For Mental Health Awareness Month, we are highlighting why psychological safety is the foundation of healthy teamwork.
Google’s famous study on team performance, Project Aristotle, came to a surprising conclusion: the most successful teams were not those with the smartest people, the highest number of degrees, or the greatest seniority. What mattered most was something else entirely: psychological safety. In other words, a work environment where people feel safe to express uncertainties, ask questions, or openly admit mistakes without fear of negative judgment or consequences.
Today, the study’s findings are considered a milestone in modern team and leadership culture. Google first published the results in 2015 through its re:Work platform (“Understand team effectiveness,” published in 2015).
It is not expertise alone that determines how successfully teams work together, but above all the feeling of safety — the confidence to openly contribute questions, uncertainties, or mistakes.
When Silence Becomes the Norm
And yet, in companies every day, we see situations where employees prefer to stay silent rather than speak up. Overload remains unspoken, conflicts are avoided, mistakes are hidden, and insecurities are masked. Even clear signs of withdrawal often go unnoticed.
Not out of disinterest, but often out of uncertainty.
This is exactly what we are currently discussing at INSITE during Mental Health Awareness Month, including with our colleague Latifa Baddour — psychologist, mental health expert, trainer, and coach — who supports companies, leaders, and employees in their daily practice.
Mental Health Awareness Alone Is Not Enough
The following thoughts and observations are based on Latifa Baddour’s practical work with teams and organizations.
“Mental Health Awareness” has now become part of many companies. There are awareness days, campaigns, and growing attention to mental health in the workplace.
But awareness alone does not change a culture.
As Latifa Baddour explains, what is often missing at the crucial moment is confidence in taking action. In everyday working life, this becomes visible in very concrete situations: a colleague suddenly withdraws, a conversation feels difficult and is therefore avoided, or someone appears overwhelmed, but others are afraid of saying the wrong thing. And so, nothing happens.
Especially in the workplace, this quickly creates a culture of looking away. Not because people do not want to help, but because they are afraid of saying the wrong thing or making the situation worse.
Every Action Counts: Small Actions With a Big Impact
For Latifa Baddour, this is exactly where the core message of this year’s motto for many mental health initiatives lies: “Every Action Counts.”
In everyday business life, this means above all: we need fewer perfect answers and more people who are willing to take action in the first place.
Because psychological safety is not created through mission statements or one-time campaigns. It emerges where people experience that someone asks questions, truly listens, and does not ignore stress or struggles. It grows where uncertainties can be addressed openly and no one has to feel alone with their challenges.
Numerous studies show that psychological safety has a direct impact on collaboration, innovation, and team performance. Particularly influential is the research of Amy Edmondson from Harvard Business School. As early as 1999, she published her study “Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams” in the journal Administrative Science Quarterly.
The Harvard Business Review also revisited the topic and published the article “What Is Psychological Safety?” on February 15, 2023. In it, psychological safety is described as a shared belief within a team that interpersonal risks are allowed — such as asking questions, addressing mistakes, or expressing doubts.
What Companies Can Do in Practice
Psychological safety does not happen by chance — it requires structures, language, and people who are willing to pay attention.
INSITE’s work demonstrates how this can be developed:
- through mental health first aiders who are approachable when others are not
- through conflict guides who step in early before situations escalate
- through targeted work on psychological safety within teams and leadership cultures
- and through training programs that give people confidence in handling difficult conversations
This does not create a “perfect corporate culture.” But it creates a culture in which more becomes possible. People address issues earlier. They truly listen to one another. And they experience that stress and struggles do not have to lead to isolation.
And that is exactly where mental health in companies begins.
Not in mission statements.
Not in campaigns.
But in the next conversation.
Those who strengthen psychological safety create the foundation for healthy, high-performing teams. INSITE supports companies with training, consulting, and practical solutions focused on mental health and collaboration. Together, we identify what your company and teams truly need.