Unlocking Employee Well-Being, Psychological Safety as the Missing Link in Human Resource Management: A Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Purpose: This study conducts a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis to synthesise evidence and map research on HR practices, employee well-being and psychological safety. It develops a conceptual framework explaining how human resource practices influence employee well-being via psychological safety, based on theoretical approaches (social exchange theory, job demands-resources, and conservation of resources). It also offers guidance for future research. Design/Methodology/Approach: A systematic literature review was conducted using peer-reviewed journal articles published in English between 2020 and 2026, using a combination of HR practices, psychological safety, and employee well-being terms. This study used academic databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Wiley Online Library to extract published articles. The PRISMA screening procedure was followed, and duplicates, conference proceedings, and articles unrelated to this study area were excluded during screening. The pre-2020 foundational work on Social Exchange Theory (SET), Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) Theory, and Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory supported the thematic discussions. 79 articles were selected to conduct the bibliometric analysis, which was carried out using the VOSviewer software to map the trends in the literature, theories, and knowledge gaps. Findings: The findings suggest that supportive Human Resources (HR) practices, including factors like supportive management, employee participation and fair performance management, can contribute to psychological safety and employee well-being. The proposed conceptual framework is based on Social Exchange Theory (SET), Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) Theory, and Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory, which can be tested in future studies via quantitative data, and the results may show that supportive human resource practices have a positive influence on employee well-being, with psychological safety proposed as mediating mechanism. Few studies integrate SET, JD-R and COR to Research Limitation: The study review is limited to studies published between 2020 and 2026. Pre-2020 literature and books, and the indexing lag for 2026 articles, may limit coverage of recent studies, and analysis and mediation remain theoretically proposed rather than tested. Hence, the causal or generalisable conclusions may not be established. Practical Implication: The conceptual framework proposed can be used by organisations to guide the development of HR practices that support employee voice, fair treatment and inclusive policies. Social Implication: Equitable procedures would enable employee psychological safety and well-being. Therefore, HR systems can reinforce procedures to support equitable access to HR practices across all levels of management, Originality/Value: This study defines it through three related dimensions: trust, an inclusive work environment and employee voice. It also treats employee well-being as multidimensional, covering psychological, emotional, mental-health, quality-of-work-life, and attitudinal outcomes such as job satisfaction and work engagement, rather than a single proxy. Because both the mediator and the outcome are defined broadly, the study provides a more complete picture of the domains in which HR practices produce benefits and which aspects of psychological safety drive those effects.