And that’s not even counting what we don’t see: the stifling of initiative, swallowing ideas, the decline of engagement. People withdrawing instead of contributing. The cost of unsafe behavior is not an abstract moral issue — it’s a business disaster in slow motion.
Yet most organizations wait until something goes wrong. Until a report is filed. Or worse: a headline in the newspaper. Why? Because prevention is hard to measure. Because silence is mistaken for good news. Because “nothing is happening” is a comfortable illusion.
But those who take safety seriously only after an incident are too late.
A safe culture doesn’t arise from protocols after the fact, but from courage beforehand. From giving space for feedback, taking boundaries seriously, and not avoiding discomfort. This doesn’t require a perfect organization, but a brave one.
What does it yield? Less absenteeism. Less turnover. More trust, creativity, and innovation. And above all: people who want to stay.
So yes, unsafe behavior costs billions. But the real price? We pay it every day we do nothing.
And that is a cost organizations can no longer afford.
