Benefits of a Psychologically Safe Work Environment

Benefits of a Psychologically Safe Work Environment

A productive workplace is like a well-oiled machine, reliant on the condition of its individual components to perform its best work - and personifies teamwork at its best. You can be certain, the stronger the team, the stronger the business it supports - and a crucial factor for building a strong, resilient team in your workplace is by fostering a sense of psychological safety among your employees.

Important questions about psychological safety in the workplace

What does workplace psychological safety look like? It’s a professional culture in which workers feel safe - and even encouraged - to speak up, share ideas, take risks and admit mistakes without fear of negative reactions, ridicule or reprisal. There’s no humiliation or punishment resulting from going for it in terms of exploring new or divergent ideas, questioning policies or pushing the envelope, even in cases when the results of such dalliances ultimately turn out to be unsuccessful.

Why is it important that workers feel comfortable living on the edge of conformity? Such a psychologically safe environment fosters innovation, expands learning and promotes better job performance, which in turn improves employees’ sense of well-being and increases their professional engagement. Employees who feel psychologically safe and actively engaged in their work are more likely to remain happily satisfied in their position and with the company for which they work.

How does a sense of psychological safety create a more robust workplace? By modeling leadership backed by vulnerability, curiosity, encouragement, fairness and inclusion, a psychologically safe workplace ultimately can lead to better problem-solving, innovation and business development and growth.

It starts from the top…

Like any successful business initiative, a sense of psychological safety is best achieved from the top down. As head of your team, it’s important that you act as the very model of vulnerability, displaying a willingness to admit your mistakes and ask for help. When that attitude comes from the top, it’s easier for the team to glean a sense that it’s safe to follow suit. As part of that overall mindset of and commitment to psychological safety, make these practices part of the day-to-day workflow:

• Frame "challenges" as learning opportunities rather than obstacles to be overcome.
• Encourage a team approach where everyone gets to participate in innovation and problem solving by offering their input, questions and feedback.
• There is no fail: Adopt a "succeed or learn" attitude when mistakes occur or things don’t pan out as expected. Help employees find the lesson in the "flop."
• Demonstrate recognition and appreciation for the contributions of everyone on the team; all ideas are weighted equally and considered respectfully.

A psychologically safe environment

A workplace that honors its employees by offering a sense of psychological safety demonstrates these characteristics:

• Promotes fair and equitable treatment, consideration and decision-making among everyone.
• Provides a framework and strategy for difficult conversations and constructive criticism.
• Differentiates among outcomes - some errors are preventable and undeniably "mistakes" that should be avoided in the future; others are the result of intelligent, informed, even bold experimentation - which should be encouraged (and learned from).

Psychological safety in the workplace ensures that the entire workforce feels included and individually - as well as collectively - an important part of the "machinery" of the business. As a bonus, psychologically safe businesses encourage employee participation, increase job satisfaction and result in higher employee retention. Cultivating a psychologically safe workplace is a smart - and sane - way to operate your business.

What practices demonstrate that your business provides a psychologically safe environment for employees?