"Psychological Safety" (Feeling Safe to Speak Up) and "Recognition/Praise" (Efforts and Contributions Acknowledged) Lead to Higher Job Satisfaction. 78.9% of Employees Report High Satisfaction in Workplaces with High Recognition and Praise.

Survey Results Topics

In workplaces where employees feel safe to express their opinions (high psychological safety), 70.8% report high job satisfaction. In the low psychological safety group, this figure is 3.9%, a difference of 66.9 percentage points.

In workplaces where employees feel their efforts and contributions are recognized (high recognition and praise), 78.9% report high job satisfaction. In the low recognition and praise group, this figure is 7.2%, a difference of 71.8 percentage points.

In the high recognition and praise group, 82.5% report high engagement. In the low group, this figure is 18.8%, a difference of 63.7 percentage points.

Real One Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Shin Aoyama), which conducts research in the human resources and organizational fields, conducted an "Awareness Survey on Work and Workplaces" targeting 500 working individuals. This release introduces the results concerning workplace environment (psychological safety, recognition, and praise) and job satisfaction/engagement.

This survey focused on psychological safety, representing a "workplace where opinions can be expressed with peace of mind," and recognition/praise, representing a "workplace where efforts and contributions are acknowledged," to examine their relationship with job satisfaction and engagement.

The survey results showed that in the high psychological safety group, 70.8% of individuals reported high job satisfaction. In contrast, in the low psychological safety group, this figure was 3.9%, revealing a gap of 66.9 percentage points between the two.

Furthermore, in the high recognition and praise group, 78.9% of individuals reported high job satisfaction. In contrast, in the low recognition and praise group, this figure was 7.2%, revealing a gap of 71.8 percentage points between the two.

Additionally, in the high recognition and praise group, 82.5% of individuals reported high engagement. In contrast, in the low group, this figure was 18.8%.

These findings suggest that not only workplaces where necessary matters can be discussed with peace of mind, but also workplaces where one's efforts and contributions are acknowledged, are likely related to employees' job satisfaction and positive work attitudes.

Key Survey Findings

1. In workplaces where opinions can be expressed with peace of mind, 70.8% of employees report high job satisfaction.

First, the relationship between psychological safety and job satisfaction was examined.

In the low psychological safety group, the percentage of individuals reporting high job satisfaction was 3.9%. In the intermediate group, it was 24.2%, and in the high group, it was 70.8%.

A gap of 66.9 percentage points was observed between the high and low psychological safety groups.

Psychological safety refers to a state in the workplace where it is easy to convey necessary information frankly, with little difficulty or excessive hesitation. This survey found a tendency for a higher proportion of individuals reporting high job satisfaction among those who feel their workplace has high psychological safety.

Figure 1: Percentage of employees with high job satisfaction, by level of psychological safety. The percentage of employees with high job satisfaction was 3.9% (6/152) in the low group, 24.2% (48/198) in the intermediate group, and 70.8% (97/137) in the high group. A gap of 66.9 percentage points was observed between the high and low groups.

2. In workplaces where efforts and contributions are recognized, 78.9% of employees report high job satisfaction.

Next, the relationship between recognition/praise and job satisfaction was examined.

In the low recognition and praise group, the percentage of individuals reporting high job satisfaction was 7.2%. In the intermediate group, it was 23.7%, and in the high group, it was 78.9%.

A gap of 71.8 percentage points was observed between the high and low recognition and praise groups.

Recognition and praise refer to a state where one feels their work and contributions are acknowledged, and good actions or achievements are communicated through words or actions.

The largest gap (71.8 percentage points) among the three calculations in this survey was observed in the combination of recognition/praise and job satisfaction. It is possible that not only workplaces where opinions can be expressed with peace of mind, but also workplaces where efforts and contributions are recognized, are related to employee job satisfaction.

Figure 2: Percentage of employees with high job satisfaction, by level of recognition and praise. The percentage of employees with high job satisfaction was 7.2% (12/167) in the low group, 23.7% (49/207) in the intermediate group, and 78.9% (90/114) in the high group. A gap of 71.8 percentage points was observed between the high and low groups.

3. In the high recognition and praise group, 82.5% of employees report high engagement.

Furthermore, the relationship between recognition/praise and engagement was examined.

In the low recognition and praise group, the percentage of individuals reporting high engagement was 18.8%. In the intermediate group, it was 61.2%, and in the high group, it was 82.5%.

A gap of 63.7 percentage points was observed between the high and low recognition and praise groups.

Engagement in this release refers to an indicator of positive feelings towards work, such as finding work interesting, engaging with work positively, and feeling vibrant at work.

This survey found a tendency for a higher proportion of individuals reporting high engagement among those who feel their workplace has high recognition and praise.

Figure 3: Percentage of employees with high engagement, by level of recognition and praise. The percentage of employees with high engagement was 18.8% (31/165) in the low group, 61.2% (126/206) in the intermediate group, and 82.5% (94/114) in the high group. A gap of 63.7 percentage points was observed between the high and low groups.

