Bridging Experiences and Policies: A Dual-Dimensional Approach to Create and Supervise Psychosocially Safe Work Environments

Psychosocial safety - the protection and promotion of employees’ mental well-being - is essential for healthy and sustainable workplaces. However, current assessment approaches often focus either on formal organizational policies or on employees’ perceptions, which limits a comprehensive understanding of psychosocial risks. This paper addresses that gap by introducing a Dual-Dimensional Model that integrates both perspectives into a single framework. Developed from a collaboration between Utrecht University and the Netherlands Labour Authority, the model maps organizations along two axes: the presence of formal psychosocial safety policies and employees’ shared perceptions of the psychosocial safety climate. This results in four organizational profiles - Unsafe, Looks Safe, Feels Safe, and Safe - which capture different alignments or mismatches between policy and lived experience. The model reveals that strong policies do not guarantee a safe climate, and that positive perceptions can exist even in the absence of formal structures. These insights enable a more nuanced diagnosis of psychosocial safety and support the development of targeted interventions. By highlighting distinct challenges and opportunities within each quadrant, the framework offers practical guidance for practitioners seeking to close the gap between policy and perception. Ultimately, the model contributes to more tailored strategies for improving psychosocial safety, enhancing employee well-being, and strengthening organizational resilience.