jobs.  Silence does not necessarily mean someone does not understand or disapprove of an asinine policy, a micromanaging or abusive boss, or the standardized negligence or selfishness that many businesses are consumed by.  As utterly unlikely as it is that most egoists and other irrationalists will change for the better left to themselves, verbal communication might prompt them, and when coworkers make it difficult for others to openly acknowledge problems, the problems could persist indefinitely.  Care is needed when interacting with plenty of fellow employees, all the same.