A new study has found that 71 percent of workers in Poland do not feel psychological safety in their teams, meaning they do not feel free to speak openly, admit mistakes, or raise concerns without fear of negative consequences. One in three said they work in a state of constant anxiety.
The findings, published by the Nowe Przestrzenie Foundation, point to a workplace culture in which many employees hold back rather than risk criticism. The survey found that 42 percent believe mistakes are later used against workers, while 56 percent said they are afraid to take risks, even when acting in good faith.
In teams with low psychological safety, the picture was even more severe. Nearly three quarters of respondents said they live with constant fear, more than half showed clear signs of burnout, and 59 percent said there is no point in standing out. The result, the report said, is the creation of “silos of silence,” in which people stop sharing concerns or ideas and responsibility begins to break down.
Jacek Wasilewski, a co-author of the study and a professor at the University of Warsaw, said the problem is rooted in a culture where hierarchy still carries great weight.
“We have a problem with speaking up, with giving feedback,” he said. “In companies, there is often no real conversation between employees, co-workers, and bosses, and that is a real problem.”
He added that many people are taught to avoid saying anything that might sound foolish for fear of being judged and damaging their image. As a result, workers often hesitate to suggest improvements, even when they want to help, and they hide mistakes instead of addressing them.
Wasilewski said the long-term effects include higher employee turnover and the loss of knowledge inside organizations. He warned that when companies fail to draw on workers’ experience, they waste valuable resources, and those losses can be measured in financial terms.
He argued that change has to begin with organizational culture. Leaders, whether managers, supervisors, or team heads, should show that employees can feel safe around them. Workers should also have clear ways to raise doubts or criticism without fear of rejection, he said.
The report found a sharply different picture in teams with high psychological safety. In those workplaces, 99 percent of respondents said they could solve problems constructively with one another, while 85 percent described their teams as stable, pointing to much lower turnover.
Piotr Barański, an expert with the foundation, said open communication brings clear benefits for companies. When employees feel their voice matters, he said, they become more engaged and more willing to come to work. He added that listening to staff can also help a company’s public reputation and may be more useful than waiting for an expensive outside audit.
Nowe Przestrzenie Foundation runs Poland’s first program focused on psychological and systemic safety in the workplace. The study was carried out by Ipsos Polska using computer-assisted web interviews on a representative sample of 1,000 people working in private-sector teams of at least five employees.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP