Psychological Safety at Work

Research in psychological safety suggests that companies benefit more when more people can recognize problems and develop solutions. This is because people hold various life experiences, leading to better critical thinking and creative solutions.

But how is it possible for team members to participate in such conversations when they feel uncomfortable? Oftentimes, many people are scared to speak up and share their ideas and concerns because they fear rejection.

When this issue prevails in a work environment, it leads to a lack of psychological safety. The issue in itself has many repercussions. Read on if you wish to learn more about psychological safety and how you can foster it at your workplace for better results.

What is Psychological Safety and Its Importance

Simply put, psychological safety is a context that is created. Here, people have a reassurance that they will not be judged, punished, or humiliated when speaking. This includes discussions about problems, solutions, ideas, questions, concerns, and mistakes.

An work environment where people are quick to blame indicates a lack of psychological safety.

But what does ‘psychological safety at work’ mean in particular? It means that team members believe that others will not reject, humiliate, embarrass, judge, or punish them for sharing their ideas or concerns. It’s a safe space to communicate.

When they have psychological safety in a workplace, workers feel more comfortable being themselves. They do not have to focus carefully on every step they take for worry of repurcussion. They easily voice their ideas and opinions, delivering their full potential.

On the other hand, lack of psychological safety means:

• Not being “allowed” to fail and learn from mistakes
• Not leveraging the strengths and talents, because no one takes risks

But psychological safety offers an opportunity to ask naïve questions, have disagreements, and embrace healthy conflict. As a result, the organization creates ideas that can truly make positive differences.

The Four Stages of Psychological Safety

Before we learn how leaders can create psychological safety at their workplace, let’s have a look at the four stages of psychological safety.

Stage 1: The first stage of psychological safety is Inclusion Safety, which allows team members to connect with and belong in a space. You get recognition for your talents and are included in the team.

Stage 2: Learner safety satisfies the human need to learn and grow without trepidation. You can ask questions and feel free to experiment and learn.

Stage 3: Contributor Safety is the third stage of psychological safety, in which a team member is confident about participating in making a difference. You can use your skills and abilities without fearing rejection.

Stage 4: The final stage of Challenging Safety instills team members with the confidence that they can make things better. You don’t feel scared to challenge the “this is how we’ve always done things” mentality of your company.

How to Create Psychological Safety at Work

A work environment is psychologically safe when everyone feels that they have a seat at the table to share ideas.

Psychological safety at the workplace has numerous amazing benefits. However, it is quite rare, and not many professionals feel psychologically safe at work. That being said, team leaders, bosses, and managers can take steps to create more psychological safety.

Facilitate Members that Speak Up

It is not always common that team members speak up with their ideas and opinions for a certain project.Team members are often scared that their leaders and team members would not like what they have to say on an important matter. So when an individual finally gathers the courage to voice their thoughts, the team should be more open and welcoming.

Make sure you express your curiosity and interest in what they say about a certain issues. Be more empathic towards your employees and let them complete their thoughts before you hastily wave off their ideas. Attentive listening and genuine interest can do wonders as more and more employees feel confident to speak up.

Embrace Productive Conflict

It is no surprise that all people have different opinions on different matters. While two employees may agree on one matter, they end up strongly disagreeing about another. This should never mean that they’re wrong. Conflicts like this can make it easier for you to look at two or more solutions to a problem through different perspectives.

Fear of repurcussions for making mistakes shows a lack of psychological safety.

As a result, you will opt for a better action plan. Do not call off conversations when things get controversial, but rather, embrace disagreements and make them more productive. It is a good idea to promote dialogue and debates among employees to resolve issues. Allow your employees to be open about their opinions even if they conflict with yours or other employees.

Bottom Line

Psychological safety at work is extremely important for the organization to grow and flourish. Additionally, it allows employees to feel more comfortable and give their best efforts.

It consists of 4 stages, including inclusion safety, learner safety, contributor safety, and challenger safety. Creating psychological safety can be difficult to implement and take time if there was a previous lack of trust. But investment into creating a safer space for employees to do their best work, can pay huge dividends in the long run.