Key findings from Shirley Parsons 2026 UK HSEQ Salary & Workforce Insights Report reveal that organisations with stronger safety cultures may also be better positioned to attract and retain HSEQ talent.
When organisations talk about safety culture, the conversation typically focuses on incident reduction, compliance and operational performance.
However, findings from the Shirley Parsons 2026 UK HSEQ Salary & Workforce Insights Report suggest that safety culture may be influencing something just as important: an organisation’s ability to retain its people.
In an increasingly competitive talent market, culture is becoming a critical factor in how professionals evaluate employers. Our report reveals a clear relationship between safety culture maturity and employees’ willingness to stay with an organisation.
A clear relationship between culture and retention.
As part of the survey, respondents were asked to assess their organisation’s safety culture using the Hudson Safety Maturity Model, which categorises organisations across five levels of maturity:
- Pathological
- Reactive
- Calculative
- Proactive
- Generative
Overall, 59% of respondents described their organisation’s safety culture as either proactive or generative, suggesting many organisations are continuing to embed safety as a core part of how they operate.
However, one of the most interesting findings emerged when safety culture was compared with employees’ intentions to change jobs.
The survey found that every respondent working within a pathological safety culture was either actively searching for a new role or open to hearing about opportunities elsewhere. In contrast, professionals working within proactive and generative cultures were significantly more likely to say they were not interested in changing jobs.
The message is clear: safety culture doesn’t just influence performance. It may also influence retention.
Why safety culture matters beyond safety.
For HSEQ professionals, safety culture is often viewed as a reflection of leadership and organisational values.
Strong cultures are typically characterised by:
- visible leadership commitment,
- trust and accountability,
- employee engagement,
- open communication,
- and continuous improvement.
These are also many of the same factors that contribute to employee satisfaction and long-term engagement. When employees feel listened to, supported and empowered to raise concerns, they are more likely to develop trust in their organisation and confidence in its leadership.
Conversely, where safety is perceived as reactive, inconsistent or disconnected from leadership behaviour, employees may begin to question whether the organisation’s values align with their own.
The rise of culture-conscious candidates.
The HSEQ recruitment market has evolved significantly in recent years. While only a small percentage of professionals are actively searching for new roles, many remain open to hearing about opportunities. This means employers increasingly need to persuade talent to join them rather than simply advertise vacancies.
As a result, candidates are scrutinising workplace culture more closely than ever before. Questions around leadership visibility, employee involvement, decision-making and organisational values are becoming increasingly common during recruitment processes.
For many professionals, these factors provide valuable insight into what it will actually be like to work within an organisation long term.
Safety culture as a competitive advantage.
Traditionally, safety culture has been viewed as an operational metric. Increasingly, it may also be becoming a talent metric.
Organisations with strong safety cultures are likely to benefit from:
- higher employee engagement,
- stronger retention,
- improved employer reputation,
- and greater success attracting experienced professionals.
In a market where competition for HSEQ talent remains high, these advantages can become increasingly valuable.
"Candidates are increasingly aware of how seriously organisations take their safety culture. Professionals want to work in environments where safety is embedded in decision-making, leadership and everyday behaviours. The findings suggest that culture is becoming an important factor in both attraction and retention."
Why this matters for HSEQ leaders.
The findings from this year’s report highlight an important shift in how organisations should think about safety culture.
Safety culture is no longer simply a measure of compliance or operational performance. It is also a reflection of leadership, employee experience and organisational trust.
Organisations that invest in building proactive and generative cultures are not only improving safety outcomes; they may also be creating environments where talented professionals choose to stay and build long-term careers.
In a competitive HSEQ talent market, organisations with stronger safety cultures may gain an advantage not only in performance, but in attracting and retaining the people who drive it.
The full Shirley Parsons 2026 UK HSEQ Salary & Workforce Insights Report explores this relationship in more detail, alongside workforce trends, salary benchmarking, employee satisfaction, retention drivers, diversity insights and more.
