Annick Rogiers · Founder, Sustainable Wellbeing Solutions — I help HR, HSE and prevention leaders prove how they manage psychosocial risk, not just describe it.

Why do HR, HSE and wellbeing see different risks?

Because psychological safety and psychosocial risk do not follow organisational boundaries — yet HR, HSE and wellbeing each hold only one part of the system.

HR sees patterns in employee experience, leadership and workforce data. HSE brings a risk and prevention perspective. Wellbeing professionals see how organisational conditions affect people in everyday practice.

These perspectives are valuable individually, but they are usually managed separately. Meanwhile, psychosocial risk is shaped by how people lead, collaborate, communicate, make decisions and organise work — none of which respect functional boundaries.

The opportunity at functional level is not to give one function ownership of psychological safety. It is to strengthen the capability to recognise, connect and respond to what is happening across the organisation.

Why is cross-functional understanding a capability?

Because the challenge is no longer raising awareness. It is understanding how psychological safety and psychosocial risk actually appear in everyday practice, and how different functions respond when they do.

HR, HSE and wellbeing may each hold relevant information, expertise and responsibilities. When these remain fragmented, the organisation struggles to see the wider pattern.

Fragmented information can be coordinated with meetings and goodwill. Recognising a pattern across functions — and acting on it under pressure — requires something more structural. That is what makes cross-functional understanding a genuine part of organisational capability.

How does the five-phase model of post-traumatic growth translate into an organisational lens?

Where employees have been affected by difficult or traumatic experiences, HR, HSE and wellbeing professionals can draw valuable insight from psychology. The five-phase model of post-traumatic growth, developed by clinical psychologist Dr. Edith Shiro, describes how people may move through trauma, recovery and growth.

While the model focuses on individual experience, it shaped how I think about organisational response. I adapted the five phases into a functional lens for HR, HSE and wellbeing professionals.

This lens is not a way to move employees through predefined stages of recovery. It is a way to consider what different needs may become relevant after difficult or traumatic experiences, and what that means for organisational awareness, response and support.

It complements the organisation's broader responsibility for psychological safety and psychosocial risk management. It does not replace the responsibility to identify and manage psychosocial risks at source.

What does the five-phase functional lens look like?

Awareness — radical acceptance Leaders are trained to recognise emotional distress and create space for open conversations.

Awakening — safety and protection HR cultivates environments where psychological safety is not only encouraged but expected.

Becoming — a new narrative Flexible roles and coaching help employees reframe their purpose and professional identity.

Integration — reconnection and belonging Peer support and inclusion initiatives assist in rebuilding trust and team connection.

Transformation — growth and contribution Employees who have processed trauma can become mentors or wellbeing ambassadors.

Together, these five provide a trauma-informed lens through which HR, HSE and wellbeing professionals can reflect on organisational response. They do not replace psychosocial risk management, and they do not prescribe an employee's recovery journey. They add a human perspective to the broader organisational capability required when difficult or traumatic experiences enter the workplace.

What comes next?

Functional understanding is an important step, but organisational capability requires these insights to move beyond individual functions. The next question is how psychological safety and psychosocial risk management translate into coordinated organisational action — connecting leadership, responsibilities, policies, work processes and decision-making.

Where this fits in my work

If your organisation recognises this and wants to act on it, there are two ways I work with organisations:

Consultancy— assess priorities, clarify responsibilities, and integrate psychosocial risk into leadership, work practices and governance.
Turn policy into proof →

The Academy — one structured online pathway that builds capability internally.
Explore the Academy →

 Continue with: From Insight to Implementation: An 8-Step Organisational Strategy →