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Building Resilient Cultures:

Global Strategies for Fostering Psychological Safety and Prioritizing Employee Engagement

The WPO Psychological Safety Study: Global Context for Organizational Success provides deep insight into the workplace concerns that employees face across 9 countries. Data-driven study based on actual conversations between workers and WPO’s qualified clinicians.

Country-Based Insights Workplace Concerns

Global Workplace Concerns: Key Insights for Leaders

The global economy runs on data and knowledge. The WPO Psychological Safety Study enables leaders to understand the specific challenges their employees face across regions.

They can use this insight to create, guide, and champion culture-based initiatives and programs to reduce workplace stress and build enhanced employee engagement and psychologically safe workplaces. Unlike most workplace studies (derived from surveys or opinion), the Workplace Options study is built on conversations between employees and clinicians, providing insights into concerns reflected in employee emotions, cognitions, and attitudes toward work.

9
Countries
79M+
Employees We Serve
7
Workplace Concerns

The Business Case for Psychological Safety

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Culture built on psychological safety has immense value. Deep-rooted employee engagement leads to greater creativity, innovation, and an environment where people can be their authentic self in every aspect of their life.

Alan King
President and CEO, Workplace Options

The business case for psychological safety centers on trust, innovation, and collaboration among diverse teams, driving higher employee engagement, retention, and ultimately, organizational success. In a global context, understanding and prioritizing psychological safety ensures resilient cultures, adaptive strategies, and sustained competitiveness in a dynamic marketplace.

This site is a multimedia hub that presents deeper analysis and insight on the many aspects of workplace issues and concerns. The site includes: multimedia resources, white papers, videos, articles, infographics, and other information on the global significance of psychological safety.

WPO has delivered holistic wellbeing for 40+ years, based on an analytically rigorous approach and an employee engagement mindset that has helped more than 116,000 clients improve their health and performance.



Australia

Companies must perform top-down reviews of their workplaces, job design, and other core elements

Governments around the world are enforcing organizations to secure the psychosocial safety of their environments and ensure their people are actively supported at work. To meet these mandates, companies must perform top-down reviews of their workplaces, job design, and other core elements of their business. The challenge for organizations is onboarding these fundamental shifts to their culture and DNA. We see the challenge as an opportunity for a company to enhance commercial outcomes from a more engaged and productive workforce.

Oliver Brecht
Vice President, Consulting Group

Canada

The importance of investing in leadership development focused on employee wellbeing, task evaluation, and recognition

Our findings emphasize the importance of investing in leadership development focused on employee wellbeing, task evaluation, and recognition. Equally essential is the alignment of company culture with human needs to foster healthy behaviors and address conflicts constructively. We urge prioritizing support for mental health challenges, recognizing that they can be exacerbated in the workplace. By fostering a culture of empathy, providing necessary resources, and promoting open communication, a more compassionate and resilient work environment can be created, for all.

Dina El Helou
Director of Service Delivery - Canada

China

Chinese workforce grapples with exhaustion, burnout, and a spectrum of physical and mental health issues, all of which significantly affect their performance and engagement at work

Amid global and domestic economic uncertainties in the post-pandemic era, Chinese companies seek a strategic overhaul of corporate structures and business strategies to reduce costs and ensure business sustainability. Under these circumstances, job stability and security become primary concerns. In Chinese workplaces, characterized by the "996" culture of prolonged working hours, intensified competition exacerbates the strain on employees. The term "involution," or "neijuan" in Chinese, has gained widespread usage to depict the phenomenon wherein the Chinese workforce grapples with exhaustion, burnout, and a spectrum of physical and mental health issues, all of which significantly affect their performance and engagement at work. Amid the competitive landscape, leaders must recognize that achieving business goals hinges upon robust team collaboration, employees' psychological safety, and dedication thanks to high levels of trust. Valuing psychological safety isn't merely an employee benefit; it impacts the bottom line and is crucial to the success of a business.

Grace Ding
Senior Consultant, Health at Work and Organization

France

Most of the time, relational tensions are not the result of a personal disagreement, but the expression of work-related problems

In France, one of the leading concerns in the workplace is conflict within teams. The results of the study confirm what we observe in the evolving needs of the companies we support. When inter-individual tensions arise, we recommend that management, in partnership with the union representatives, carry out a detailed analysis of the situation by investigating the teams' structure, workload distribution, ability to work in autonomy, working relationships, technological and regulatory developments, etc. This analysis enables us to understand the origin of the tensions and implement corresponding actions. Most of the time, relational tensions are not the result of a personal disagreement, but the expression of work-related problems that can be resolved once they have been clearly identified. We feel it is important to raise awareness of this subject and approach among companies, to help them identify such situations as early as possible, and act quickly before the situation deteriorates.

