Creating a Safety-First Culture Starts with Communication

A new global study from Workplace Options and IIRSM has uncovered a critical disconnect in corporate wellbeing efforts. While 93% of business leaders agree that psychological safety directly impacts business performance, many organisations still lack clear strategies to address psychosocial risks.

The report, "The Impact of Psychological Safety on Employee Engagement and Risk Management", highlights an urgent need for organisations to move beyond traditional risk management and make psychological wellbeing a core business priority.

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Managers Must Bridge the Gap

This isn’t just about HR policies or wellness programmes, it’s about leadership in action. Psychological safety is at the core of a healthy, high-performing workplace, yet many organisations fail to integrate it into their leadership strategies.

Managers manage things but lead people. They play a crucial role in creating a culture where employees feel safe to speak up, share concerns, and take risks without fear of blame or judgment. This directly influences engagement, innovation, and overall organisational resilience.

To truly bridge the gap, managers can use the six leadership pillars to reflect on their approach:

• Are we communicating effectively? Do employees feel heard, valued, and safe to express concerns?

• Do we prioritise wellbeing in decision-making? Or do compliance and productivity concerns override psychological safety?

• Are we accountable? Are we embedding psychological safety into everyday operations and holding ourselves to the same standards we expect from our teams?

• Are we consistent? Do we proactively promote psychological safety, or does it only become a focus after incidents occur?

• Are we adaptable? Are we recognising and responding to emerging psychosocial risks, or relying on outdated approaches?

• Do we lead with emotional intelligence? Trust and empathy are the cornerstones of psychological safety—do our leadership behaviours reflect this?

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Why Psychological Safety Matters More Than Ever

The workplace is evolving, businesses are now seeing up to 5 generations within their workforce working side by side. Employee expectations are shifting hugely. Psychological safety is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’, it’s business critical.

Without a strong foundation of psychological safety, organisations face:

• Higher turnover – Employees are more likely to leave if they feel undervalued or unheard.

• Lower engagement – Teams disengage when they fear repercussions for speaking up.

• Weaker safety performance – A culture of fear stifles proactive risk reporting, increasing the likelihood of incidents.

I see first-hand how leadership-driven safety practices transform organisations. Psychological wellbeing isn’t separate from risk management, it’s at the heart of it.

Please follow the link to the full study report "The Impact of Psychological Safety on employee Engagement and Risk Management"

Peace & Love 🌍❤️

David