This study explored the buffering effects of psychological safety on role overload and safety incidents.
Data from online survey of 841 employees.
Shared under an open access licence.
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Extracts:
· “Role overload is a form of work-related stress … Qualitative role overload occurs when an individual lacks the skills required to perform tasks required in their job. Quantitative role overload occurs when an individual perceives that the volume and pace of work they are required to perform is excessive”
· “Role overload positively relates to safety incidents, but this effect is conditional on psychological safety”
· “team-level psychological safety buffers the effects of role overload on safety incidents”
· “cognitively and/or physically demanding workplaces employees at greater risk of experiencing safety incidents. This is particularly concerning given the increasing intensification of work and strong pressures within organizations to complete work as quickly as possible”
· “When exposed to high workloads, human information processing errors are likely to occur resulting in more frequent safety incidents. It is also the case that role overload may cause employees to focus more narrowly on a few specific features of their environment and therefore they may not identify and attend to hazards within their workplace”
· “Role overload may also cause employees to have to make “productivity/safety trade-offs” where they come to believe that short-cut methods are expected because management values productivity above employee safety”
· “findings indicate that psychological safety is a team-level resource that confers protection on members from the effect of role overload on safety incidents, by creating a supportive environment where employees feel comfortable in pointing out errors, raising concerns, and admitting mistakes”
· “Our findings do not support the notion that psychological safety is an individual-level moderator, buffering employees from safety incidents related to role overload”
· “team psychological safety is a resource that insulates employees from the negative outcomes of stressors such as role overload”
· “While there was no individual-level buffering, psychological safety directly reduces safety incidents”
· “employees should individually and collectively invest resources to create a climate of psychological safety to protect themselves and their colleagues from the negative safety implications of role overload”
· “Leaders are advised to focus on interventions to enhance team-level psychological safety including supportive environments to encourage team cohesion, initiative taking, accountability, and via their leadership development”
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