Do You Feel Safe At Work?
Do You Feel Safe At Work?
by Meera Seshadri
A recently published review by Mustapha Amoadu, Edward Wilson Ansah, and Jacob Owusu Sarfo1 of 38 studies surveying 53,733 workers measured the influence of psychosocial safety climate (PSC) on workplace mistreatment and workers' mental health. The article defines “PSC” as an organizational culture that prioritizes workers’ psychological health and safety as well as the shared perceptions of workers concerning workplace policies, practices, and procedures that are designed to protect and promote their psychological well-being. This can include anything from leadership’s commitment to well-being to job design, organizational justice and accountability, social support, and/or an overall climate of trust and respect. Researchers considered the following questions in their scoping review:
What is the relationship between PSC and workplace mistreatment?
What is the relationship between PSC and mental health parameters?
What is the mediating and moderating role of PSC in improving workers’ mental health and reducing workplace mistreatment?
The reviewed studies reveal that workers across multiple diverse industries in North America, Australia, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, China, Iran, Spain, and Ghana experience debilitating levels of psychological distress, depression, stress, cognitive weariness, and emotional exhaustion in organizations with low levels of PSC. This leads to numerous adverse outcomes for the organization, and addressing the contributing factors requires a comprehensive approach that first confronts the harm and then fosters a more equitable, supportive, and accountable work environment. Soteria Solutions has been deeply invested in co-developing this comprehensive approach to improve psychosocial wellness, equipping organizations with the tools and resources required to ensure all employees' mental, emotional, and physical safety.
Recent evidence from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) reveals a disturbing statistic that more than 1 in 5 employed people have experienced workplace violence and harassment encompassing physical, psychological, and sexual abuse – approximately 23%. This poses significant challenges not only for organizations to protect the psychological well-being of their workforce, but to retain talent. Soteria Solutions takes this concept a step further in asking whose needs are taken into account when an organization considers psychological well-being.
So what can be done?
For the last three years, Soteria Solutions has centered the following question in our work with federal agencies, the military, higher-education institutions, and businesses across North America: “Can you bring your whole self to work?” A core tenet of Soteria Solutions’ workplace anti-harassment training has been exploring and understanding the identities that are integral to who we are, that cannot be compartmentalized and left at the proverbial professional door, and that are often dismissed, threatened, and/or outright penalized in institutional spaces. A 2009 study by Alan Berkowitz reveals that unhealthy, unsupportive work environments were the top culprit for why people leave their jobs with 57% of employees saying that “feeling disrespected at work” was a major reason why they quit.
A primary recommendation from this review was the importance of training and development for leadership and management in understanding PSC and building capacity to increase PSC in the workplace. In organizations prioritizing PSC, managers, and supervisors are expected to exhibit positive behaviors and serve as role models for their colleagues and employees, not only building trust and accountability but creating a precedent for acceptable conduct in the workplace. Research into bystander behavior also underscores the importance of role modeling in promoting prosocial bystander behavior. However, for supervisors to intervene and address workplace mistreatment and serve as role models in increasing equity and safety for their employees, a deep understanding of how our identities have varying levels of power and privilege is essential.
Bringing one's "whole self" to work is foundationally tied to our identities, ways of life, and sense of self. This identity can be anything - faith traditions, ethnicity, culture, skin color, sexuality, gender expression, citizenship status, nationality, etc. With all the expressions of those identities, can we show up the way we want in a professional space around our colleagues, supervisors, and employees without fear or threat of harassment, bullying, and violence? Do you have to hide, suppress, diminish, or dull certain parts of yourself to be seen, heard, and accepted? Does the organization’s policies, practices, and procedures support one’s whole, full self?
What makes the “whole self” concept more challenging is that some people conflate discussions of psychosocial wellness with “identity politics” and don’t believe these discussions have a role in professional environments. This resistance is often linked to privilege - the privilege to show up exactly as we are and have most of our needs, identities, and ways of life supported through institutional practice, policy, and procedure. This safety does not exist for individuals who hold multiple minoritized identities - some of which have been politicized in ways that are deeply unsafe, psychologically, emotionally, and physically. Whether that identity is ability status, gender expression, immigration status, and/or skin color, most of us are accustomed to working in environments where systems support individuals whose needs fall inside traditional “default” categories - White, Male, Cisgender, Christian, etc. With its unique focus on identity-based work and the negotiation of power, safety, and privilege, Soteria Solutions challenges and supports organizations to acknowledge the unmet needs of their employees - particularly communities who are marginalized and minoritized - and advances spaces and interactions that are more equitable, supportive, and transparent.
One of the primary findings of this review highlights that institutions and organizations with high levels of PSC make workers more assertive, resilient, open to availing of and trusting the mental health resources provided, and ultimately present opportunities for hope. These skills are invaluable when considering the retention of employees and building internal capacity to model safer and more equitable environments. For each individual, bringing our whole selves to any space - professional or not - is a constant negotiation because we live in constantly evolving ecosystems. It is an active process that requires us to know how our identities and values impact our actions so that we can acknowledge the challenges that others face in being their fully authentic selves. The findings of this review align with and amplify the philosophies surrounding psychosocial wellness that Soteria Solutions incorporates into every training and curriculum for workplaces.
For organizations looking to make real, sustainable, and meaningful changes in their workplace through a partnership with Soteria Solutions, learn more about our solutions for the Workplace.
Meera Seshadri, MSPH, is the Prevention Strategy Lead for Soteria Solutions and a Lead Trainer for both the Bringing in the Bystander® College Prevention Program and Workplace Solutions. She has spent more than a decade working as a health communications consultant, activist, and researcher at the intersections of health equity, gender justice and sexual and reproductive autonomy.
1 Amoadu, M., Ansah, E.W. & Sarfo, J.O. Preventing workplace mistreatment and improving workers’ mental health: a scoping review of the impact of psychosocial safety climate. BMC Psychol 12, 195 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01675-z