Vanessa Ezerzer
Consultant Manager, Health at Work and Organization

Germany

It is essential for managers not to neglect sustainable people management in favor of acute crisis management

The trend we are observing in Germany of growing mental and psychological stress in the workplace can be confirmed globally and in various independent studies. Time pressure, workplace stress, high demands on oneself and from outside -- these are all factors that lead to physical and mental anxiety and stress symptoms. In addition, there are global crises that are difficult to grasp, and even more difficult to resolve, as an individual. Not for nothing is quiet quitting a recently coined term that describes employees switching off internally and only doing the bare minimum. In these times, it is essential for managers not to neglect sustainable people management in favor of acute crisis management. Removing unnecessary pressure, emphasizing and valuing employee strengths, and increasing the scope for co-determination are effective measures that can strengthen the sense of control, mental health, and therefore, employee loyalty. To achieve this, we need corporate cultures that prioritize collaborative, sustainable, and solution-oriented leadership, as well as have a people-oriented focus.

Anna Johanna Fett
Clinical Team Lead - Germany

India

It’s imperative that greater efforts are made to promote mental health awareness nationwide

Indian employees are confronting more variations of workplace challenges relative to their counterparts in the rest of the world. These findings suggest that many employees are suffering from poor mental health outcomes. It’s imperative that greater efforts are made to promote mental health awareness nationwide in tandem with initiatives from employers to address these issues.

Wynne Wee
Vice President, Asia Pacific

Mexico

Every dollar invested in expanding the treatment of depression and anxiety yields four dollars

Psychological safety should be top of mind for employers in Mexico. More than 75 percent of the active population in Mexico has experienced work-related stress, surpassing China and the USA. Depression is projected to be the leading disease in the country by 2030. Every dollar invested in expanding the treatment of depression and anxiety yields four dollars.

Cesar Izazola
Director of Business Solutions - Mexico

United Kingdom

Leaders need to maximize communication in today's changed environment

The UK is a microcosm of what is happening globally. The economy is flatlined and many companies are feeling the pinch from high inflation, which is leading to job uncertainty. The hybrid way of working takes people out of the office and away from collaborating with each other, but returning to the office has led to an increase in conflict at work between both managers and employees. It’s stressful for all concerned. You don’t get those watercooler moments or opportunities to get together in work huddles. We need regular feedback groups to really identify different groups with the corporate vision. For leaders, communication, communication, communication is the message. They need to maximize communication in today’s changed environment.

David Stace
Director of Clinical Policy and Best Practice

United States

Offering a variety of work/life initiatives sets both employees and employers up for longevity and success

Acknowledging the importance of work/life balance and understanding its impact on employee satisfaction is essential for organizations to create a thriving workplace culture. It is no surprise that a rigid work environment that lacks support for work/life balance results in an anxiety-ridden, fatigued, and mentally exhausted workforce. Our study shows that there has been a shift in the American working population and employees are actively seeking opportunities that offer leeway in where and when they work with flexible and remote work arrangements available. As a result, it is imperative for organizations to acknowledge that every employee has a life outside of work and offering a variety of work/life initiatives sets both employees and employers up for longevity and success.

Ashley Boseman
Director of Clinical Service Delivery - US

Workplace Concerns

Daily work activities

Refers to the task, responsibilities, and actions of a job that can include workload, unclear objectives, clarity of role and company missions, conflicting task, lack of autonomy.

Work-life balance

Conflict between job requirements and personal responsibilities, such as childcare or elder care, or with personal and relationship priorities.

Conflict/tension with a manager

Occurs when differences surface concerning how work is performed. May include personal agendas, goals, strategy, or values.

Job performance

Perceived inability to do good work due to conditions in the workplace or an awareness that the employee’s job performance does not meet the manager’s expectations.

Lack of recognition

Dissatisfaction with pay or financial rewards. Perception that the employee is not noticed or appreciated for their contributions.

Conflict of values/Ethical climate in the company/Volatility

Instability and unpredictability of an organization, which may include rapid changes and uncertainty. In addition, and/or when one’s personal values or beliefs do not align with the organizational culture.

Lack of professional/career development

Lack of opportunities for skill, knowledge, and career development.

Bullying/Harassment

Experiencing any unwelcome behavior or conduct in the workplace (which may be verbal, physical, or sexual) that intimidates, offends, belittles, threatens, or humiliates.

Global programs adapted to your local needs

By gaining a fuller understanding of the global workplace concerns, leaders and organizations can create initiatives that lead to meaningful change, resulting in stronger employee engagement, improved team performance, and greater wellbeing.

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A Deeper Exploration into Psychological Safety

Who We Are

Fallstudie

  • Organisational Effectiveness

The Wellbeing Ambassador Programme is part of an organisation’s strategic..

  • Organisational Effectiveness

SITUATION A multinational corporation that was preparing to implement a..

30 November 2022

SITUATION A large multinational company engaged the consulting team to..

30 November 2022

Workplace Options (WPO) was engaged to assist a construction company..

  • Organisational Effectiveness

Workplace Options (WPO) received a request from a multinational company..

  • Technology

A 42-year-old married woman living with her spouse and four..

  • Employee Wellbeing

It takes a lot of effort and paperwork to relocate..

  • Addiction Management

Without adequate support and resources, tobacco cessation can be a..

  • Mental Health

Health care workers around the world have been on the..

  • Mental Health

A participant reached out and explained that he recently had..

  • Employee Wellbeing

Although health organizations warn that older adults face greater risks associated..

  • Mindfulness

Some people argue that personality is fixed and cannot be..

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