The role of leadership in shaping psychological safety: a qualitative study from Slovakia

The study explored how leadership behaviors shape psychological safety and employee voice in Slovak workplaces, with a particular focus on relational dynamics. Drawing on attachment theory, the study examined the barriers and enablers to speaking up and how leaders influence employees’ perceptions of workplace safety. A qualitative design was employed using semi-structured interviews with 11 employees from diverse industries in Slovakia. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, identifying key patterns related to leadership behavior, communication practices, and workplace culture. Seven overarching themes and 17 subthemes emerged, forming a typology of workplace climates: (A) psychologically safe, (B) psychologically unsafe, and (C) emotionally disengaged. Leadership behaviors, such as emotional availability, relational consistency, and accessibility, strongly influenced psychological safety. Key barriers included fear of negative consequences, hierarchical distance, lack of feedback, and unclear roles. Participants identified five leadership competency domains (social, emotional, communication, cognitive, and organizational) as essential for cultivating safety and voice in the workplace. The findings conceptualize psychological safety as a relationally constructed phenomenon co-created through everyday leader-employee interactions. Leadership with attachment-related qualities, defined by emotional support and trust, enables employees to engage, speak up, and contribute authentically. The study contributes a culturally grounded interpretive typology and a dual competency model (relational and functional) for leadership development. Psychological safety should be viewed as an integral component of occupational safety management. Leadership development and organizational interventions may benefit from targeting both relational and functional dimensions to cultivate safe and healthy workplaces.