The report noted that as the pandemic recedes, employers are paying more attention to issues such as the wellbeing and psychological safety of employees. "As the world of work evolves, psychological safety only becomes more critical," the report said, pointing to a recent Google survey of work teams. That survey, the Workhuman researchers said, "Found the number one driver of successful teams is psychological safety—feeling safe to take risks and be vulnerable at work."

The benefits of psychological safety

The study outlines why psychological safety is emerging as an important issue for employers. It quoted data from Gallup which showed that improving psychological safety can lead to a 27% reduction in turnover, 40% reduction in safety incidents, and a 12% increase in productivity.

"Nearly all of the work we do today is what you might call knowledge work," said Harvard professor Amy Edmondson. "When people lack a sense of psychological safety, they will be reluctant to share, use, and integrate their knowledge –so it's absolutely mission-critical to building a healthy and effective team."

Some groups feel safer than others

The study rated how psychologically safe workers felt by posing questions such as whether they feel mistakes were held against them, whether they felt safe taking risks, and whether they felt they could bring up issues and problems, or ask for help.

The results found differences among different groups. Men, for example experienced higher psychological safety than women. White workers experienced the highest overall level of psychological safety. And working parents reported lower psychological safety than workers who were not parents.

The survey also found that psychological safety is highest for employees who are recognized and is lowest for those who are not recognized.

Some simple solutions

That last point is key, the report suggested. The researchers found that very basic attempts to recognize workers can make a difference in feelings of psychological safety. Simply saying "thank you" and checking in with employees are two steps that the report recommends for employers.

"Based on our survey, the two most practical ways to boost psychological safety are to say, 'thank you' more often and to check in with employees more frequently," said Workhuman Director of People Analytics Dr. Meisha-Ann Martin. "Creating a sense of psychological safety, especially for underrepresented groups, allows for higher levels of engagement, increased motivation, innovation, and better performance, which can lead to major breakthroughs."

The report concludes by saying that for workers, feeing safe can be linked to simply being comfortable enough to be yourself. "For employers, it's about empowerment—trusting the humans you've hired to do the jobs they were hired to do…These two simple tactics—recognizing more frequently and establishing a cadence of check-ins—can go a long way in creating an inclusive and psychologically safe environment for your people," the study concluded.