While more than two-thirds (68%) of professionals recognize the significant role psychological safety plays in employee engagement, over half (51%) of organizations have no written policy in place addressing this critical issue, according to “The Status of Psychological Safety in the Workplace” report, released by Veriforce.
“Despite widespread recognition of the importance of psychological safety, the majority of organizations still haven’t embedded it in a structured or consistent way,” says James Junkin, Strategic Advisory Board Chair at Veriforce. “High-risk industries, where voicing concerns can prevent harm, need to move beyond awareness and embed the right leadership behaviors, policies, and training to dismantle cultures of silence.”
Key takeaways:
- Over two-thirds believe there is a strong or moderate link between psychological safety and employee satisfaction/engagement.
- Yet only 16% say their organization currently has a written psychological safety policy, and just 36% say the term is formally defined and communicated internally.
- More than half (52%) report that their company lacks formal training or workshops on psychological safety.
- Nearly one in five (19%) say their leadership does not actively promote or model psychologically safe behaviors.
- The research also found that formal training has a measurable impact on employees’ comfort levels to speak up. Those at companies with formal training on psychological safety reported an average comfort score of 4 out of 5, compared to 3.2 in companies without.
- The data revealed a strong correlation (r = 0.68) between employees’ perceptions of leadership's commitment to psychological safety and their comfort in raising concerns.
- Respondents also cited several barriers to establishing or improving psychological safety, including fear of retribution or negative consequences (40%); lack of management buy-in or inconsistent leadership behaviors (30%); production pressure outweighing safety priorities (25%); and poor communication channels or a lack of clear feedback (20%).
“Psychological safety isn’t just a cultural issue, but a practical one,” adds Junkin. “If people don’t feel safe raising concerns or challenging decisions, companies won’t get the full picture on critical risks facing their organizations. Those taking this issue seriously and investing in psychological safety are building safer, more resilient operations. It’s not about adding another layer of compliance but about enabling the kind of communication that keeps people safe and organizations resilient.”
