Importance of Promoting Psychological Safety at Work

What is psychological safety?

Psychological safety is a term that has quickly emerged within the corporate zeitgeist and become a highly discussed topic among HR and organizational management “thought leaders”. Some people may hear this term and consider it to merely be a new, trendy buzzword. However, the concept of psychological safety is nothing new, as it has been around for several decades.

Psychologist Carl Rogers first coined the term in the 1940s to describe an environment where one feels safe and encouraged to explore their creativity. The term was later adopted by Amy Edmondson in the 1990s to describe a workplace environment that encourages employees to feel safe to speak up or make mistakes without fear of negative repercussions. This has now become the most widely accepted use of the term.

What is psychological safety at work?

Psychological safety, specifically in a work setting, means that everyone feels a sense of security in their positions and is comfortable having tough conversations. Employees can admit mistakes without fear of retribution. They know they are supported in their success, just as much as they are supported in learning.

Promoting psychological safety in the workplace means that everyone’s Ideas and opinions are welcomed, the employees support each other, they are cross trained in one another’s roles and responsibilities and will cheer each other on.

Most people think that creating this type of environment among your employees and colleagues is just a natural consequence of a healthy work culture. While this can be true, it doesn’t just happen on its own or as a result of a really good TedTalk or employee retreat. This type of work culture must be deliberately cultivated, and it typically starts with leadership and makes its way through the organization organically. This takes time!

Furthermore, as anyone in HR management knows, it’s one thing for a company to say they strive to promote psychological safety within their organization, and something else entirely to put it into practice.

What does a Lack of Psychological Safety in the Workplace Look Like?

Psychological safety in the workplace is one of those things that you can’t adequately describe until you’ve experienced the lack of it. When that psychological safety is missing from your workplace, it becomes apparent.

A psychologically unsafe work environment may exhibit these characteristics:

• Fear of retaliation or criticism, so employees do not speak up or share ideas or concerns.
• Lack of support and training, which causes employees to feel isolated or that they cannot request help or assistance with new or challenging tasks.
• Alternatively, lack of support can look like micromanagement.
• Poor communication where expectations are inconsistent or unclear.
• Lack of affirmation or recognition for positive contributions.
• There is a prominent culture of blame and criticism, which discourages employees from taking accountability.

These characteristics can show up in the workplace in a number of ways and in a number of different situations. Consider the following anecdote and reflect on if you’ve had a similar experience yourself in your previous (or current) employment.

Loss of Psychological Safety and Blame Culture

“It’s time to conduct an autopsy without blame.” Those are the words spoken by the CEO of a company I worked for so long ago it was in a different decade. The first time I heard them, I thought it was cool. It was meant to be a fact-finding investigation into why something went terribly wrong at the company. It was supposed to mean learning from a mistake and making positive changes.

Unfortunately, what it turned out to be was something altogether different. It turned into a finger pointing session, because once the person with accountability stood up and owned the mistake, the turmoil began. This taught the majority of the team to cover their mistakes or go to others to speak for them (being too nervous to speak for themselves), and I found myself in the uncomfortable position of having to explain in kinder words what the CEO was actually trying to achieve.

This experience molded me, and others in that workplace, to feel psychologically unsafe at work. Not just at that company, but at others that followed. Whether the environment we were in was safe or not, those scars remain, and they show up at the strangest times, even if the environment that caused it is now a distant memory.

How can Employers and Employees Learn to Identify Psychological Safety in the Workplace?

Workplace safety is paramount these days. We live and work in a turbulent world. There is an unspoken belief that work is one of our safe places. Safe from physical violence, safe from emotional duress. Unfortunately, because humans are not predictable, we often find ourselves feeling unsafe at work, for a variety of reasons.

For some employees who have damaged psyches from past jobs, negative feelings still linger, even if their current environment may be healthy. Sometimes, when a person has spent so much time looking over his or her shoulder in an unsafe work environment, it is hard to discern the difference.

As an example, if your boss or someone in leadership reaches out to you and asks you to call them when you have a moment, and reading that message makes you nauseous – stop and ask yourself why. Is it the current person, or are you stuck in emotions from your past?

How would you know the difference? Here’s how. Consider the following:

• Have I ever had an interaction here that was so negative that I am now nervous to talk with them?
• Why is this question making me feel nervous / upset / anxious?
• Do I trust this person? Do they trust me?
• Has this person helped me before?
• Have we previously engaged in any dialogue that was contentious, and later worked through it?
• Have we engaged in any dialogue that was contentious, and we did NOT work through it?
• How does this person handle bad or unpleasant news?
• Do I get help when I ask for it?

Characteristics of a Psychologically Safe Workplace

Psychological safety or a lack thereof, is one area of workplace safety that can be the most complex to address, identify, and, to overcome, and to do so takes a lot of patience, reflection, and empathy from all sides. So, how can employers become compassionate leaders and implement policies and practices that foster a psychologically safe work environment for every employee?

A workplace that is psychologically safe will exhibit these characteristics:

• Ideas are welcome and encouraged.
• Mistakes are acknowledged and used as learning opportunities.
• Co-workers are cross trained, and supportive of each other.
• Everyone is accountable, including Leadership.
• Trust and respect exist between everyone.
• Employees feel included, that they belong.
• Diverse ideas and opinions are heard and respected.
• Change is a group effort.
• Employees are encouraged to share their stories.
• Training, growth and other opportunities are provided and encouraged.

What are the Benefits of Promoting Psychological Safety at Work?

The benefits of a psychologically safe work environment are clear as day. Of course, there are some of the obvious more obvious positives such as:

• Employee retention
• Positive employee experience and improved mental health
• Collaborative team members who give constructive feedback
• Feelings of inclusivity within the organizational culture
• A zeal for shared organizational goals

When someone feels psychologically safe in their workplace, they feel more empowered to try new things, share new ideas, and experiment. Just as Carl Rogers stated, such an environment encourages creativity and exploration.

Additionally, when one feels safe, they have little fear of criticism or negative feedback, and they don’t feel the need to be defensive when issues arise. They will feel comfortable accepting responsibility, and they feel supported by their managers to overcome whatever shortcomings led to the mistake.

This, in turn, allows management and employees to work together through issues and challenges.

Feeling good about our jobs is important. When we feel safe and supported, this instills trust and loyalty, which in turn leads to success and productivity. In today’s world of work, people have plenty of choices about where they want to be, and what they want to do. Ensuring that your workplace is harmonious will help attract and retain the talent you are seeking.

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