While I’ve visited lots of places prone to seismic activity, I’ve never actually experienced an earthquake. Not even a tremor. I’m not complaining. And only when I think about things like January’s horrific quake in Haiti, or my upcoming trip to San Francisco do I even give earthquakes much thought.

And so on my recent trip to Lima, Peru, to speak for the Human Capital Forum, I was a little creeped out when I began to see the ubiquitous sign designating safe areas in case of “sismos”, Spanish for earthquakes. Now, Peruvians don’t play at earthquakes. Their most recent bad one, in 2007, killed more than 500 people. And the history of Lima, Peru’s capital, is more or less defined by any given event’s relation to the earthquake of this year or that year. And so I’m not sure I entirely believe the little green signs’ claim that the area around it happens to be safe, if the ground decides to yawn real big. Nevertheless, had the shaking started, I’d have been the first one to the green sign.

The sign, “Safe zone, in case of earthquakes” made me think, “Does the workplace have “safe zones”, someplace people can go, not when literal earthquakes strike, but when they feel the ground beneath their feet is wobbly, or that the walls around their lives are crumbling?”

Maslow, the Heirarchy of Needs guy, who knew more than he ever imagined about employee engagement, thought safety was pretty important. Right up there with basic survival needs. One thing that’s been reinforced in the economic earthquakes and tremors of the last couple of years is that fear paralyzes. Fear leads to preoccupation. And preoccupation and engagement are mutually exclusive.

In your outfit, where do people go when they don’t feel safe? From a workplace bully, or a boss that doesn’t quite “get” the zero tolerance thing on harrassment? Or harrassment notwithstanding, where can a person who respects the chain of command go when the next link up is the problem? Where’s the safe zone when you’re not sure your job’s going to be around, since nobody ever tells you anything about how the company’s doing?

Is there someone you can go to when you’ve lost the way on your career path? How about when things outside of work have gone haywire?

People need a safe zone. Whether it’s a human resources department doing what a human resources department should be doing, or a well-functioning employee assistance program and referral network, a good alternative dispute resolution process, or just someone who cares enough to listen, people need someone, someplace where they can “touch base” and know they’re going to be OK.

Looking for a way to get more out of your work experience? Create, or better yet, be, a safe zone.

Richard Hadden (twitter at http://twitter.com/ContentedCows) is a leadership speaker, author, and consultant who helps organizations improve their business results by creating a great place to work. He and Bill are the authors of the acclaimed business classic Contented Cows Give Better Milk, and the followup Contented Cows MOOve Faster. Learn more about them and their work at ContentedCows.com.