Employee well-being, psychological safety key concerns at workplace: Gi Group Holding India research report

Kolkata: Gi Group Holding India, a global leader in human capital solutions and services, is released its third research report: “The Safety Net: Supporting Employee Well-being with Psychological Safety 2023”. This research surveyed over 500 employer responders and over a thousand employee respondents across six major cities in India: Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, NCR, and Hyderabad. The report covers key sectors such as Auto, BSFI, Consumer durables, FMCG, E-commerce, Health, IT/ITES, and Retail, spanning organisations of varying sizes. With the ultimate goal of highlighting the importance of mental wellbeing in fostering a sustainable and enriching labor market, this study examines how psychological safety at work is instrumental in building a transformative and positive work environment for employees, organisations, and society as a whole.

The latest research highlights the crucial role of psychological safety in workplaces, revealing its impact on employee satisfaction, mental health, innovation, talent attraction, and retention. According to the survey, 94 per cent of employees recognise the indispensability of psychological safety, while 79 per cent of employers prioritise cultivating a safe environment. The study emphasises that 74 per cent of employees believe a psychologically unsafe workplace can harm mental health. While 57 per cent of employers are familiar with psychological safety, a minor group of 35 per cent of employees share the same awareness, underscoring the need for increased communication and education. Younger workers aged 26-45 display the highest recognition at 96 per cent, compared to 86 per cent for those aged 46 and older. Smaller organisations (98 per cent) lead in recognizing psychological safety, followed by medium-sized (95 per cent) and large organisations (88 per cent). Sonal Arora, Country Manager at Gi Group Holding, India, said, “We are elated to launch our research report for the year 2023 on Employee Well-being with Psychological Safety. We first initiated our efforts to highlight this key issue impacting our society in the 2021 edition of our report, which focused on growing awareness level of mental health issues in our country, specifically in the corporate sector. This was followed by the second report issued in 2022, which addressed some of the challenges faced by today’s employees, including stability concerns and the need for responsible and trained leaders who understand workplace stress and job insecurity. With the 2023 report, we are highlighting the enablers required for creating a nurturing environment that fosters psychological safety, allowing employees to thrive both professionally and personally.”

The research reveals that in-office workers report lower levels of psychological safety compared to hybrid and remote workers, indicating workplace biases, misconduct, and absenteeism as indicators of an unsafe environment.

Stigma hinders open discussions on mental health concerns and biases. Feedback mechanisms and non-discrimination policies are crucial for creating supportive and inclusive workplaces.