It should be noted that all results presented in this release are based on an awareness survey conducted at a single point in time and do not indicate a causal relationship between psychological safety, recognition/praise, job satisfaction, and engagement.

Background of the Survey

Psychological safety has become widely known as an important theme in workplace development. Workplaces where necessary matters can be communicated with peace of mind may be related to employee satisfaction and engagement.

On the other hand, for employees, it is important not only to be able to "speak up" but also to have their work and contributions recognized. It is thought that daily efforts and achievements being acknowledged and praised are related to a positive attitude towards work and a sense of contentment with the workplace.

Therefore, this survey focused on psychological safety and recognition/praise to examine their relationship with job satisfaction and engagement.

Implications for Companies

This survey found a tendency for a higher proportion of employees to report high job satisfaction in the high psychological safety group. Additionally, a high proportion of employees (78.9%) reported high job satisfaction in the high recognition and praise group.

Furthermore, a higher proportion of employees reported high engagement in the high recognition and praise group.

These results suggest that in workplace development, in addition to an environment where opinions can be expressed with peace of mind, the way employees' actions and contributions are observed, acknowledged, and communicated is also a potentially important theme.

In employee satisfaction surveys and engagement surveys, it is important to examine not only the results of satisfaction and positivity but also the underlying workplace factors. Furthermore, in 360-degree feedback and management training, it is considered effective to reflect on the extent to which daily recognition and praise are provided by supervisors and within the workplace.

Representative's Comment

Psychological safety is an important theme in workplace development. Workplaces where necessary matters can be communicated with peace of mind are thought to be related to employee satisfaction and positivity.

On the other hand, this survey found a tendency for higher job satisfaction and engagement among those who feel their workplace offers high recognition and praise.

This suggests that in workplace development, not only an "environment where one can speak up" but also "interactions where efforts and contributions are observed, acknowledged, and communicated" are important.

Real One provides support for corporate organizational improvement and human resource development by visualizing the state of the workplace through employee satisfaction surveys, engagement surveys, and 360-degree feedback.

Real One Inc.

Representative Director, Shin Aoyama

Survey Overview

Survey Name: Awareness Survey on Work and Workplaces

Survey Target: 500 working individuals (Ages 20-59. 289 males, 211 females. Employment types: Regular employees 80.4%, Contract employees/commissioned employees/quasi-employees 5.0%, Temporary employees 5.0%, Part-time/Arubaito 9.6%).

Survey Method: Internet survey

Survey Period: May 2026

Survey Conducted by: Real One Inc.

About Grouping and Indicators

Psychological safety is an indicator representing a state in the workplace where it is easy to convey necessary information frankly, with little difficulty or excessive hesitation.

Recognition and praise is an indicator representing a state where one feels their work and contributions are acknowledged, and good actions or achievements are communicated through words or actions.

Job satisfaction is an indicator representing overall satisfaction with the current workplace and job.

"Engagement" in this release measures positive feelings towards work, such as finding work interesting, engaging with work positively, and feeling vibrant at work (emotional aspect). In the text and figures, it is simply referred to as "engagement."

The expression "~ workplace" in this release refers to the state as perceived by the respondent.

In this release, based on the responses for each indicator, data was aggregated into three groups: low, intermediate, and high.

Psychological safety, recognition/praise, job satisfaction, and engagement are all indicators calculated based on the average of three items (calculated if responses are available for two or more of the three items).

Psychological safety, recognition/praise, and job satisfaction are asked on a 5-point scale from "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree." Individuals whose average of the three items meets or exceeds the level corresponding to "Somewhat agree" are classified as the high group, those below the level corresponding to "Neither agree nor disagree" are classified as the low group, and those in between are classified as the intermediate group.

Engagement is asked on a 5-point scale from "Not at all" to "Very much." Individuals whose average of the three items meets or exceeds the level corresponding to "Sometimes" are referred to as "high engagement individuals" in this release.

Non-responses have been excluded from each calculation. Therefore, n (number of subjects) in the text and figures varies depending on the question.

Notes

The results presented in this release are based on an analysis of an awareness survey targeting 500 working individuals.

This survey was conducted at a single point in time and does not indicate a causal relationship between psychological safety, recognition/praise, job satisfaction, and engagement.

Furthermore, the perception of psychological safety and recognition/praise may vary depending on job content, job type, and workplace situation.

Percentages are rounded to the first decimal place, so the sum of the breakdown may not be 100%. Point differences are calculated from unrounded figures, so they may not match the difference between the displayed values.

Company Profile

Real One Inc. supports corporate organizational improvement and human resource development through employee satisfaction surveys, engagement surveys, 360-degree feedback, consulting, and education.

Company Name: Real One Inc.

Location: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Shinkawa 1-10-14 FORECAST Kayabacho ANNEX 202

Representative: Representative Director, Shin Aoyama

Business Activities: Employee satisfaction surveys, engagement surveys, 360-degree feedback, consulting, education

Company URL: https://www.realone-inc.com

Inquiries Regarding This Release

Real One Inc., Survey Public Relations Department

E-mail: [email protected]

TEL: 03-6222-8741