Psychological Safety in the Workplace: A Q&A with the American Psychological Association
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Artificial intelligence continues to revolutionize industries across the globe and its impact on the workplace is undeniable. AI is being used to assist creatives such as writers and artists, and in some instances even replace them. Customer service representatives and delivery drivers also face challenges with AI in the workplace, with AI being used in monitoring systems to track drivers’ behaviors going as far as monitoring their facial expressions. The concept of “psychological safety” in the workplace is more important than ever as workers learn to adapt to a landscape where their roles, job security, and privacy are constantly being challenged. I explored the topic of “psychological safety” with Denis Stolle, JD, PhD, the Senior Director of Applied Psychology in the Science Directorate at the American Psychological Association, diving into how workplaces can protect and promote workers’ well-being while navigating AI-driven changes.
Denis Stolle, JD, PhD, Senior Director of Applied Psychology, Science Directorate at the APA
Penelope Sosa: APA’s report, Work in America 2024, explores “psychological safety” in the workplace. Can you define this for us?
Denis Stolle: Workplace psychological safety refers to a team culture where workers are comfortable expressing themselves and taking appropriate interpersonal risks. By “interpersonal risks,” I mean things like taking the risk of sharing an idea that may not be popular or admitting to a mistake you made and asking for help. This can be risky because you may not know whether your team might react so negatively that it would jeopardize your standing at work. Team cultures where people feel safe taking those uncomfortable risks without fear of retribution are cultures where workers thrive.
Sometimes people misunderstand “psychological safety” to be directly analogous to physical safety – as if psychological safety is a hard hat for workers’ emotions. That is not accurate. It is not about making workers always feel comfortable. Instead, it is creating an environment where it is safe to engage in necessary, but even uncomfortable, conversations. Psychological safety matters because work teams that are higher in psychological safety tend to also report higher job satisfaction.
PS: What does psychological safety have to do with AI in the workplace?
DS: Well, we know from our data that there is a relationship between psychological safety and opinions about AI. We compared workers who reported higher levels of psychological safety to those who reported lower levels on how much they agree with the statement: “I am confident my employer will retrain me for a different job if AI replaces my job.” We found a statistically significant difference. Specifically, 66% of those who reported higher psychological safety agreed with the statement. In contrast, only 56% of those who reported lower psychological safety agreed.
We also found that 41% of workers worry that AI may make some, or all, of their job duties obsolete in the future. And those who have this worry are also more likely to report feeling tense or stressed out during a typical workday. The bottom line is that AI is making many workers worried, and we are seeing less optimism among workers who experience lower levels of workplace psychological safety.
PS: How might AI impact collaboration between different age groups, and what role does psychological safety play?
DS: Recently, we’ve seen a bigger age gap between the oldest and youngest workers. When it comes to AI, younger workers are more likely than older workers to report using it. For example, 44% of those aged 26 to 43 report using AI to assist them with work at least once a month. In contrast, only 11% of workers 65 and older report using AI to assist with work at least once a month. This shows a difference in work style between age groups.
Interestingly, even though younger workers are more likely to report using AI, they are also more worried about AI making their job duties obsolete. For example, 48% of workers between 17 and 25 expressed this worry, whereas only 30% of workers 65 and older expressed this worry. Employers need to start being intentional about addressing differing AI work styles and addressing employee worries about AI, especially among younger employees.
PS: How might AI technologies be used to enhance psychological safety in the workplace, particularly in remote or hybrid work environments?
DS: AI tools can boost productivity, reduce repetitive tasks, and free up time. This can allow workers to devote more time to creative and collaborative tasks that involve the types of human interaction where psychological safety can be fostered, even if that human interaction is happening over video calls.
The introduction of AI can also lead to fears about job displacement. In a psychologically safe workplace, employees can discuss these concerns. Transparent communication about AI can help alleviate fears and build trust.
Also, AI technologies that focus on monitoring employees can sometimes negatively impact psychological safety if employees feel their privacy is compromised without a good reason. Organizations need to be transparent about how and why they are using AI and to respect employee privacy concerns.
Organizations should involve employees in discussions about AI. We found that large percentages of workplaces do not have well-communicated policies on workplace AI use. Engaging workers in the creation and implementation of these policies is one way to foster psychological safety.
PS: Just for fun, what was the last thing you used AI for?
DS: My son is starting a new business, and we used AI to play around with different concepts for a business logo and brochures.