Psychological safety in the workplace
Learn how to build psychological safety at work and help employees feel heard, respected and able to contribute.
What can impact psychological safety at work
Employees may not speak up if they think it could harm their reputation, relationships or career.
They may:
- Avoid asking questions because they do not want to look uninformed
- Hide mistakes because they fear being blamed
- Keep ideas to themselves because they do not want to be seen as difficult
- Avoid challenging decisions because they fear negative consequences
When employees stay quiet, it does not mean they have nothing to say or do not care. They may not feel safe or believe they will be listened to. A negative experience after speaking up may stop someone from raising concerns again.
People may feel less safe speaking up when:
- Leaders react defensively to questions or challenge
- Feedback is sought but not acted upon
- Reporting processes and expectations are unclear
- Work pressures and hierarchy create barriers to raising concerns
Not everyone experiences the same workplace in the same way. Seniority, job security, disability, ethnicity, age, sex, language and working pattern can all affect how safe someone feels speaking up.
Page last reviewed: 4th September 2026