There has been a decline in how ‘psychologically safe’ people feel at work, according to a new study by Mental Health First Aid England and Henley Business School.
Researchers found that there has been a 25% drop in the number of people who feel they can “bring their whole self to work” over the past five years, from 66% in 2020 to 41% at the end of 2024.
Sarah McIntosh, MHFA England’s chief executive, told Personnel Today that recent roll-backs on diversity and inclusion, influenced by the political situation in the US, had contributed to the findings, as had an increase in return-to-office mandates.
The research also showed a striking disconnect between manager and employer perceptions of psychological safety.
“Managers tend to overestimate how psychologically safe their employees feel at work. Return-to-office mandates can be damaging and dangerous as they are exclusionary for lots of groups such as parents or people with disabilities, whose barriers were removed when working from home,” she said.
Psychological safety
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The research was published today (11 March) to coincide with My Whole Self day 2025, now in its sixth year. Just over eight in 10 people said it was important to feel they could bring their whole self to work, but only 31% felt able to do so in practice.
The impact of not feeling psychologically safe at work was particularly felt by people with protected characteristics, the researchers found.
More than half (54%) of black respondents said that not being able to bring their whole self to work impacts productivity, while 51% of those who identify as gay or lesbian said it impacts their mental health. Only one in four people with mental ill health felt they could bring their whole self to work.
Dr Melissa Carr, director of EDI at the World of Work Institute, Henley Business School, said that employees’ experiences at work are “far from meritocratic”.
“An individual’s diversity characteristics and lived experiences impact on their psychological safety, wellbeing and productivity,” she said.
“We are at a critical juncture in relation to equity, diversity and inclusion. For those companies that are stepping back on this work, there are many others that are doubling down and showing their commitment. This research highlights that there is work to be done so that everyone can thrive within the workplace. If we can all work towards that, it will be better for people, businesses, and society.”
McIntosh advised that building trust and connection would be crucial in building successful hybrid working arrangements going forward.
She said: “If organisations are asking employees to come in more, there should be a consultation process and clear rationale. This is a chance for managers to sit down with employees and get to know what motivates them and where they might struggle, so if they do require people back in the office it can work for them.
“Once people are in the office, there needs to be a culture where people feel they can speak up, where they connect or do training to make the commute worthwhile.”
“People feeling stress and anxiety about having to reshuffle their lives because their has been a blanket mandate could see their mental health conditions exacerbate, and with that there is a risk of losing talent. It’s not just the health of your employees that is at risk, but also the health of the business.”
MHFA England has published a toolkit for employers to facilitate discussions around psychological safety and belonging at work.
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