New survey data from Wiley suggest workers are far less likely than their managers and senior-level executives to feel psychologically safe taking risks at work. The findings from the latest Wiley Workplace Intelligence report show a particularly wide gulf between individual contributors and executives, which could lead to lower trust, engagement and productivity in the workplace.

Psychological safety—a term first coined by Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson—refers to an environment where individuals can freely express ideas, voice concerns, take risks and admit mistakes without fear of repercussions. It’s recognized as a key factor in fostering healthy workplace environments.

According to Wiley’s latest research, only 53% of individual contributors said they feel safe taking risks at their organizations, compared to 64% of managers, 55% of supervisors, 71% of directors and 76% of executives.

Nearly one-fifth of individual contributors didn’t feel safe taking