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Psychological Safety at Work: Myths and Truths
Tuesday, October 07, 2025
Psychological safety is often misunderstood—and those misunderstandings can kill workplace trust before it ever has a chance to grow.
Technically, psychological safety is the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. It means team members believe they can take risks without being shamed by other team members.
My favorite definition? It’s this: It’s OK to not be OK. It’s OK to make mistakes. It’s OK to speak up and disagree. Like, it’s really OK. I can go through my day without the fear of punishment or humiliation. It’s not just words; it’s how everyone treats each other on a daily basis.
But there are many inaccurate myths about psychological safety that hinder a workplace's ability to effectively create and make use of psychological safety. So, let’s bust some myths.
Myth #1: Psychological safety means being nice all the time.
Nope. It’s not about endless “kumbaya” moments, being indulgent, or absolving people of responsibility. It’s not about letting performance standards slip. In fact, psychological safety does the opposite: It makes it possible to uphold high standards because people can talk openly about mistakes and challenge others without fear. It's actually about the ability to have hard conversations, not about avoiding hard conversations.
Myth #2: It’s the leader’s job alone.
Leaders do set the tone, and their impact on team safety is huge—but employees have a role, too. If you’re on a team where not everyone is on board, you can still create psychological safety with just one other trusted colleague. Two people creating a safe space for each other can change the experience of work for both.
Myth #3: Psychological safety might be nice to have, but it's not essential.
Again, nope. Research shows again and again that psychological safety brings huge benefits to both employees and employers. For example, Google’s research on what makes the most effective teams found that psychological safety was the number-one factor—more important than dependability, clarity, meaning, or impact. Without it, those other things didn’t matter. Research also shows it boosts job satisfaction, performance, and proactive work behaviors, and it reduces turnover. It’s not just good for employees; it’s good for employers’ bottom line.
The Reality
A workplace without psychological safety is one filled with blame, judgment, ridicule, silence, false agreement, gossip, hidden mistakes, and people masking their full selves. It’s a valid reason to quit—and younger workers, in particular, are paying attention to whether their employer cares about their mental health in ways that go beyond having an Employee Assistance Program.
Psychological safety isn’t a “nice-to-have.” It’s a performance driver, a retention strategy, and the foundation of trust at work. Bust the myths, build the real thing—and watch your team transform.
References
Rozovsky, J. (2015, November 17). The five keys to a successful Google team.
Edmondson, A. C. (2019). The fearless organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth. John Wiley & Sons.
Meet Dr. Dayna, Ph.D.
Dr. Dayna Lee-Baggley is a Registered Psychologist with two decades of professional experience in clinical psychology, health psychology, and organizational psychology. She has extensive applied experience and research knowledge on burnout, psychological safety in the workplace, behaviour and organizational change, and wellness leadership. She is an internationally recognized expert in human behavior. She conducts innovative research at Dalhousie and Saint Mary’s University, with a distinguished track record of 55 peer-reviewed publications and over 140 scholarly presentations. She is the author of "Healthy Habits Suck: How to get off the couch and live a healthy life even if you don’t want to"
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