Kalderon HR

There are, finally, more and more conversations happening around psychological safety at work. It feels for some like a new phrase in the workplace, a new concept to be adapted to, a new way of leadership, however with the recent changes in the Employment Rights Act surrounding sexual harassment, employers are discussing the psychological safety of their staff with more consideration, and employees are expecting them to.

However, what does psychological safety mean, and what practical changes can employers do to ensure that their employees genuinely feel psychologically safe?

A psychologically safe workplace isn’t complicated to build, but it does require a consistent approach. Employees want to work in an environment where learning and developing means you are allowed to make mistakes and where concerns can be raised about their environment or colleagues without fear of humiliation or punishment.

Model vulnerability. Being an employer is often akin to being a parent and both employees and children will look to the parental figure to demonstrate vulnerability. It is okay to say “I’m wrong” or “I’m sorry,” or even (shock horror), “I don’t know.” It is up to managers to set the right tone, and to signal that imperfection is acceptable, it is okay to make mistakes. These changes are easy to implement – and costs nothing! Have conversations with line managers and consider what you, as the employer are reflecting in expectations. If you change, and request change with explanation and consistency, it will happen.

Create clear communication channels. You have already set the tone that you want to hear what employees and colleagues have to say, but how are you going to do it? Make sure that there are clear, easily accessible channels to communicate. These can be anonymous feedback forms, regular 1:1 check ins and open door policies. Your staff are your biggest asset, so have their back. Having private spaces for them to speak up, reduces the fear of “saying the wrong thing” in front of others. You already have these in place, email, forms, team meetings – but make sure they are visible for your staff, make sure they know where to access them.

Respond constructively. Often the reaction to a problem is more important than the problem itself. If someone raises a concern, actively listen, praise their honesty, explore solutions together and avoid blame language. This may be them raising something that has gone wrong for them that they want to draw your attention to, or an issue with a colleague – or even a squeaky wheel on their chair. What you say and how you say it, makes a difference when we are considering psychologically safe spaces. Working with someone to take autonomy over their squeaky wheel in a positive and appropriate way, makes it less likely they will come back for the second squeaky wheel in the future, as they will feel able to support themselves. Equally, if your response to something relatively minor is respectful, they will feel able to talk to you about the bigger concerns. Ensure your managers understand the importance of not responding defensively, and that their response is steeped in the concern of the employee in front of them.

Team etiquette rules. When expectations are clear in team meetings, then psychological safety improves. Agreed and transparent rules such as; “We don’t interrupt; We critique ideas, not people; We assume positive intent,” will remove the ambiguity and reduce personal risk. It is also an easy change to make. Talk it through with the teams involved, work collaboratively so that everyone is aware and has the opportunity to set the rules.

Act on feedback. Nothing destroys psychological safety faster than a dismissive response (above) and ignored feedback. The smallest of actions, adjusting a workflow, clarity within policy, getting a tin of oil for a squeaky wheel – show your employees that their voice genuinely matters. That the organisation is not hiding behind a statement of values that aren’t actually adhered to. This may, on occasion, mean a conversation where something cannot be changed – but let your staff know why it can’t be and what that means. Transparency and communication are vital bedfellowes.

Making small changes to the culture of your organisation are relatively easy to do, but what is equally important is making sure these changes are consistent, because most steps rely on behaviour not necessarily resources. If your leaders are consistent, if your CEO is consistent, then your employees will trust the environment they work in.

If you are looking for manager and/or staff training to support and develop psychological safety at work, or adaption in policy then please get in touch.