Psychological Safety Can’t Flourish in Silence

In organizations worldwide, psychological safety is one of the strongest predictors of team performance, productivity, and innovation. Yet despite growing awareness of its power, psychological safety at work is still uncommon. 

In a 2024 Deloitte survey of U.S. workers, only half said their team leaders foster psychological safety. Those findings echo a study from Southeast Asia, where 45% of employees said their workplaces lacked psychological safety.  

Without psychological safety, employees hesitate to speak up, not because they lack courage, but because the perceived risks of doing so—judgment, exclusion, even retaliation—often outweigh the benefits. True psychological safety demands a shift in mindset, culture, and daily interactions.  

Elaine Lin Hering, author of Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully, spoke with Jackie Ferguson, host of the acclaimed podcast Diversity: Beyond the Checkbox, about what it takes to build psychological safety in the workplace. A negotiation expert and former Harvard Law School lecturer, Hering has helped people around the world develop the skills to communicate across difference and speak up with confidence.