Nearly half of employees feel unsafe speaking up at work

New research from MHFA England, published ahead of My Whole Self Day on Tuesday March 10th, has revealed that 45% of UK employees feel unable to raise mistakes or risks at work. This silence is not just damaging for individuals, but costly for organisations too – affecting productivity, quality, and the risk of preventable errors.

The research, conducted with 2,000 working adults across the UK, highlights the scale of the challenge:

49% don’t feel comfortable expressing their needs at work
35% don’t feel safe asking for help
15% say they have made preventable mistakes because they felt unsafe speaking up

These findings highlight the critical role psychological safety plays in workplace performance. When employees are fearful of judgement or consequences, innovation slows, mistakes go unchallenged, and wellbeing suffers. With one in seven employees (15%) already making more mistakes due to stress and fear, many organisations have an opportunity to strengthen performance and mental health.

Sarah McIntosh, Chief Executive of MHFA England and the Association of Mental Health First Aiders, said: “When people don’t feel safe flagging a risk or asking a question, mistakes slip through, quality suffers, and the bottom line and wellbeing take a hit. In an era of rapid AI adoption, we can’t afford employees who are too afraid to speak up when they spot errors – human judgment is our strength and safety net.

“The good news is that psychological safety can be built with the right tools and training to create the conditions that teams need to thrive.”

Closing the psychological safety gap

To support organisations on this journey, MHFA England has launched the free My Whole Self Day 2026 toolkit. It provides practical, evidence-based guidance to help organisations of any size take meaningful steps towards more open, supportive workplace cultures. Changes don’t have to be radical or costly to make an impact.

The toolkit focuses on: