Three-Quarters Of People Feel ‘Psychologically Safe’ At Work

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• Three-Quarters Of People Feel ‘Psychologically Safe’ At Work

08 May 2026

Workers in the UK are more confident raising concerns at work than their leaders realise, prompting calls for more businesses to keep pace and prioritise psychological safety.

Over three-quarters (77%) of frontline employees say they feel safe speaking up about problems or opportunities for improvement in their organisation, according to a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of SafetyCulture.* Yet only 63% of senior management believe their workers feel that way – a gap that suggests many leaders may be underestimating their own culture.

As well as feeling psychologically safe to speak up, nearly three-quarters of employees (71%) feel they have the autonomy to make small changes, as well as time to make improvements beyond ‘getting the job done’ (76%).

The figures represent a significant increase compared to a similar study by Mental Health First Aid England and Henley Business School¹, which reported that psychological safety fell from 66% to 41% between 2020 and 2024.

Frontline employees are more positive on the topic than their managers. Only 59% of management say their employees are empowered to make changes, compared with 71% of employees themselves.

The findings were released in conjunction with World Day for Safety and Health at Work on 28 April 2026, organised by the UN’s International Labour Organisation. This year, the theme is ‘the psychosocial working environment’ covering factors including workload, autonomy, fairness and transparency – all of which strongly influence people’s safety and health.

The study found that workers with the highest psychological safety work in organisations where continuous improvement systems are classified as “mature,” based on how leadership, tools, routines and culture operate in day-to-day work.

In advanced maturity workplaces worldwide, where improvement is coordinated and operationalised, on average 90% of people feel psychologically safe – 13% higher than the UK average – and 81% feel empowered to act without waiting for approval. 

Ronan Kirby, SafetyCulture’s Managing Director EMEA, said: “These findings are pleasantly surprising – but more business leaders should be building this type of culture and keeping pace with the trend. It’s the difference between a worker flagging a serious risk, or staying silent. And it’s the difference between a team leader implementing an idea that improves efficiency, or continuing to bleed time and money. 

Kirby added: “However, gathering feedback isn’t enough: leaders need to listen and act on it. We found that while half of employees say their leaders actually act on ideas, the other half simply collect them. And ultimately, psychological safety and trust will erode if ideas go unacknowledged.”

Kirby concluded: “Psychological safety brings ideas to the surface so leaders can act. This is a crucial part of establishing a reliable system, where improvement is embedded into daily work, and where organisations keep performing better.”

The Improvement Paradox is a commissioned study conducted in October 2025 by Forrester Consulting on behalf of SafetyCulture. A free maturity assessment tool, enabling organisations to measure and benchmark their performance, is also available.
Read The Improvement Paradox study.
Take The Assessment here.

1. Study by Mental Health First Aid England and Henley Business School -  see here.

Picture: An image of two logistics workers in a warehouse.

Article written by Dave Mapps | Published 08 May 2026

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