The Influence of Psychological Safety on Employee Engagement: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Context

Objectives: Psychological safety and employee engagement have become predominant issues for organisations globally; the two constructs could be seen as elements that can help employees be more productive and stay longer with the establishments. Researchers have pointed to psychological safety as a factor that contributes to employees’ engagement, but few studies have examined the influence of psychological safety on employee engagement. This study examined how the two concepts—psychological safety and employee engagement influence one another, with the aim of proposing strategies to improve employee engagement. Theoretical Framework: Kahn’s theory proposes that employee engagement is more likely in a work environment that is encouraging and has all the resources available. Method: This study used an exploratory research approach and consulted a variety of publications, journals, textbooks, and online resources to acquire secondary data on psychological safety and employee engagement. Content analysis was used to review the extracted articles for the study. Results and Discussion: Content analysis revealed that psychological safety influences employee engagement, and that organisations that strive for employee engagement should therefore allow psychological safety to flourish. This study concludes that employee engagement may be impacted by psychological states of employee’s engagement and disengagement, which can result in differing degrees of physical, mental, and emotional dedication to their jobs. Research Implications: The research/practical implication is that this study serves as an impetus to research studies of psychological safety and employee engagement in private and public service organisations. Originality/Value: The study provides organisations’ HR departments with useful resources that will help lessen difficulties encountered and offer insight into tactics to ensure psychological safety in the workplace.