Leadership in the era of psychosocial safety: an interview with CEO and Founder, Vanessa Fudge.
Psychosocial safety has moved quickly from HR concern to board-level priority. New legislation and growing awareness of workplace wellbeing have placed the issue firmly on organisational agendas.
But the shift has not been straightforward. Expectations of leaders are evolving rapidly, often without the support or clarity required to navigate them confidently.
In this interview, Vanessa Fudge reflects on how leadership is changing in response to psychosocial safety and how organisations can approach the issue strategically rather than reactively.
Psychosocial safety is receiving increasing attention. Have you seen a shift in leadership as a result?
Yes, although in many organisations the response has been reactive rather than strategic.
Some organisations anticipated the implications of psychosocial safety legislation early. They educated leaders, clarified expectations and began strengthening the systems that support healthy work environments.
More commonly, organisations have been responding after issues arise. In some cases, employee claims have emerged before leaders fully understood their obligations under the legislation.
Historically, leaders were accustomed to managing physical safety risks and clear psychological hazards such as bullying, harassment or aggression. Those responsibilities were well understood.
What has changed is the scope of responsibility.
Psychosocial safety now encompasses a broader range of organisational factors including role clarity, job demands, workplace relationships and consultation during change. Many of these were previously considered “good practice”. They are now regulatory expectations.
Many organisations are still building the capability required to manage them effectively.
What has changed in the expectations placed on leaders?
Leaders today operate under competing expectations.
On one hand, they are responsible for delivering performance, driving productivity and navigating constant change including the growing impact of automation and AI.
On the other hand, they are now expected to actively manage psychosocial risk factors while maintaining engagement, clarity and healthy team dynamics.
While these responsibilities are not entirely new, their visibility and regulatory weight have increased significantly.
Leadership has become more complex, and more exposed.
Psychosocial risk can no longer be treated as separate from performance. It is now part of the leadership remit.
What are leaders most concerned about getting wrong?
A growing concern is that everyday leadership actions may be interpreted as psychosocial harm.
This can lead to hesitation around conversations that are actually essential for healthy teams such as addressing performance issues, setting expectations or managing conflict.
When leaders avoid these conversations, problems tend to escalate. Standards drift, tensions build and team performance suffers.
In trying to avoid risk, leaders can unintentionally create new risks.
How has the language of harm and safety changed leadership conversations?
The language of harm and risk has reshaped workplace dialogue.
In some situations, legitimate performance conversations can be interpreted as unfair or harmful. When this occurs repeatedly, it can erode leaders’ confidence in their authority.
It’s important to be clear: psychosocial hazards are real and significant workplace risks.
The challenge is that leaders are managing these risks within environments already characterised by organisational change, market pressure and increasing complexity.
Holding performance standards while safeguarding wellbeing requires skill and confidence. Without adequate support, leaders may default to risk-averse behaviour rather than purposeful leadership.
What are you seeing leaders do to protect themselves?
Some leaders respond defensively.
They may over-document interactions, avoid difficult conversations or narrow their decision-making to minimise perceived exposure.
However, the most effective leaders are taking a different approach. They are strengthening clarity around expectations, priorities and communication.
The current environment does not require weaker leadership. It requires more intentional leadership.
Coaching plays an important role here. When leaders have strong support structures and a trusted sounding board, they are better able to navigate complex conversations and lead with confidence.
How does the Well@Work approach support organisations?
Well@Work was designed to address a gap in how organisations typically assess psychosocial risk.
Most assessment tools focus on symptoms, for example engagement levels, stress indicators or reported incidents.
Well@Work takes a broader systems perspective.
It measures psychosocial hazards in line with regulatory expectations, while also examining the organisational conditions that shape how those hazards emerge and accumulate.
These include factors such as work design, leadership effectiveness, team dynamics and organisational alignment.
By combining these insights, Well@Work helps organisations identify the underlying system dynamics influencing performance, wellbeing and culture.
Rather than focusing only on eliminating hazards, leaders can identify where strengthening the system will have the greatest impact.
In parallel, we support leadership teams to reclaim the confidence and authority to have intentional conversations with their people – conversations that reinforce both performance expectations and psychological safety.
How can organisations uphold psychosocial safety without undermining leadership authority?
Psychosocial safety should not be approached purely as a compliance exercise.
Healthy workplaces are supported by clear direction, shared purpose, strong leadership and well-designed organisational systems.
When organisations focus only on risk elimination, leaders can become overly cautious and reactive.
When they focus on governing the whole system, they create environments where wellbeing and performance reinforce one another.
Psychosocial safety should strengthen leadership, not weaken it.
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