I lost a device in an Uber. For most people, this is a simple inconvenience. For me, it was a disruption to a long-standing personal pattern.
I am the person who checks every seat — cars, restaurants, conference halls, hotel rooms. My mind is trained to scan environments, a habit shaped by years of behavioural science work, global travel, and leading mental health programmes where attention to detail is non-negotiable.
So when the device went missing, my first instinct was to investigate — not the Uber, but my own mind. What was different this time?
Earlier that day, I’d just returned from a long road trip. I had barely slept. My phone rang the morning I arrived: the president of a respected African university needed urgent help certifying my Nigerian passport and South African ID as supporting documents for a visa letter I had written.
Tired but committed, I stepped into service mode. And at that moment, I wasn’t fully present. Fatigue compromised my awareness. Pressure narrowed my attention. And something I always do — check before I exit — quietly slipped.
Behavioural science gives us a simple truth:
Mistakes are rarely random. They are patterned outcomes of invisible strain.
This small personal incident mirrored a bigger conversation I had recently with senior HR leaders in South Africa — one centred on hidden organisational strain and the silent crisis many workplaces underestimate: psychological unsafety.
The silent cost of psychological unsafety
At a Thought Leadership/CHRO session, I participated, discussed new data highlighting the financial impact of environments where employees do not feel psychologically safe.
The numbers were sobering:
- Excess Staff Turnover: R2,835,810
- Excess Sick Days / Absenteeism: R613,844
- On-the-Job Underperformance: R11,590,066
Total Annual Cost: R15,039,720
Triggering all of this? Just 13 excess resignations. When an organisation is psychologically unsafe, there is always leakage. People may still show up. They may still fulfil the minimum requirements. They may not resign. But they stop thriving. They stop growing. They stop thinking boldly. And gradually, they lose their health, their spark, and the energy required for excellence. It is the corporate equivalent of what happened to me that morning. Physically present, mentally compromised.
Human beings don’t always announce when they’re struggling. Instead, the signs reveal themselves in:
- Mistakes
- Fatigue
- Avoidance
- Emotional withdrawal
- Cognitive fog
- Physical illness
- Quiet underperformance
Organisations measure output — but they rarely measure erosion. By the time absenteeism and performance data appear, the psychological damage has already matured.
Why people “Break Down Quietly” before they speak up
Behavioural science helps explain why psychological unsafety is so costly. When people feel unsafe:
- They conserve energy instead of contributing it
- They withhold ideas rather than risk criticism
- They avoid asking for help
- They internalise stress
- They somatise pressure; the body carries what the mind cannot express
This internalisation is expensive. Employees do not suddenly fall ill out of nowhere. They deteriorate in silence. And organisations pay the price not just financially — but culturally. You cannot build innovation on fear. You cannot build retention on silence. And you cannot build excellence on burnout.
A personal lesson in human limits
That lost device became a metaphor for what millions of employees experience daily. Under fatigue and pressure, humans do not make “bad decisions” — they simply have fewer resources available to make good ones.
My moment of forgetfulness was not a failure of discipline; it was a reminder of my humanity. And if one moment of exhaustion can cause a disciplined person to slip, imagine what chronic exhaustion does to a workforce. This is why I champion psychological safety not as a “nice-to-have,” but as a strategic foundation for organisational success.
A single moment of compromised awareness cost me a device. Compromised awareness across a workforce costs companies millions.
Following are four reflections as the year draws to a close
- Exhaustion is the enemy of excellence
We live in a culture that romanticises nonstop productivity. But every human — no matter how experienced — has limits. Rest is not a reward. It is a prerequisite for sound judgment, emotional balance, and meaningful impact. - Psychological safety is a leadership responsibility
The R15 million in avoidable organisational losses is not a financial issue. It is a leadership issue. Leaders must create environments where people feel safe to speak, safe to fail, and safe to ask for support without fear of consequences. - Presence is the new productivity
Many people are “at work,” but not fully present. They are tired, stretched, conflicted, or quietly overwhelmed. Presence — not attendance — is what organisations should be measuring. Because presence fuels creativity, resilience, connection and performance. - A new year demands new social contract at work
We cannot build 2026 on the same operating system that burned out 2025.
- We need workplaces where:
- People can breathe
- Fatigue is recognised, not punished
- Well-being is integrated into operations, not outsourced
- Leaders model humanity, not heroism
Because human flourishing is not only a personal aspiration — It is a strategic advantage.
As the year ends, I am reminded of this truth:
We lose things — objects, clarity, energy — when we don’t slow down. But when we reflect, reset, and rebuild, we regain far more. And that is the real work of a mental health champion.
