PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY AS A MEDIATING MECHANISM BETWEEN WORKPLACE STRESSORS AND EMPLOYEE WELLBEING: A MULTILEVEL ANALYSIS

Employee wellbeing has become a central concern for organizations aiming to maintain a productive, engaged, and sustainable workforce. Workplace stressors, including excessive workload, role ambiguity, interpersonal conflicts, and organizational constraints, have been consistently shown to negatively influence both the mental and physical health of employees. These stressors can lead to burnout, emotional exhaustion, reduced job satisfaction, and diminished overall life satisfaction, which in turn adversely affect organizational outcomes such as performance, retention, and innovation. While organizations have historically attempted to mitigate these stressors through structural and procedural interventions, recent research emphasizes the critical role of psychological and social mechanisms in buffering the harmful effects of stress.Psychological safety, defined as employees shared belief that the work environment is safe for interpersonal risk-taking without fear of negative consequences to ones reputation, career, or social standing, has emerged as a crucial factor in this context. Employees experiencing higher psychological safety feel empowered to express ideas, raise concerns, admit mistakes, and seek support, even under conditions of high workplace stress. This capability not only fosters individual learning and growth but also strengthens team cohesion and organizational resilience.