How To Create A Psychologically Safe Workplace

Do your colleagues seem confident to share ideas and feedback openly? Do they seem able to challenge things they disagree with, or push back when something isn’t right? Are they happy to give and receive feedback, and learn from mistakes? All of those things can indicate the level of psychological safety in the workplace –  a key component of employee engagement, innovation and satisfaction.

Introduced by Dr. Amy Edmonson in the late ‘90s, the concept of psychological safety is defined as “a shared belief that it is safe for interpersonal risk taking”. This includes speaking up with questions, ideas, concerns or mistakes without a fear of negative consequences or retribution.

Lots has been written in the world of internal comms about the importance of building workplace trust, but the need to focus on psychological safety is often missed. A key difference between the two is that psychological safety is closely interwoven with culture, and usually experienced at a group level rather than an individual level. 

It’s more concerned with group norms, and those unwritten company rules. It’s likely something we’ve all been subconsciously aware of at some stage throughout our careers. Within some organizations, feedback, innovation and growth are encouraged and welcomed. But within others, the best way to progress is to keep your head below the parapet and get on with things.

This blog post considers why it’s so important for workforces to feel psychologically safe and explores three ways for employers to cultivate it.  

Why is psychological safety at work so important?  

Simply put, psychological safety allows people to perform at their best.

Research has found that employees who feel psychologically safe report higher job satisfaction, better relationships with colleagues, and fewer negative experiences at work.

When employees feel safe, happy and respected in the workplace, they are more engaged. And when they are more engaged, they’re less likely to leave, less likely to burnout and less likely to resist change.

Psychological safety encourages greater adoption of new ways of working, more openness and adaptability. Feeling safe to fail – a key characteristic of psychologically safe employees – directly fuels innovation and drives business growth.

On the flip side, organizations with low levels of psychological safety face some pretty serious risks.

Because when people are afraid to speak up or flag mistakes, an environment is created where serious issues go unreported. The best-case scenario is a few dissatisfied customers or minor financial losses. But the worst-case scenario can be much more sinister. Anyone who’s binge-watched as many episodes of Air Crash Investigation as I have will know exactly what I’m talking about here.    

A lack of psychological safety goes hand-in-hand with a toxic workplace culture. So let’s consider what employers can do to take control of the situation and cultivate a psychologically safe working environment.

3 elements of a psychologically safe workforce

Creating a psychologically safe workplace will always be an ongoing activity, rather than a one-and-done, tick-box job.

We all know that a myriad of different things influence culture, company norms, and ways of working. But the following three elements will help form a solid foundation of psychological safety, upon which organizations can continue to grow.

1. Line manager training  

All too often, people are promoted into line management positions without receiving any training, guidance or organizational expectations around how to be a good people leader. But line managers are responsible for 70% of the variance in employee engagement, and often have the biggest influence on how psychologically safe their team members feel.  

When direct leaders intentionally create an open and honest dynamic, team members are naturally more comfortable to admit, fix, and then learn from mistakes. However, only 26% of leaders are successful in creating a team that feels psychologically safe, flagging a need for increased training and support.  

It’s important for organizations to clearly communicate what they expect from the line management population, sharing guidance, frameworks and opportunities for ongoing training. People leadership doesn’t come naturally to everybody, so it’s key to ensure that all line managers are provided with the support they need to lead in the way you expect them to lead.

2. A tone set by senior leadership

The cultural tone of any organization is set by those at the very top, whether they’re conscious of it or not. Senior leaders are not only the ones with ultimate responsibility for company policies and procedures, but they are often the most visible people both internally and externally. They play a critical role in building trust and solidifying workplace norms.  

To cultivate a psychologically safe workforce, it’s important to prioritize senior leader visibility and trust. People right across the company should know who their CEO is, what they stand for, and when they are likely to next hear from them. In fact, the entire C-suite should aim to be living and breathing the company values. The impact they have on the entire workforce is huge. 

Open and honest communication from those at the top, particularly during periods of organizational change, is also key. They are at the helm of the ship, so employees will look to them to gauge the tone and potential impacts of whatever change program is being communicated.

3. A continuous feedback loop

Last but by no means least is a continuous loop of feedback and opportunity for two-way communication. Giving and receiving feedback are key components of psychological safety in the workplace, helping create a supportive culture where learning and growing are encouraged.

Mistakes should not be brushed under the carpet – they should be acknowledged, learned from, and even celebrated.

Aside from manager 1:1s and performance management processes, think about the less formal ways that you can invite feedback and encourage two-way communication. Utilize platforms that can gather feedback from both online and offline employees through things like pulse surveys, digital ‘suggestion boxes’, and leader discussion forums.  

Having the right workplace tools to facilitate the things we’ve explored throughout this blog post makes the left of employee experience and HR professionals a million times easier.

Transform the way you work by introducing a place to host manager training materials and resources, a solid channel through which to share leader messages, and a space that facilitates two-way communication.