THE IMPACT OF RETURN-TO-OFFICE TRANSITIONS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY AND ORGANISATIONAL TRUST: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF POST-PANDEMIC WORKPLACE RESEARCH
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69980/jf7gte34Keywords:
Return-to-Office, Remote Work, Psychological Safety, Organisational Trust, Employee Voice, Human Resource ManagementAbstract
The shift from remote work to return-to-office and hybrid arrangements has become a major organisational challenge after the pandemic. These transitions influence how employees experience trust, autonomy, communication, and psychological safety at work. This article examines how moving from remote work to return-to-office or hybrid work arrangements affects employees’ psychological safety and organisational trust. Using a systematic literature review approach, it synthesises peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2025 on remote work, hybrid work, return-to-office policies, leadership communication, flexibility, employee voice, psychological safety, and organisational trust. The review shows that rigid or poorly communicated return-to-office policies can weaken employee trust, particularly when such policies are viewed as signs of managerial control rather than organisational support. Psychological safety may also decline when employees face reduced autonomy, uncertainty, surveillance, loss of flexibility, or limited involvement in workplace decisions. However, the findings suggest that transparent communication, inclusive leadership, fair policy implementation, flexible work design, and employee participation can strengthen both trust and psychological safety. The article concludes that organisational trust and psychological safety are closely connected relational mechanisms that shape employee voice, collaboration, engagement, and adaptation during workplace transitions.
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