Background:
As workplaces evolve, they confront escalating challenges, including prevalent psychosocial hazards that contribute to a hostile environment for employees. In response, organizations are compelled to safeguard the psychological well-being of their workforce. This review aims to elucidate the impact of psychosocial safety climate (PSC) on workplace mistreatment and workers’ mental health.
Methods:
Following the guidelines proposed by Arksey and O’Malley, this review systematically maps relevant studies. Databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, JSTOR, Google, and Google Scholar were searched for peer-reviewed papers. Studies utilizing PSC-12, PSC-8, or PSC-4 as measurement tools were exclusively considered.
Results:
Thirty-eight studies were identified meeting the inclusion criteria. The review indicates a negative correlation between PSC and various forms of workplace mistreatment, encompassing bullying, harassment, violence, discrimination, and abuse. Additionally, PSC demonstrates a positive association with psychological well-being, personal resilience, and hope. Conversely, a deficient organizational PSC fosters psychological distress, stress, depression, cognitive fatigue, and emotional exhaustion. The established buffering effect of PSC is reiterated. Moreover, PSC serves as a mediator between health-centric leadership and employees’ psychological health issues. Notably, the inverse correlation between PSC and depressive symptoms is more pronounced among female employees.
Conclusion:
Organizations are encouraged to prioritize the training and development of supervisors to bolster their supportive capacities, foster a culture of respect, advocate for resource utilization, facilitate open and bottom-up communication, and provide guidance on conflict resolution. By cultivating a high PSC environment, organizations can foster a culture that discourages mistreatment, consequently enhancing employee well-being, job satisfaction, and productivity.
