Two-Thirds of Workforce Ties Psychological Safety to Engagement, Yet Over Half of Companies Lack Policies
Houston, TX, September 3, 2025 – While more than two-thirds (68%) of professionals recognize the significant role psychological safety plays in employee engagement, over half (51%) of organizations have no written policy in place addressing this critical issue. This is a key finding from a new study released today by Veriforce, a leading provider of contractor management and workforce qualification solutions.
The report, titled The Status of Psychological Safety in the Workplace, is based on a survey of 212 professionals in safety, training, HR, and leadership roles in sectors such as oil and gas, manufacturing, public services, healthcare, and mining. Commissioned by the Veriforce Strategic Advisory Board, the research explores the current understanding, application, and experience of psychological safety – defined as the shared belief that a team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking – across the modern workforce.
“Despite widespread recognition of the importance of psychological safety, the majority of organizations still haven’t embedded it in a structured or consistent way,” said James Junkin, Strategic Advisory Board Chair at Veriforce. “High-risk industries, where voicing concerns can prevent harm, need to move beyond awareness and embed the right leadership behaviors, policies, and training to dismantle cultures of silence.”
Key findings
- Over two-thirds believe there is a strong or moderate link between psychological safety and employee satisfaction/engagement.
- Yet only 16% say their organization currently has a written psychological safety policy, and just 36% say the term is formally defined and communicated internally.
- More than half (52%) report that their company lacks formal training or workshops on psychological safety.
- Nearly 1 in 5 (19%) say their leadership does not actively promote or model psychologically safe behaviors.
The research also found that formal training has a measurable impact on employees’ comfort levels to speak up. Those at companies with formal training on psychological safety reported an average comfort score of 4.0 out of 5, compared to 3.2 in companies without.
Leadership support emerged as another critical factor. The data revealed a strong correlation (r = 0.68) between employees’ perceptions of leadership’s commitment to psychological safety and their comfort in raising concerns. This emphasizes leaders’ central role in shaping a transparent safety culture.
Common barriers identified
Respondents also cited several barriers to establishing or improving psychological safety, including:
- Fear of retribution or negative consequences (40%)
- Lack of management buy-in or inconsistent leadership behaviors (30%)
- Production pressure outweighing safety priorities (25%)
- Poor communication channels or a lack of clear feedback (20%)
The findings underscore the need for senior leadership engagement and cultural shifts to prioritize psychological safety alongside operational demands. Without them, even well-intentioned safety efforts may struggle to gain traction. Addressing these barriers requires non-punitive reporting systems, confidential feedback channels, and rethinking incentives that prioritize productivity over wellbeing.
Turning insight into action
For safety professionals, procurement leads, and contractors, particularly in high-risk sectors, this report indicates an urgent need to give psychological safety the same priority as physical safety.
“Psychological safety isn’t just a cultural issue, but a practical one,” added Junkin. “If people don’t feel safe raising concerns or challenging decisions, companies won’t get the full picture on critical risks facing their organizations. Those taking this issue seriously and investing in psychological safety are building safer, more resilient operations. It’s not about adding another layer of compliance but about enabling the kind of communication that keeps people safe and organizations resilient.”
Download the full research report, “The Status of Psychological Safety in the Workplace 2025“.
About Veriforce
Veriforce® is a global leader in contractor management, helping companies build safe, qualified, and compliant workforces. Through our integrated SaaS platform we combine contractor qualification, training, evaluation, and compliance tracking to reduce risk and improve workforce performance across industries.
With a network spanning over 3,200 hiring companies in 140+ countries and supporting more than 130,000 contractors and millions of workers, Veriforce connects organizations with trusted third-party labor to get the job done safely and efficiently. We also support a robust community of over 7,000 authorized instructors and evaluators.
Veriforce is the partner of choice for companies committed to ensuring workforce readiness and safety. We operate globally with offices in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, the U.K., and Australia. Learn more at veriforce.com.
Media contact:
Emma Keates, Senior Director PR & Communications
Emma.keates@veriforce.com
