At the Table, on the Menu, and Under the Bus: Are Black Local Health Department Employees Psychologically Safe?

Abstract

Psychological safety is an important topic to address because of its association with positive work environments and job satisfaction. In the context of this study, psychological safety is defined as an employee’s perception of the consequences of taking interpersonal risks in their work environment. This study explored the nexus of psychological safety and institutional racism as an antecedent to job satisfaction among Black employees of local health departments (LHDs) in the United States. To examine the impact of psychological safety on job satisfaction for Black LHD employees, interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of Black LHD employees. Participants shared their lived experiences related to their perception of the relationship between institutional racism and psychological safety in local health departments; aspects of the work that promoted or inhibited psychological safety; how their identities, position, tenure, and/or place of employment impacted their experiences of psychological safety; and how psychological safety impacted job satisfaction. The interview findings showed that Black employees experience institutional racism and a lack of psychological safety in local health departments. The results suggest that Black LHD employees experience a lack of psychological safety in the workplace regardless of their identities that negatively impacts job satisfaction. For this reason, LHDs and other public health institutions should consider examining the disconnect between public health/LHD stated mission and vision, the operationalization of that mission/vision, and the impact it has on the psychological safety of Black LHD employees; implementing programs, policies, and practices that shift the organizational culture towards diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and providing the resources necessary to equip LHD supervisors and managers with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to create psychologically safe environments for Black LHD employees.