Why Is Psychological Safety Important In The Workplace

Psychological safety and staff retention are linked in a way that exit interviews are badly placed to reveal. A person who did not feel able to raise concerns while employed rarely gives you the real reason on the way out either.

The earlier signals are behavioural. Meeting participation narrowing to the same three people. A drop in questions from newer staff after their first few months. Concerns arriving through back channels rather than through the manager. Resignations clustering in one team while pay and workload look comparable across teams.

The clustering point is the useful one. Psychological safety is a team property, so if turnover is concentrated rather than spread, the variable is usually local rather than organisational, and it is usually the manager rather than the market.

Replacing an experienced person costs a good deal more than addressing the reason they left, which is a case worth making internally when this competes for attention.

Safe Work Australia covers the psychosocial hazards duty. This is general information rather than legal advice.

See Sentrient’s psychological safety course for managers and mental health and wellbeing course.