Social safety organisation
Social safety in the workplace: measurable, open to discussion, governable
A safe working climate is not a poster on the wall: you hold the duty of care and must be able to show that your approach works. Soterna gives you the infrastructure to surface signals early and make the effect demonstrable, for the board, supervisory bodies and the works council.
Making it discussable
A culture where people dare to speak up
Social safety grows in conversations, not in protocols. Soterna makes it safe to share signals early, and shows you whether that actually happens.
Governance matter
Social safety has become a boardroom responsibility
Supervisory bodies, works councils and society at large expect boards to take social safety demonstrably seriously. The question at the boardroom table has shifted from 'do we have a procedure?' to 'do we know what is going on and are we doing enough?'
- The Working Conditions Act requires a policy against psychosocial workload (PSA)
- The RI&E must identify PSA risks and set out measures to address them
- Supervision and governance codes call for demonstrable follow-up on signals
- The reputational and turnover costs of an unsafe climate far exceed the cost of prevention
From reporting to trust
A higher willingness to report is the beginning, not the goal
More reports do not mean more problems, but problems that finally become visible, so that you can adjust course sooner. The aim reaches further: a speak-up culture in which signals can be raised so early that formal reporting becomes less and less necessary.
Being able to report safely
A guided intake in which the reporter chooses how: anonymously, confidentially or by name, with protection after reporting. Without that safety, no signal.
Visible follow-up
Reports demonstrably lead to action. Anonymous reporters too return with a case reference and access code for encrypted feedback, with an acknowledgement of receipt within 7 days.
Understanding patterns
Trust Gap Analytics reveals where employees do experience something but do not report it.
Strengthening culture
Organisational action plans by team or theme, tracked over time, linked to aggregated signals and never to a person. From reporting point to speak-up culture.
Instruments
Governance insight without exposing individuals
Trust Gap Analytics
Measure the gap between what employees experience and what is reported, by department, theme and period.
PSA and RI&E mapping
Link signals and reporting themes to PSA risks from your RI&E, so that policy and practice meet.
Board Safe Reporting
Board reports on climate and risks, always aggregated and k-anonymous with a minimum group of 7, without access to individual case files.
Action-driven improvement
From insight to intervention: organisational action plans by team or theme on aggregated signals, with measurable follow-up over time.
23
Reports
100%
Followed up
3.2 d
Lead time
Reports per month
Social Safety Heatmap, patterns by category and period. Cells below the minimum group of 7 are suppressed, including in exports.
Board Safe Reporting, governance insight without access to individual reports.
Action-driven improvement
Not a dashboard to look at, but one to work with
Many organisations measure culture once every two years with an employee survey and then leave it there. Soterna makes improvement a continuous process.
How the improvement cycle works
- Signal: trust gap indicators by organisational unit
- Interpret: themes and patterns, discussed with HR and the works council
- Act: organisational action plans by theme with an owner and deadline, never linked to an individual report
- Track: effect visible in the same indicators, quarter on quarter
Frequently asked questions
Social safety in the workplace, explained in brief
What is social safety in the workplace?
Social safety means that employees feel free to speak up, name mistakes and report inappropriate behaviour without fear of adverse consequences. It is about how people treat one another: no bullying, discrimination, harassment or abuse of power, and a culture in which signals can be raised early.
What is the difference between social and psychological safety?
Psychological safety is the individual sense that you can take a risk, ask a question or admit a mistake without being punished. Social safety is the broader working climate in which that feeling can emerge: clear standards, safe reporting routes and visible follow-up. Each one reinforces the other.
Is attention to social safety a legal requirement?
Yes. The Working Conditions Act requires employers to have a policy against psychosocial workload (PSA), including inappropriate conduct. The risk inventory and evaluation (RI&E) must identify those risks and set out measures to address them. Soterna helps you meet this duty of care in a demonstrable way, for the board, supervisory bodies and the works council.
How do you make social safety measurable?
Not by counting reports alone. Trust Gap Analytics reveals the gap between what employees experience and what they actually report, by department, theme and period. This shows you where people stay silent, in time to adjust course, and lets you track the effect of interventions over time.
Does the board then gain access to individual reports?
No. Board Safe Reporting only ever delivers aggregated, k-anonymous reporting. Cells below the minimum group of seven are suppressed, including in the heatmap and in exports. The board and supervisory bodies see climate, trends and risk areas, never a traceable report.
Begin
Make your duty of care demonstrable
Request a demo and see how Trust Gap Analytics and Board Safe Reporting give your board aggregated insight, without access to individual case files. Naturally, we work with fictitious data for this.