Let’s explore what it means to feel psychologically safe at work, and how you can screen for red flags during your job search. 

What it means to feel psychologically safe at work 

Have you ever worked in a team that tore down your ideas in meetings and made you generally feel quite small and unwanted? No doubt your performance, job satisfaction and overall wellbeing suffered. 

Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmundson defines psychological safety as “a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes.” It means that we feel safe and supported to challenge and share ideas, ask for help and contribute to conversations without risking our reputation or status. You could say that it allows us to be the best and brightest version of ourselves. 

There are some ways to figure out if a potential employer values your psychological safety before you join the wrong team and risk your untimely ruin. 

Red flag #1: Lack of inclusive language 

Job ads and other recruitment-related content can use exclusive language that deters applicants from certain demographics from applying. While this isn’t always intentional, on the flip side, a job ad using inclusive language will stand out like a yellow Ferrari because a) it’s clearly intentional and b) you’re not used to it! 

Some subtle things to look out for: 

• Gender based titles like “Storeman” and gendered pronouns like “He” when talking about the successful candidate. A psychologically safe workplace might use “Storeperson”, “they” or simply “you”. 
• Ageist terms like “tech savvy” and “digital natives” that appeal to millennials but deter boomers. Trendy acronyms like YOLO and WYSIWYG might also befuddle our older friends. 
• Non-neutral gender-coded language. There are studies to support this where job ads using masculine coded words like “competitive” “dominate” and “ninja” led women to have a lower sense they would belong.  Whereas, one study found that men showed no difference in anticipated belonging based on either masculine or feminine wording. 

You can check the job ad for subtle gender bias using this free tool. 

Red flag #2: A hiring manager allergic to vulnerability 

We’re only human, and as humans, sometimes we mess up or go through hardships. Inclusive leaders who are hard-wired for vulnerability will demonstrate empathy and understanding that supports their team through mistakes, fears, and anxieties. 

During interviews, make sure you ask questions about scenarios or experiences that are meaningful to you. For example: 

“How do you support team members who are experiencing overwhelm and burnout?” 

“If I need to take a day off or an early mark to care for my sick child, how would you respond?” 

“Can you tell me about a time a colleague messed up – what happened?” 

Take the lead and ask these culture questions during interview 

While we’re on the topic of interview questions, there are a whole heap that you can ask that will help you assess company fit before accepting offers. Here are 10 interview questions we prepared earlier. 



It’s not always easy to determine if a company is going to be a psychologically safe place where you can do your best work. Before accepting your next role, keep an eye out for these recruitment red flags and make sure to ask important questions that help you assess culture fit.