Psychological Safety in Workplace Communication

Whether employees express their opinions, raise concerns, or contribute new ideas depends largely on whether they feel safe in their working environment. Psychological safety means being able to make critical or unusual contributions without fear of negative consequences.

A research project at the University of Vienna examines psychological safety from the perspective of strategic communication. The first study in the project investigates which communication conditions in everyday working life contribute to employees feeling secure enough to speak up, or what prevents them from doing so.

The results clearly show that internal communication plays a crucial role.

Further information on the research findings can be found in the report.

Citation: Hagelstein, J., Huber., & Einwiller, S. (2025): Psychological safety in workplace communication. How internal communication can encourage employees to speak up. (Communication Insights | Essentials). Academic Society for Management & Communication.